STEPHEN Harmison was left in no doubt about the size of the task awaiting him on the Ashes tour yesterday as Mark Waugh plundered an effortless century at the Riverside.

At 37, Waugh may be coming to the end of his Test career, but the Durham attack provided no real Test for him as he began his two-match stint as Andy Flower's replacement with Essex.

Durham should have had him for 25, when he was badly missed by Gary Pratt at mid-wicket off Nicky Phillips, but after that he simply toyed with their bowling until he drove to long-on for 117.

After losing the toss on a sublime day, Durham's spirits rose when they took the first three wickets with the total on 83. But Waugh and Aftab Habib then put on 218 and the former Leicestershire and England man went on to make 123.

Victory in this match will just about clinch promotion for Essex and while their bowling is barely division one standard they will fancy their chances of knocking over a Durham side further dispirited by facing a total which has already reached 368 for five.

Waugh played for Essex for four seasons in the early 90s and is recognised as just about the classiest batsman of his generation.

He came in to face the last four balls of an unfinished over after lunch from Ian Pattison, who had swung one through Darren Robinson's defences during an impressive spell.

After Waugh had patted back those four balls Pattison had still to concede a run after four overs, yet he was kept out of the attack for most of the afternoon while Durham allowed Waugh to feast on some tasty offerings from Gordon Muchall and Brad Hodge.

Waugh was on eight when he drove at Pattison and missed, but apart from the dropped catch there was no further blemish.

He had been at the crease for 11 overs before Harmison was recalled to bowl at him and Waugh scampered a quick single off the first ball as though anxious to avoid the strike.

But on a pitch lacking pace he wasn't greatly troubled by the Durham paceman, whose only success came when he snared opener Will Jefferson with a slower yorker.

It begged the question as to why he doesn't try it more often, as he again fired in too many balls the batsmen could leave alone.

The hallmark of Waugh's batting was the time he had to step back to anything remotely short from the off spinners and caress the ball from in front of the stumps through the off side gaps.

He did it to Phillips immediately after lofting him wide of long-on for six, then late cut Michael Gough's first ball for two to reach 50 off 77 balls.

From Hodge's first ball a single to mid-off took Habib to his 50 in his second game back after a dislocated finger, which will still require an operation.

He was almost run out on 48, when umpire Tony Clarkson appeared to half raise his finger before changing his mind.

After John Stephenson fell for a duck, caught behind off Ian Hunter in the first full over after lunch, the fourth wicket pair added 114 runs in 41 overs to tea.

Durham persevered with Hodge after the break, then replaced him with Muchall, whose first ball was pulled for four and his second on-driven for two to bring up Waugh's century off 147 balls.

He pulled the next ball for his 14th four, then drove Phillips for a second six and the only explanation was boredom when he drove Durham's acting captain into Harmison's hands.

Paul Grayson, back after injury to captain Essex, joined Habib and remained unbeaten on 21. But he lost his partner when Durham turned to the under-used Pattison and Killeen for the day's last six overs.

Killeen immediately moved one away to have Habib caught by Andrew Pratt, bringing in England's second string wicketkeeper James Foster, who has conveniently recovered from injury just as Flower has gone off to the ICC Trophy.

Read more about Durham here.