DURHAM equalled their record of six championship wins in a season when Gareth Breese and Mick Lewis bowled them to a 207-run win against Somerset at Taunton yesterday.

The six wins in 1999 earned a place in the inaugural division one and Durham will be back there next season barring an astonishing sequence of results.

The maximum haul of 22 took them 23.5 points clear and provided a perfect vindication of tactics by Mike Hussey which had been questioned by both sets of supporters.

At lunchtime the home fans were still saying that Hussey's failure to enforce the follow-on had handed them a chance of victory, while the Durham faithful were questioning whether the declaration had been too generous.

At that point Somerset were 50 for none after eight overs, chasing a target of 382 in 74, with South African captain Graeme Smith going strong on 33.

But Breese had him stumped by Phil Mustard in the third over after lunch and the off-spinner took three more wickets as Somerset slumped to 93 for six.

Not surprisingly, they then put up the shutters with the normally free-scoring skipper, Ian Blackwell, surviving 62 balls for eight.

Lewis, previously without a wicket in the match following his return from club cricket, then produced a devastating spell straight after tea of three for three in 21 balls.

Last man Andrew Caddick survived for ten overs before he was lbw to a Liam Plunkett full toss and Somerset were all out for 174 just before the start of the final hour.

The final decision was given by Roy Palmer, the umpire with whom Durham appeared to have become disenchanted the previous day.

Yesterday morning they could be seen exchanging pleasantries with him and Somerset's demise began when he gave out Smith after he had given Breese the charge.

Palmer also gave three lbws. Matthew Wood played back and was pinned in front by the first ball sent down by Graham Onions, and Blackwell was lbw to Lewis to end the mid-innings resistance.

Lewis followed up by removing Carl Gazzard's off stump then Hussey took his second brilliant one-handed slip catch of a match in which he took five in total.

Breese's four for 55 gave him match figures of nine for 138, but Durham were unable to call on Gary Scott's off-spin as he had strained a hamstring in completing his maiden first-class half-century in the morning.

After resuming on 60 for one, Scott added 148 in 20 overs with Paul Collingwood, who made 99 of them to finish on 105 not out.

Caddick didn't bowl and Somerset, apparently believing they would be set a target of 350 in 70 overs, were clearly displeased when Durham batted on. Blackwell had words with Collingwood, but they could have no complaints as they were not in a bargaining position after being outplayed.

Moxon explained: Their captain spoke to Mike Hussey to ask what the plan was and Mike said he would be looking to get them in just before lunch with 350 to get. But we played so well we had a 350 lead after an hour.

"Gary Scott has looked competent and composed in every innings and it will be good for him to have got through the 20s."

Explaining the decision not to enforce the follow-on, Moxon said: "We felt we wanted runs on the board rather than risk having to chase a total on a worn pitch.

"The pitch has been used before this season and it was taking spin, so we weren't keen to face Blackwell bowling his left-arm into the rough.

"It put a lot of onus on Gareth Breese and we would have liked to have had a second spinner, but with Graeme Bridge unfit we don't really have that option.

"Breese is a good bowler when there's turn in the pitch, as he showed at Scarborough last year. But as he's not very tall he doesn't have much margin for error when it's not turning."

Collingwood tried a few overs of off-spin in mid-afternoon, when poor light was threatening to halt proceedings. But there was no joy for the man who can otherwise do no wrong.

After Scott faced the first 12 balls of the day and scored one run, Collingwood lifted Charl Langeveldt for two straight fours in the third over then hit him on the up through extra cover - a stroke of pure class.

He then drove Arul Suppiah's left-arm spin for two sixes over long-off and a third six, off Graeme Smith's off-spin, took him into the 90s.

His century came off 73 balls, one more than the fastest of the season by Shane Warne

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