Cumbrian teenager Stanley McAlindon admitted it was a "special" feeling to score his maiden half century as he continued building on his big chance with Durham.

The 18-year-old struck 60 from 50 balls in the Royal London One Day Cup encounter with Leicestershire.

McAlindon then impressed with the ball as he took four wickets for 29 from his ten overs.

It was not enough to prevent Leics - coached by Cumbrian former England wicketkeeper Paul Nixon - from claiming a two-wicket win against a Durham side who finished bottom of the group table.

But McAlindon's performance further underlined his rise after getting his first-team opportunities this summer.

The Carlisle Cricket Club teenager said: "We're a bit annoyed to have finished the way we have, the last few games, but we pushed a few sides at least.

"When I went in we just looked to build partnerships and have a bit of a finish at the end and it sort of worked out - their bowlers were top class at the start though.

"We weren't sure how the deck was going to play but if you hit your length hard you got a reward and I'll take the wickets I got.

"The experience in this competition for me has been brilliant - it's so good to be playing against top class players. It's been a special day for me, and I feel as though I've learned so much."

McAlindon's opportunity has come at a time Durham have been without a number of their senior bowlers, with Matthew Potts away on England Test duty, Ben Raine at The Hundred and Brydon Carse sidelined with a toe injury.

The 18-year-old - who has also made his first County Championship appearances this summer - said: “It’s hard, but you’ve got to stick it to the opposing teams and try to show what Durham can do.

"I feel as though I’ve been getting into a better rhythm and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The white ball presents a little bit of a different challenge but it’s been great.

“You’ve got to bowl your four-day lengths to tie those batters down and build pressure that creates chances and wickets.

"I’ve had to adapt my lengths a little bit so you want to bowl a little bit fuller to get wickets. You can’t really afford big partnerships to build because teams can punish you.

"It’s funny because in one game you can be on top of the world and the next you can get slogged out of the ground.

“You’ve just to learn to take it in your stride. Having a guy like Chris Rushworth around is great, he’s done it for so many years with the red and white ball. You just look at him and he’s so composed and that’s what you want to be.”

Durham coach Neil Killeen has been buoyed by how his fledgling players have fared in the competition, both in their performances and their approach on the field.

He believes that McAlindon, along with Gibson and wicket-keeper Tomas Mackintosh, are learning vital lessons in their development.

Killeen added: “This competition provides a great learning platform for the young lads coming through. They get exposed to high-performance games whether it’s chasing down big totals or defending low scores. You can’t practice the types of experience that these guys are getting out in the middle.

“The lads have all shown character at one time or another in the competition, and here at Durham we’re very proud of that. It builds character and will stand them in good stead for the future.”

News and Star: Leicestershire's Cumbrian head coach Paul Nixon (photo: PA)Leicestershire's Cumbrian head coach Paul Nixon (photo: PA)

Leicestershire finished second in Group A and head coach Nixon, from Langwathby, is targeting further progress.

"We've been pretty consistent with our one-day cricket in recent weeks, so I think we deserved to go through - and these sort of tight wins give players a lot of confidence going forward," he said.

"It's a shame we weren't able to finish off their innings at 54-7, but that's how it goes sometimes, and well done to their youngsters, they batted really sensibly.

"We got over the line, so happy days, we'll enjoy that feeling, then get down to preparing for Friday. We fancy ourselves against anyone at home."

Main reporting: Richard Rae / Simon Sinclair, ECB Reporters Network.