Wake-up call sparked best from Kirtley

James Kirtley's finest hour in a Sussex shirt will always be in the 2006 Lord’s final.

Kirtley took five Lancashire wickets for 27 that muggy August day as Sussex won their first one-day knockout for 20 years.

It was some performance given that Kirtley’s future in the game had been in jeopardy six months earlier when he had to re-model his bowling action for the second time in his career.

So watching Kirtley produce the best one-day figures of his career against Durham at Hove on Monday 24 hours after a mauling against Surrey should not have been that great a surprise given his liking for comebacks.

Kirtley conceded 32 runs in his final two overs on Sunday including four wides in his penultimate over which went for 19. Surrey needed 15 off his last over to reach an improbable target of 314 and four off the last ball to tie but Kirtley managed to come up with a yorker which Grant Elliott could only drive down the ground for two.

Sussex got home – just – but, according to Kirtley, it was the kick up the backside he needed.

He admitted: “I have always prided myself on being able to execute my skills at the end of an innings but I didn’t do it against Surrey. In the 48th over I made a couple of poor decisions and those wides were woeful. It gave me a bit of a wake-up call.

“Thankfully it didn’t cost us but it made me focus on what I had to against Durham on Monday. I came into the game with a proper plan and managed to execute it.”

In a golden half-hour, Kirtley took 5-11 in 17 balls but it was the wicket he took when skipper Mike Yardy brought him back in the 33rd over which was his most important.

A stand of 61 in eight overs between big-hitting lefties Phil Mustard and Ian Blackwell was threatening to take Durham close after Sussex had piled up 313 for the second day running.

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