91Èȱ¬

Durham and Lancashire tied their final match in this season's FL t20.

Both sides had faint hopes of a quarter-final spot going into the final day's matches, but results elsewhere made that impossible.

Lancashire's 133-8 was led by Tom Smith's 29, Gareth Cross (26) and Steven Croft (21).

Phil Mustard made 33 in Durham's reply but, needing one to win off the last ball, Gareth Breese was run out to leave the hosts on 133-7.

Durham coach Geoff Cook told 91Èȱ¬ Newcastle:

"We said with six games to go we needed to win four of them and we got to the penultimate game at Leicester and it was washed out. That brought us to today and we needed things to go our way in other parts of the country.

"Sadly the weather conspired against us and it led to a feeling of anti-climax here and we didn't get over the line in the end.

"There was a lot of uncertainly about how quickly we needed to get runs. The Essex game at Hampshire wasn't called off until well into our innings and by then it was too late. Normally a tied game would be something to talk about."

91Èȱ¬ Newcastle's Martin Emmerson:

"There was a real sense of anti-climax here. I can't remember such a dead atmosphere at a cricket ground for a long time.

"Both sides started the day knowing they had a chance of making the last eight but, with the game washed out at Hampshire Durham, were given the impossible task of trying to win this one inside 15.1 overs.

"Given the fact Australia struggled to make 200 on the same wicket in 50 overs the day before, scoring 134 inside 15 overs was always unlikely.

"Durham now turn their attentions to Championship survival which is far more important in the long term."