WILL Smith’s magnificent eight-hour vigil yesterday saw him become the seventh batsman, and only the third Englishman, to score a double century for Durham in the County Championship.

John Morris and Gordon Muchall are also in the list dominated by Australians, with Martin Love having passed 200 twice and Mike Hussey, Marcus North and Michael Di Venuto once each.

Durham have had modest returns from their previous Durham University products, and when Smith was out of the team from the middle of last season until late May this year it seemed he might add to the list of disappointments.

But his century at Hove convinced him he could succeed at this level and whetted his appetite for something bigger.

“I said then that I wanted to become a batsman the team could rely on to make big hundreds,” he said. “I’m at the stage of my career where I have to make things count and I’m immensely proud of this.

“It was a bit surreal watching Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dale Benkenstein get out from the other end, but it helped in a way because I told myself I was the only specialist batsman left and I had to knuckle down.

“The ball swung for most of the innings, so I had to stay compact and not stray outside my little bubble.”

Smith’s tempo and concentration never wavered as his 200 came up off 394 balls and the only sniff of a chance he gave was a very sharp one to Jimmy Ormond at second slip on 166.

The fact that he hit only 22 fours on the relatively small Guildford ground was an indication of how he was prepared to work the ball around and collect in ones and twos.

“Dale has talked to me about tempo,” he said. “I used to go from second gear to fourth and strange shot selection would get me out. But in situations like this there’s enough time just to stay in second gear.”

Resuming on 128 yesterday, he got under way by edging Chris Jordan through the slips for four, but soon settled in and passed his previous championship best, made for Nottinghamshire at Lord’s, with a superb square-driven four off Ormond.

The next milestone was his first-class best of 156, made for Durham UCCE at Taunton in 2005, and he passed that by pulling leg-spinner Chris Schofield for four.

The Taunton innings was made in an opening stand of 304 with Alistair Maiden, who now plays for Benwell Hill and is Durham’s assistant academy coach.

“He had a few trials with counties and I’m surprised he didn’t get taken on,” said Smith. “He’s focused on his coaching career now. I have fond memories of that stand at Taunton, but it’s good that my first-class best is now in a championship match.”