DURHAM were left to make their highest one-day score when two batsmen who have struggled to live up to their reputed potential put them to the sword in the Royal London Cup tie at Northampton.

Rob Keogh and Rob Newton put on 149 in 17 overs to propel Northants to a 50-over total of 355 for six after being put in.

Durham's best in one-day competition is 353 for eight in the semi-final at home to Nottinghamshire two years ago, when Ben Stokes made 164.

Keogh, 24, had a previous best score of 66 in the one-day cup and was averaging 21.89 until he raced to an 88-ball century and went on to make 134.

Newton, who made 65 off 46 balls, would not have played had Richard Levi not been injured and Ben Duckett absent on England Lions duty.

Durham entrusted the new ball to left-armer Jamie Harrison and after he and Chris Rushworth had restricted Northants to 11 off the first four overs but ended up conceding 160 between them off ten overs each.

Scott Borthwick stemmed the flow when he came on for the 11th over and bowled a spell of 7-1-28-1, only to come under fire when he returned for the 35th.

Ryan Pringle, who has had little bowling recently, also did well with two for 39 in seven overs.

He and Keaton Jenning had kept a tight rein in mid-innings, but with the score on 153 for three after 30 overs Harrison and Paul Coughlin were recalled with costly consequences.

The next five overs produced 61 runs with Coughlin conceding 21 in the 34th prior to Borthwick's recall resulting in Keogh hitting three successive balls for six, four, four.

There was also a 53-ball half-century from opener Josh Cobb and Rory Kleinveldt finished off the innings with an unbeaten 32 off 13 balls.