THE true value of Paul Collingwood's century was underlined by the subsequent clatter of wickets, topped by an amazing Steve Harmison hat-trick at Riverside yesterday.

The England paceman continued his fine-tuning for the Ashes series by bowling all three vicitms as as cock-a-hoop Durham continued their best start to a season with a seven-wicket win in two days against Worcestershire.

It was Durham's first hat-trick in first-class cricket but the second for Harmison, who achieved the feat in a one-day international against India at Trent Bridge last September.

Harmison beat James Pipe for pace, spreadeagled Matt Mason's stumps with the perfect yorker then hit David Wigley's leg stump via an inside edge.

He then polished off the innings by bowling Alamgir Sheriyar to finish with five for 61 and with Worcestershire all out for 146 Durham needed only 32 to win.

"I got off to a bad start each spell," said Harmison, who topped the world's bowling rankings last year and is aiming to bounce back this summer after a disappointing series in South Africa.

"But I had my tail up at the end and felt confident with the hat-trick ball. I got it in the right place and he helped it into the stumps.

"I'm happy with the way I'm bowling. I had been telling the others all match it was the type of pitch where they would get wickets if they pitched the ball up. They laughed at me, but I finally proved I was right.

"I didn't get to bowl here in a championship match last season, so I wanted to put on a bit of a show for the fans. This place is close to my heart and put me on the world stage, so every time I come back here I want to do well."

After thrashing Leicestershire by an innings and 216 runs Durham have begun a season with two championship wins for the first time.

On a glorious day at Riverside the pitch continued to favour the seamers and after nine wickets went down in the last 22 overs of the afternoon session Durham were in sight of their two-day win, despite their own collapse from 271 for four to 286 all out.

But the lead of 115 looked extremely healthy when Liam Plunkett capitalised on the uneven bounce to pin Worcestershire's top three lbw.

The key wicket was that of Graeme Hick, who scored 200 at Riverside in the same match as Collingwood made his last championship century, the final game of the 2001 season.

Hick was almost cut in half by a superb ball from Harmison which cut back to pass between bat and body and had made only six when he tried to pull Plunkett and was torpedoed by low bounce.

Harmison weighed in with the wicket of Ben Smith, caught at first slip, and at 54 for four Worcestershire were struggling to avoid being the second team to lose by an innings to Durham in the first two games.

Collingwood's century had put Durham in an almost impregnable position, despite their own collapse against the new ball, in which Yorkshire reject David Wigley, coming on for his first bowl of the day, took three for one in 17 balls.

The 6ft 4in seamer had previously bowled only eight overs in the innings, with Worcestershire apparently feeling that Chaminda Vaas, Matt Mason and Alamgir Sheriyar were posing constant threats.

So they were, but Collingwood knuckled down and, other than two sixes after he passed 100, progressed sedately from his overnight 88 to 129.

Gordon Muchall and Dale Benkenstein both made 38 and Durham looked certain to top 300 at Riverside for the first time since early May last year.

With the ball again doing enough to ensure that no batsman was ever truly settled, Muchall looked more secure than anyone as he outpaced Collingwood when Durham resumed on 139 for two, 32 behind.

Collingwood was beaten by Mason on 99 then missed an attempted cut before punching off the back foot through the covers for three to complete his hundred off 175 balls with 14 fours.

The stand of 80 ended when Muchall committed himself to driving at a ball from left-armer Sheriyar which was slanted across him. It was well wide of off stump when Muchall nicked it to wicketkeeper James Pipe.

Benkenstein was off the mark with an edge off Gareth Batty and the off-spinner's anguished cry suggested he had had Collingwood dropped by James Pipe on 111, the total known as Nelson.

Nelson is considered unlucky by cricketers, but obviously not for Admiral Collingwood and two balls later he fired a broadside with a straight six.

On 119 he pulled another big six behind square off Sheriyar and as he failed to connect with two off drives it was obvious he had decided the best policy was to go for his shots before the death ball came along.

He perished trying to sweep Batty, lobbing a catch to the wicketkeeper, but Nicky Peng looked set to continue the strokeplay as he was off the mark with a square drive for four off Batty.

Benkenstein smashed the off spinner over long-on for six, but after a stand of 48 the collapse began when he fell lbw to Vaas.

Peng went the same way in the next over to the deserving Mason, who then made way for Wigley.

Gareth Breese, who had two off-driven fours in his ten runs, shuffled into a ball from Wigley while aiming towards mid-wicket and became the third successive lbw victim.

Plunkett pushed forward to the next ball, which left him off the pitch and took out middle stump.

Phil Mustard, showing unusual restraint, had been in seven overs without getting off the mark, but the loss of two capable partners in two balls persuaded him to open up.

He drove Vaas through extra cover for three but then swung across the line and lost his off stump.

Wigley completed the demolition by having Mark Davies caught behind before Harmison had faced a ball.

If Worcestershire felt they were back in the match they were quickly disillusioned, although at that stage they could hardly have expected to lose in two days.

Read more about Durham here.