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DurhamThis year: 4th in North Group; beat Gloucestershire in quarter-finalLast year: 6th in group stageMost runs: Mark Stoneman (328)Most wickets: Scott Borthwick and Paul Coughlin (17 each)Highest total: 193 for 2 v DerbyshireHighest individual score: Calum MacLeod (83)Key features: One of three teams at Finals Day this year never to have won the tournament, Durham squeezed into the last eight thanks to a thumping win over Derbyshire and defeat for 2014 champions Warwickshire in the final round of the group stage. Durham have been scraping by all season - Paul Collingwood admits the club is going through a difficult period - but they are never better than when their backs are against the wall, as evidenced by winning the Championship in 2013 and Royal London Cup in 2014 despite ongoing financial trouble. Mark Woods return to fitness after ankle surgery looks like a huge boost in the circumstances, the England pace bowler leading the way during Durhams quarter-final victory at Bristol, and Ben Stokes has also been made available as he recovers from a calf strain. Mark Stoneman, the former captain who will be playing his final limited-overs fixtures for the club before leaving for Surrey, looks to be coming into form at the right time, too.Key player: While Stokes and Wood will provide the obvious X-Factor, Scott Borthwick might just be the man to unlock Finals Day for Durham. The legspinner has combined wicket-taking potency with a handy economy of 7.26 and, with Edgbaston having tended to aid slow bowling at this stage of the season, his craft ought to be to the fore when it comes to choking the scoring in the middle overs. Like Stoneman, Borthwick has attracted the attention of wealthier counties but he would surely love to scoop up some more silverware with Durham if he is to depart. Alan GardnerThe coach, Jon Lewis: Its been a long time since we made it to Finals Day; too long, really. Weve had decent teams in the past, but never quite done it. To reach it this year, with no overseas player, has been a really good achievement. Id be lying if I said the money issues at the club has hadnt affected us: of course they have. People have been distracted. Players feel uncertainty and we all understand them being concerned over their future. Things were difficult for a few weeks. But the chief came and spoke to all the players and put some minds at ease. Mark Stoneman is leaving us, but Im pretty confident well keep the rest of them. We have a proven record of producing players for England. Theres no need to go anywhere else. Having Stokes back for Finals Day is huge - hell play as a batsman only - and having Wood and Borthwick bowling in the middle of the innings - a proper fast bowler and good legspinner - gives us great wicket-taking potential. We used big boundaries at Durham - anywhere from 70m up to 90m - which plays to our athleticism. Well never be satisfied just with being competitive. We want an expectation of winning.NorthamptonshireThis year: 2nd in North Group; beat Middlesex in quarter-finalLast year: beaten finalistsMost runs: Ben Duckett (389)Most wickets: Richard Gleeson (14)Highest total: 200 for 5 v Warwickshire Highest individual score: Adam Rossington (85)Key features: The team that keeps defying the odds to challenge in white-ball cricket. Making their third appearance at Finals Day in four years - they won in 2013 and made it to the final in 2015 - Northants consistency comes despite the clubs dire financial situation, the continuing interest of larger counties attempting to lure their talent elsewhere and, lets be honest, the less-than-svelte physique of several players. If Northants results were reflected at a football club of similar size, it would be the manager - or in this case the coach - David Ripley gaining the offers. Ripley, who developed several of the squad at youth level, has somehow overcome the small playing staff (16) and lack of finance to build a selfless, confident team that achieved qualification to the knockout rounds of both of this seasons limited-overs competitions. Their formula is built upon a commitment to aggressive cricket at the top of the order, with five men having contributed at least two half-centuries, several seamers who hit the pitch surprisingly hard and excellent fielding. But they may be without Richard Gleeson, arguably the revelation of the season as a fast bowler, who sustained a side strain on Thursday, and overseas legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna, who is required by Sri Lanka. Steven Crook is also a fitness doubt and they have not beaten their semi-final opponents, Nottinghamshire, for a decade.Key player: As a business, Northants are an also-ran. But as a cricket club, they keep producing players. The latest to emerge from their production line is 21-year-old batsman Ben Duckett. Blessed with a hint of Jos Buttler and James Taylor, Duckett has been in prolific form this season, recently setting a new English record for the most List A runs (650) in a calendar month, during which he thrashed the highest one-day score by a Lions player, an unbeaten 220 against Sri Lanka. He is not out of contract this year, but is already attracting envious glances from richer counties wanting to entice him elsewhere. Finals Day provides a wonderful shop window to his extravagant talents. George DobellThe coach, David Ripley: We have played the underdog card quite well in recent years. I suppose that becomes more difficult with more sustained success: other teams know we are good these days and they know they cant take us lightly. We still make a positive out of a negative in terms of our small squad size: players arent looking over their shoulders. They know they will be playing and what is required of them. That gives them confidence and the ability to learn their roles inside out. It is flattering that other clubs keep coming after our players; part of our role is to produce good players and we take great pride in that. But its also frustrating. Weve had a bit of a golden age of young players though the club - David Willey has shown his quality, Olly Stone and Ben Duckett will do the same - and it isnt easy to sustain that.NottinghamshireThis year: 1st in North Group; beat Essex in quarter-finalLast year: 5th in group stageMost runs: Riki Wessels (396)Most wickets: Samit Patel and Harry Gurney (16 each)Highest total: 185 for 8 v LancashireHighest individual score: Riki Wessels (80*)Key features: This tournament represents the last chance to salvage success from a season that sees them facing relegation in the Championship. They overcame a quarter-final hoodoo by beating Essex when the game was appearing to slip away from them. However, they will need to hope a misfiring batting order has enough in them for two good performances on Finals Day. Providing he has overcome his frustrations of the Oval Test, Alex Hales availability should help that side of things while Stuart Broad certainly has a big match mentality and Andre Russell has won as many T20 tournaments as Jason Kenny has Olympic gold medals. In terms of squad, Nottinghamshire appear to have an embarrassment of riches with Imran Tahir and Dan Christian also available but the challenge will be to quickly refocus on the T20 format.Key player: For all Russells bling, Broads match-winning bursts and Hales ability to blast the ball, in Samit Patel Nottinghamshire have an experienced and extremely canny performer with bat and ball. Alongside Tahir he forms a telling spin combination; in the quarter-final he claimed four of the top six during Essexs collapse. Eoin Morgan has said that he wants extra spin options for the one-day squads over the winter, so Patel could yet force his way back into the England reckoning after his surprise recall to the Test side last year. Andrew McGlashanThe coach, Mick Newell: People who say it must be great to have such an embarrassment of riches in selection terms arent the ones who have to tell the players they will not be playing. We have three overseas players registered here but only two can play. With the weather poor and the possibility of shortened games, it may count against Imran Tahir. But we havent decided yet. We havent been good enough in the Championship of late - sides that are relegated tend to be sides that have batted poorly and we are batting poorly - but we have an opportunity to give our supporters something to celebrate and an opportunity to become one of very few sides to win all three competitions within a 10-year cycle. Winning trophies is tough but that is an exciting possibility.YorkshireThis year: 3rd in North Group; beat Glamorgan in quarter-finalLast year: 8th in group stageMost runs: Alex Lees (272)Most wickets: Tim Bresnan (20)Highest total: 223 for 6 v DurhamHighest individual score: Joe Root (92*)Key features: Yorkshire were a mess in Twenty20 in early season, still looking for all the world like a Championship side uncomfortable in the shorter format. Then something clicked. Quite what is analysed in more depth elsewhere on these pages, but in essence a change of attitude also came with a change of personnel. David Willey, although a slow starter with the bat, has added a combative presence in the early overs with both bat and ball, Adam Lyth has been properly restored to the top of the order, Tim Bresnan can no longer be measured up so easily and the return of the offspinner Azeem Rafiq after a couple of difficult years out of the professional game has restored a partnership with Adil Rashid.Key player: Even with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow available for Finals Day (although Bairstows hand took a battering in the Royal London Cup against Kent), it is hard to look beyond David Willey for Yorkshires most influential player as he prepares for his fourth appearance at Finals Day. The barnstorming innings against Glamorgan in the quarter-final in Cardiff loudly stated that he wanted another and nobody was about to get in his way. Equally inspirational with the new ball and tigerish in the field, he fuelled Northants challenge in the past and now he has done the same for Yorkshire. David HoppsThe coach, Jason Gillespie: Why has our form improved? We gained greater clarity of our roles. We challenged everyone to think and understand exactly what they were trying to do and to stick to it once they got out there. Its tough to leave good players out, but everyone at Yorkshire understands that we have really good England players and, when they are available, they add to the side. It wont damage the spirit or the plans of the team. Weve named the same 12 that played in the Royal London quarter-final. I think county cricket is a wonderful product and the quality of cricket is very high. The difference between it and the Big Bash is partly just the weather and partly about marketing. In Australia the Big Bash is on free-to-air TV. That has to make a difference. Wholesale Tigers Jerseys . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Tigers Jerseys China . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. https://www.cheaptigers.com/ . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Detroit Tigers Pro Shop . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. Custom Detroit Tigers Jerseys . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. SHANGHAI -- Hideki Matsuyama left the highlights to everyone else Saturday at the HSBC Champions.All he cared about was keeping the lead.In a third round that was dull by the standard Matsuyama had set for himself in making 19 birdies the opening two days at Sheshan International, the Japanese star picked up three of his birdies on the par 5s and rarely got out of position. Bogey-free for the first time all week, he was more than satisfied with a 4-under 68 to keep his three-shot lead going into the final round.The first two days, making lots of birdies, its a lot of fun, Matsuyama said. But today, when youre in a position to win, playing smart and making no bogeys was very satisfying for me.Even more satisfying was that only four players were within five shots of his lead.One of them was defending champion Russell Knox, who had far too much excitement in the middle of the back nine that kept his round together. Knox sandwiched birdies on a pair of tough par 4s around a par on one the third-easiest hole on the course, the par-5 14th. He hit into the water and was headed for a bogey when he made a long putt that kept his momentum and sent him to a 68 to stay three shots behind.After hitting in the water on 14, to make a massive putt for par was huge, Knox said. Those little moments are what add up in a tournament. Could have been a lot worse.Daniel Berger was another shot behind after quite the adventure over his final hour.Berger ran off four straight birdies to get within two shots before taking bogey on the par-3 17th. Then he chose to go for the green on the par-5 closing hole, only to block it right into the water. He took his penalty drop, hit a full wedge into 5 feet and escaped with a par for a 67.Thats what its been like the last three days, Berger said about his scrambling. To make bogeys on the last two holes would not be nice going into tomorrow.Sunday might be no less daunting considering how Matsuyama has been playing -- not just this week, but all month.Matsuyama was at 17-under 199.Francesco Molinari, who won the HSBC Champions in 2010, shot a 68 and joined Bill Haas (70) at 12-under 204.Matsuyama finished fifth in the Tour Championship to cap off his most successful season on the PGA Tour, which includes his Phoenix Open playoff vicctory over Fowler at the start of the year.dddddddddddd Two weeks ago, he won the Japan Open, then flew to Malaysia and was runner-up to Justin Thomas in the CIMB Classic.Starting with his 10-birdie round of 66 to start the HSBC Champions, he has looked like the man to beat all week. No one got closer than two shots of Matsuyama in the third round, though the last hole was important to him. He hit driver down the right side of the fairway, along the edge of the lake, and then powered a 3-wood from 248 yards over the corner of the water to about 25 feet.His eagle putt turned away at the end, leaving him a tap-in birdie that restored his lead to three shots.Rory McIlroy tried to make a run and pulled off what he called one of the best short-game shots of his career for an unlikely birdie on the par-5 eighth. After sailing his 3-wood well right of the fairway on a thin patch of muddy grass, McIlroy faced a 50-yard shot over a creek with the pin on that side of the green. He hit a hard, low shot into the bank and it popped onto the green about 15 feet away, and he made the putt.One of the best up-and-downs of my career, he said.That got him within four of the lead, but he began dropping too many shots to keep the momentum. McIlroy needed two late birdies to salvage a 37 on the back nine, and his 70 left him eight shots behind.The shot of the day came from Matt Kuchar, minus the reward.He made a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th, with a car perched behind the tee for whoever made an ace. Kuchar happened to read the fine print, however. Because the tee had been moved forward, there was a notice that the car would not be awarded Saturday because insurance only covered a tee shot of 200 yards.That was probably one of the saddest hole-in-ones Ive ever had, Kuchar said. He shot 68 and was eight behind.Matsuyama was quite happy to plod along with four birdies and no bogeys, and he wouldnt mind another day of that if it means becoming the first Japanese player to win a World Golf Championship.Everyone is so good. I know Im going to have to make some birdies, he said. But I think the key for tomorrows round will be not making any bogeys. ' ' '