Durham v Hampshire, Chester-le-Street

Ottis Gibson takes all ten wickets for Durham

Cricinfo staff

July 22, 2007

Durham 252 (Benkenstein 114, Mascarenhas 4-33) and 114 for 2 (Coetzer 12*, Plunkett 2*) lead Hampshire 115 (Brown 56*, Gibson 10-47) by 251 runs
Scorecard

Ottis Gibson celebrates another wicket on his way to 10 for 47 © Northern Echo

Ottis Gibson, the Durham and former West Indies fast bowler, became the 79th bowler in first-class cricket to take all ten wickets today when he single handedly dismissed Hampshire for 115.

Gibson, 38, becomes the first player to manage the feat since Debasish Mohanty in 2000-01, and first player in county cricket since Richard Johnson took 10 for 45 for Middlesex in 1994.

On eight wickets today, he was made to wait, rather inevitably by the rain, before he had David Griffiths caught behind and then bowled James Bruce for a first-ball duck to claim figures of 10 for 47.

"I've been around long enough to know that when it's your day you must make the most of it, but I got lucky today," Gibson told The Guardian. "Before I got [Michael] Lumb I'd said to 'Benky' [Dale Benkenstein] it wasn't swinging anymore, and then before the rain came I was going to come off. Even then I would have settled for eight, but Benky said at my age I wouldn't get another opportunity to get ten."

Gibson is enjoying a new lease of life since joining Durham in 2006 - his third county in what has been a nomadic career - and struck a magnificent 155 to keep his side in the top flight last season.

"Even now I sometimes sit at home and dream of being a hero out there, you know," Gibson said, "getting 'ten-fer' or scoring the winner in a World Cup final, real pie in the sky stuff."

Gibson's heroics earned Durham lead of 137, although Michael Brown also achieved a note of personal distinction as he carried his bat for 56. A maiden first-class fifty from Mark Stoneman then extended Durham's lead to 251, but no one was going to take the focus off Gibson.

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