AN OPENING stand of 64 between Michael Gough and Gary Pratt ensured that a day of fluctuating fortunes ended with Durham on top against Colchester at Essex yesterday.

Following his first innings century, Gough was in majestic form, only for his habit of falling in the 30s to resurface when steep bounce from Graham Napier saw him edge to first slip ten minutes before bad light ended play 20 minutes early

Durham wiped off a first innings deficit of 12 to finish on 65 for one, with Pratt on 26.

With his new-found confidence Gough used his feet well to counter the off spin of James Middlebrook, twice driving him down the ground for four, while Pratt was severe on some short stuff from Jon Dakin.

The only chance Pratt gave was on 21 when he went down the pitch to Middlebrook and the ball turned enough for Andy Flower to do no more than deflect it to slip.

Durham looked like having a healthy first innings lead when Essex, 24 for three overnight, slipped to 96 for six. In converting that to a total of 271 they might have hoped to make swift inroads into demoralised opponents, but Dakin's sloppy bowling allowed Durham to make a spirited start.

Unfortunately they had made a poor start to the first two sessions, first taking 55 minutes to dislodge nightwatchman Mark Ilott.

Then after taking two more wickets they allowed 17-year-old Ravinder Bopara to begin Essex's revival by putting on 76 with left-hander Dakin.

Bopara, the son of a an East End taxi driver, has come through the Essex ranks from the age of 12 and looked a confident and classy player as he made 48 in his third championship game.

Essex also put on 92 for the last two wickets with 22-year-old local lad Napier enlivening a previously dull day's cricket with a 49-ball half-century.

He got off the mark by picking up Mark Davies over mid-wicket for six, and his third scoring stroke was a fierce pull which also cleared the rope.

His third six was driven over long-on off Nicky Phillips, who should have had him stumped on 47, only for Andrew Pratt to fumble a routine chance.

Napier cut the next ball for his fifth four and was two short of his championship best when he finished on 54 not out.

He dominated an entertaining last-wicket stand of 53 with Joe Grant, who defended stoutly for a few overs before winding up for some old-fashioned Caribbean clout.

Pitch liaison officer Raman Subba Row had been asked to attend for a second day because of the umpires' concern about uneven bounce.

This may have been prompted by Ian Hunter making several balls take off when he worked up a good rhythm on the first evening.

But he was all over the place when play resumed yesterday and Ilott contributed 28 to a stand of 42 with John Stephenson before falling to a deflected catch.

Gordon Muchall reacted sharply at first slip after Ashley Thorpe knocked the ball up at third slip.

Mark Pettini, 19, made only two before being taken by Gough at gully off Marc Symington and Stephenson was lucky not to become Gary Pratt's 12th run-out victim of the season on 30.

Swooping from cover point, Pratt hit the non-striker's stumps as Stephenson dived for the crease, but he was given not out by George Sharp, who can never be accused of bias towards his native county.

The other umpire, Jeff Evans, was kinder to Durham in awarding two bat-pad catches off Phillips, at least one of which looked dubious.

Stephenson was taken at silly mid-off by Muchall for 39, but the more disbelieving reaction came from Dakin, who made 38.

Muchall took another good catch at first slip to see off Middlebrook and Killeen finished with four for 49 when he ended the innings by pinning Grant lbw.

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