THE swift journey from ecstasy to agony on Saturday night seemed to encapsulate Durham's recent ups and downs.

After the sheer joy of beating Yorkshire in the NatWest T20 Blast semi-final, the demands of two high intensity matches in quick succession proved too much.

But the final itself was an emotional roller-coaster as the brilliance of Keaton Jennings and Mark Wood lifted hopes sky-high after a poor start, only to fade more rapidly than the light on a showery late summer's evening.

Stellar performances like Wood's in the semi-final, when he seemed to frighten Joe Root into submission then sent four other England men packing, can win T20 matches.

Unfortunately, Jennings couldn't do it off his own bat in the final, although he had a magnificent stab at it.

Without his 88 off 58 balls, in a total of 153 for eight, Durham would not have been in the game. It was the highest score in an English T20 final and anyone predicting that pre-season would probably have been certified.

The day's other two innings of substance came from Northamptonshire players. Ben Duckett's 84 in the semi-final was a masterpiece of invention, while Josh Cobb's 80 off 48 balls in the final turned the game after his side had slumped to nine for three.

Wood, again bowling in excess of 90mph, struck with his first ball courtesy of a stinging slip catch by Scott Borthwick, then rapped Cobb on the pads.

An inside edge probably saved him from being lbw, but it didn't seem to matter when he was called for a run by the tubby Richard Levi, who was beaten by Borthwick's direct hit.

The excellent Chris Rushworth, who had figures over the two games of 8-0-41-5, went round the wicket to pin Duckett lbw and Durham were cock-a-hoop.

But they have come under fire from Cobb before and when Usman Arshad came on for the sixth over he took 18 off it. One ball cost 12 because it was a high full toss smashed over square leg, to which were added two for a no-ball and a sliced four off the free-hit.

It was a huge turning point for a side who had come back from 15 for three in the semi-final and skipper Alex Wakeley again played the supporting role in a century stand.

Durham failed to build any partnerships. After an excellent 56 against Yorkshire, Ben Stokes looked too frenzied, hitting four of his first seven balls to the boundary before holing out at deep mid-wicket.

Even so he was the second highest scorer as Jennings showed what can be achieved without recourse to slogging.

He has developed a few T20 shots, but overall it was a very measured, sensible knock full of cultured strokes in which he demonstrated that straight down the ground is as good an area as any in which to score.

He began with two majestic drives along the deck, while three of his four sixes were also straight drives, resulting as much from timing as power.

He still had 11 balls to break Durham's own T20 record of 91 when he was caught at deep backward square.

Although Northants completed their four-wicket win with five balls to spare they won more comfortably than that.

After the fourth-wicket stand of 120 Wakeley was run out with 25 needed off 31 balls, and Cobb was caught behind trying to hit the winning six off Rushworth.

There were still 14 balls left and Northants made heavy weather of it as Steven Crook was run out without scoring.

The unfortunate Arshad had to bowl the last over with two needed and his first ball was hit for four, leaving him with none for 41 off 19 balls.

He was Durham's leading T20 wicket-taker last season with 22, and Paul Collingwood spoke recently about the need to come up with a plan to help develop his “special skills.”

But he is unlikely to see any more first team action this season as Durham's agonising failure to land the sixth trophy of a glorious decade gives way to the scrap for division one survival.

Wood misses the next two games on ODI duty and almost certainly the third, at Headingley, when he will surely be required for the one T20 international after making such a big impression in front of the Sky cameras on Saturday.

Yorkshire will be mighty relieved about that. The highlights of the day were the three successive balls with which he beat Root, who then got out slogging, and his dismissal of Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance with his first three balls when brought back for the 12th over.

A fast yorker skittled Bairstow then Collingwood astutely positioned himself at wide leg slip for Ballance and dived to his left to hold a stunning catch. It was pure theatre – and proper cricket.