Biggest night a damp squib; Sell-out fixture is washed out.

DURHAM face a do-or-die clash with Leicestershire tomorrow after they were frustrated by the elements at the Riverside last night, writes MARK DOUGLAS.

The Dynamo's uneven Twenty20 campaign continues to confound and frustrate - but this time it was torrential rain and not inconsistency with bat and ball that undermined their efforts.

A pair of emphatic wins this week had put Durham back in contention at the top of the competition's northern division but the weather - which had helped them skittle out under-par Yorkshire on Wednesday - left them hoping for the best in the section's other game.

Luckily Yorkshire conspired to crumble again at Leicester - giving Durham a chance to progress with victory in the East Midlands.

But with the match a sell-out and a bumper crowd anticipated, it remained a deeply frustrating evening for Durham and coach Geoff Cook.

"There is a feeling of general, all round frustration. It's frustrating for the team and obviously frustrating for the thousands of people who were coming to the game and excited about seeing some Twenty20 cricket," he said.

"In terms of progressing in the competition it has made things a little bit more difficult for us as well. It was a good result for us that Yorkshire did not win but if we'd have gone on to win our game we could have had one foot in the next round.

"Still, we have to go to Leicester and win now. We're not out of the equation and we now have to make sure that tonight's disappointment is only a temporary one and that we go and win on Sunday." Only a smattering of the anticipated sell-out crowd remained until the bitter end as a match billed as Durham's biggest Twenty20 game of the season descended into something of damp squib.

It robbed Durham of the momentum that they built up earlier in the week when a David Warner-inspired effort saw them skittle Yorkshire out. "We did have a bit of momentum coming into this fixture and we were confident after the way things had gone for us over the course of the week," he said. "I was saying to Jon Lewis earlier that the worst part is not getting on the pitch and even having a chance. The frustration is intense in the dressing room.

"But we have to take some positives, the two performances were good this week. Before the break we'd been a bit patchy - there were one or two poor performances but we had a couple of decent ones as well.

"We haven't had much luck in the competition either - thoughts turn to Yorkshire and Lancashire away. It's been a patchy competition but we're still throwing punches and that's the main thing." Cook had the sympathy of opposite number Peter Moores, whose Lancashire side have qualified for Finals Day already.

"It must have been far more frustrating for Durham than us because they needed to play to improve their chances of qualifying," he said.

"It's always frustrating to travel a long way and have the game fall victim to the elements when you've got ready to play.

"But fortunately for us we know we have already got ourselves a home quarter-final so if it could be, it was a bit more relaxing for us than it was for Durham." Meanwhile, veteran off spinner Paul Wiseman has announced that he will retire at the end of the season to begin a coaching career with Canterbury in his homeland of New Zealand.

The 39-year-old, who has played 25 Tests, said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Durham County Cricket Club, whose success over the last few years I have been proud to be a part of." He added: "I will leave the club with some great memories and will continue to play whatever part I can for Durham for the remainder of the season."

LEICESTERSHIRE Foxes snatched a dramatic 11-run victory over Yorkshire Carnegie at Grace Road to put themselves one win away from a place in the quarter-finals of the Twenty20 Cup.

Chasing a target of 165 Yorkshire looked virtually home and dry after an opening stand of 104 in 12 overs between Andrew Gale and Jacques Rudolph.

But then, in gathering gloom, they lost their way and ended on 153-6 as Andrew Harris and Wayne White each claimed two wickets in the last four overs to set up a winner-takes-all clash against Durham tomorrow. The defeat put paid to Yorkshire's hopes of going through.

But they must be wondering how on earth they missed out after some brilliant batting from Gale and Rudolph had left them firmly in the driving seat.

But the Yorkshire run rate slowed as the Foxes tightened their line and lengths with both Michael Vaughan and Gerard Brophy struggling for momentum in the middle of the innings.

The Foxes scored 42 off the last five overs and although their total looked under par they fought back well to snatch the surprise win.

YORKSHIRE LOSE WAY IN GLOOM

CAPTION(S):

LAST SEASON Paul Wiseman of Durham is set to retire.