LACK of support for Nicky Peng saw Durham fade out of contention as their disappointing start to the season continued in yesterday's high-scoring Benson & Hedges Cup tie at Leicester.

Following his three one-day centuries last season, Peng hit a sparkling 67 as Durham launched a swift reply to Leicestershire's daunting total of 316 for six.

Centuries by Trevor Ward and Australian left-hander Michael Bevan appeared to have put the game well beyond Durham, but against a second-string attack, they easily outpaced their hosts over the first 20 overs of their innings.

The loss of three wickets proved crucial, however, and an unbeaten run-a-ball 50 from Graeme Bridge came too late to prevent a 32-run defeat as Durham closed on 284 for eight.

The key wickets of Martin Love and Paul Collingwood were claimed by Darren Maddy, whose medium pace has been sparingly used in the past.

Following the loss of James Ormond to Surrey and Jon Dakin to Essex, plus injuries to Phil DeFreitas, Devon Malcolm and Charlie Dagnall, Maddy has suddenly become a serious bowler.

He had match figures of nine for 74 in the championship win against Hampshire last week and stemmed Durham's flow yesterday.

They were racing along at 80 for one in the 13th over when he had Love caught by Bevan at short extra cover for 25, then another checked drive gave him a simple return catch from Collingwood.

Skipper Jon Lewis helped to maintain the momentum, but it was always going to be a long haul and when Peng departed it was as good as over for Durham at 127 for four.

Peng reached his 50 off only 48 balls with a square cut for six but was finally bowled leg stump, hitting across the line against another medium pace swinger, Vince Wells.

A second wicket stand of 202 in 33 overs between Ward (127) and Bevan (113) provided the backbone of the highest total made by any county against Durham in this event, beating Leicestershire's own 289 for six at Grace Road in 1996.

There was also an unwanted record for Ian Hunter, who was unfortunate enough to be asked to bowl ten overs during the worst of the onslaught.

The most runs conceded by a Durham bowler in the B & H was 64 by Michael Foster and Neil Killeen, but Hunter went for 68.

Mark Davies conceded 52 off seven overs and Bridge 33 off five, and the only Durham bowler not to go for at least six an over was Killeen, who had the highly commendable figures of two for 28 in ten very tidy overs.

In fact, while Leicestershire took 99 off their last ten overs, only two came off the 46th, when Killeen bowled Bevan round his legs trying to add to his 16 fours.

Two overs previously he had scorched to his 96-ball hundred by scoring 18 off Davies in an over which also produced a single for Maddy and four leg byes.

Bevan, who will be 32 next week, is known as the best one-day batsman in the world with 5,635 runs in 171 one-day internationals at an average of 56.92.

He had two seasons each with Yorkshire and Sussex and went to the crease for his home debut for Leicestershire after his teammates had suffered a double blow in the tenth over.

Stephen Harmison had Iain Sutcliffe caught by Andrew Pratt for ten and two balls later skipper Wells was struck just above the wrist and retired.

Bevan's brief Test career ended mainly because it was felt he couldn't play short-pitched bowling, but if Wells' injury concerned him he showed no sign of it in a superb innings.

Ward, 34, moved from Kent to Leicestershire two years ago and endured a nightmare first season, totalling only 110 runs in seven championship appearances, which included being bowled for a duck by Harmison at the Riverside.

But he has always been known as a dashing stroke-player and he returned to form last year with four championship hundreds and scored a half-century in the C & G Trophy final, which Leicestershire lost to Somerset.

He was quickly into his stride yesterday on the way to his best score in the competition, reaching his century off 129 balls with 14 fours and a six.

He added three more boundaries before he was bowled by Collingwood going for a big hit in the 43rd over.

Bevan was next to go and as the rest tried to maintain the momentum three more wickets fell, Hunter picking up two in successive balls as Gary Pratt and Harmison hung on to skied catches.

But Rob Cunliffe and Carl Crowe ensured that the score topped 300 and, coming so soon after the depressing defeat at Derby, it was a brave effort by Durham to get as close as they did.

At 222 for seven after 40 overs they were still five ahead of Leicestershire's score at the same stage.

But the hosts had lost only one wicket whereas Durham's last slender hope had just departed when Hunter was out for 39 after a stand of 60 with Bridge.

Maddy took the catch then had Killeen lbw in the next over before Davies contributed 18 to an unbroken stand of 62 with Bridge, who hit two sixes as Durham finished only three short of their record B & H total.

Read more about Durham here.