ANY cynics believing that Durham's wonderful start to the season cannot last were made to sit up and take notice as they rocked Lancashire at Old Trafford yesterday.

The second division leaders closed the first day on 92 for two in reply to Lancashire's 199, losing Paul Collingwood in the day's final over.

Skipper Mike Hussey was unbeaten on 32 after playing second fiddle in an opening stand of 60 to Jon Lewis, who was caught behind for 36 off Andrew Flintoff, having his first bowl of the season following his ankle operation.

The strength of the Durham squad was underlined as they brought in Australian Mick Lewis for his championship debut and he had a spell of three for nine in 14 balls.

As two of those victims were Stuart Law and Flintoff, the Victorian seamer played a crucial role in skimming off the cream of a powerful line-up.

But the first big blow was struck by Steve Harmison in his first meeting of the summer with a potential Ashes foe.

Brad Hodge, who was preferred to Durham skipper Mike Hussey in the Australian squad for the Test series, had made only eight when he was snared by a snorter.

It was a very fast ball and left him off the pitch to take the edge on the way to Hussey at second slip.

Harmison, who took three for 32 to pass 20 championship wickets, was being watched by England bowling coach Troy Cooley, who said: "He's progressing well. He has cranked it up nicely in the last two games and I'm happy with him."

With the first Test against Bangladesh only two weeks away, Cooley was also pleased to see Flintoff get through a lively and accurate five-over spell.

After losing the toss on a sunny morning, Durham initially looked set for a long day in the field as Mark Chilton and Mal Loye comfortably took 20 off the first six overs. But by lunch Lancashire were 102 for six and seven balls later 106 for eight.

Although they were frustrated by a ninth-wicket stand of 73 between left-handers James Anderson and Gary Keedy, it was still a tremendous effort by Durham to dismiss the promotion favourites in two sessions.

It is a measure of their overall sharpness that they have missed nothing in the slips this season and there were four good catches there.

There was also some innovative field placing as they sought to cut off Law's strength by posting a short cover and short extra cover in a field split 7-2.

After their win against Somerset on Monday, Durham surprisingly made two changes. After giving left-arm spinner Graeme Bridge only three overs in the match as all the wickets fell to seam at Stockton, he was left out on a dry pitch likely to suit him much better.

Mark Davies was also unexpectedly rested, but there could be no argument with the selection as his replacement, Lewis, shared the wickets with Harmison and Liam Plunkett.

Both Lancashire openers fell to poor strokes, Loye cracking a back-foot shot to cover and Chilton top-edging a pull to mid-wicket.

But the rest of the top eight were undone by thoroughly good cricket, indicative of the confidence running through the Durham side.

Coming on first change at 42 for two, Lewis initially looked an ordinary medium-pacer. But his ability to skid a faster one on to the batsmen may have prompted Chilton's fatal miscue after making a solid 32.

Bowling mainly in-swing, Lewis also made the occasional ball go the other way and when Law went for a forcing back-foot shot he edged to Paul Collingwood at first slip.

Lewis followed up with a first-ball yorker to Flintoff, who dug it out but looked lucky to survive a big lbw appeal before he had scored.

An Aussie oath rang out as Flintoff then found the mid-wicket boundary, but after making 12 off 15 balls he pushed forward and edged Lewis to Collingwood.

Plunkett brought one back to knock out Warren Hegg's off stump in the last over before lunch and straight after the break Glen Chapple cracked Harmison's loosener to the cover boundary then nicked a much quicker ball to Phil Mustard.

Dominic Cork drove at the first ball of the next over and edged Plunkett low to Gareth Breese at third slip.

It was the last time the ball found the edge. Harmison, in particular, often beat the bat, while one shot from Keedy flew over the slips when he was aiming towards mid-wicket.

Ninth-wicket stands are becoming the norm. After Plunkett and Davies put on 124 for Durham at Stockton on Saturday, Ian Blackwell and Andrew Caddick added 78 in Somerset's second innings.

Yesterday's was a ninth-wicket record for Lancashire against Durham and it was ended only by Gordon Muchall swooping from cover to run out Keedy for 34 when Anderson called him for a risky run.

Anderson's previous best first-class score was 21, but he was still looking comfortable on 37 when Muthiah Muralitharan, who flailed away merrily to make 12, had his off stump removed by a Plunkett yorker.

Jon Lewis dominated Durham's opening stand, clipping several good shots through mid-wicket on his way to 36.

But he fell to Flintoff's 17th ball, pushing forward and edging to the wicketkeeper. After five overs Flintoff made way for Chapple, who twice beat Hussey, while the excitable Muralitharan had an appeal for a bat-pad catch turned down with Collingwood on five.

Just when it seemed the second-wicket pair would survive the day Collingwood went for a big cover drive off Chapple and the ball swung in to rearrange off and middle stumps.