BRIAN Lara spent far more time signing autographs than he did at the Riverside crease yesterday as he made 500 fewer than his record score against Durham.

The West Indian left-hander left the other Lashings World X1 stars to plunder the Durham bowling after lasting only seven balls as he continues his recovery from a broken arm.

During their innings of 323 for eight in 45 overs, the visitors went down to the KidZone in threes to sign autographs, and while there was only a trickle for the first two trios there was a positive stampede when it was announced that Lara was available.

Batting at No 4, he should have been out sixth ball. Home skipper Jon Lewis may have dropped him on purpose, knowing he was the man the crowd wanted to see, but Lara went for a huge drive off the next ball and got an inside edge into his stumps.

The bowler, Sacriston lad Ian Hunter, obviously enjoyed it, but it left the crowd to savour the less flamboyant delights of a stand of 107 between Sherwin Campbell and Stuart Carlisle.

The real fireworks came in the last ten overs of the innings as Lashings took 104 off the bowling of Ashley Thorpe and Durham's Pro For The Day, Alastair Gibson.

Both bowling gentle medium pace, Gibson suffered little in comparison with Durham's Thorpedo, who is on a two-year contract but has yet to make any impact.

It seemed odd that he should be in Durham's 13 for this game when the seconds were starting a three-day match against Derbyshire at South Northumberland.

Gibson, 42, who plays for Warkworth and also captains the Tyne Tees Television team, saw his first ball studiously blocked by Carlisle.

The Zimbabwean pulled the next ball for four, but he provided Gibson with a wicket in his next over when he chipped a catch to mid-wicket, having made 84 off 82 balls.

Gibson then found himself bowling at Sir Viv Richards, who shuffled to the crease looking a little arthritic at the age of 50.

Past it or not, you could almost hear Gibson's grandchildren in years to come pleading with him to regale them yet again with the tale of how he bowled at one of the world's greats.

He kept Sir Viv quiet for a few balls by bowling down the leg side, but when he tried a straight one it almost reached the ozone layer on its journey over the sightscreen, and two balls later another mighty six threatened the burger van at long-on.

Sir Viv holed out at long-off to give Thorpe one of his three wickets, the last of which came in an eventful final over which began with three sixes.

They were powerfully struck by New Zealander Chris Harris, whose unbeaten 37 came off only 19 balls.

The crowd was only about half of the anticipated 5,000, but Durham insisted that they had not lost money, with Lashings settling for a modest fee plus a share of the profits.

Both sides rotated 13 fielders, with Lashings adding Sunderland professional Franklyn Rose to their squad.

Fresh from his nine for 22 against Newcastle at the weekend, he opened the bowling with Shoaib Akhtar, who proved much the greater handful.

Left out of the Pakistani squad for a one-day series in Morocco apparently because of injury, Akhtar looked as fit as a butcher's dog as his second ball whistled past Nicky Peng's eyebrows and was taken above head height by Junior Murray standing 20 yards back.

There were a few other deliveries to match the lightning which skirted the ground while Akhtar was bowling, but Durham managed to keep him out and the storm passed by.

The rain eventually arrived, however, with Durham on 78 for five in the 18th over, when Gibson was three not out. He was bowled on nought by Mohammad Akram, but after a belated call of no-ball the Pakistani offered him a slow full toss, which he hit through mid-off for three.

He had had his fun, and so had everyone else.

Read more about Durham here.