Durham squandered a winning platform in yesterday's National League match at the Rose Bowl as they lost to Hampshire by seven runs.

As they embarked on a run of eight one-day games, the likely opening pair for the Twenty20 Cup, Nicky Peng and Phil Mustard, put on 50 inside 12 overs in reply to Hampshire's 203 for five.

As most of those came in cleanly-struck boundaries there was every reason for optimism, but then Durham handed three wickets to Dimitri Mascarenhas.

A fifth-wicket stand of 82 between Jon Lewis and Muchall rekindled hope, but when Muchall fell in the 40th over there was just too much to do and Durham were left to rue the ten wides they bowled. And despite a late flurry from Neil Kileen (13) Durham finished seven runs short.

Mustard had been content to let Peng take command, but after twice lifting Mascarenhas's medium pace to long-on he became over-ambitious and was bowled for 17.

Peng had got to 44 mainly by striking the ball along the ground off front and back foot through the off side. But when Hampshire posted a deep cover Peng tried the aerial route and was well held by Shaun Udal near his bootlaces.

Mascarenhas made it a wicket in each of three successive overs when Vince Wells, back purely as a batsman after his back problem, went for an on drive and got a thick inside edge to square leg.

It became 74 for five when a ball from Alan Mullally shot through low to pin Gary Pratt lbw, and the left-armer bowled straight through his nine overs for only 15 runs as Jon Lewis and Gordon Muchall dug in to stop the rot.

With experienced off-spinner Udal also proving hard to get away, Durham edged along to 107 after 30 overs and the value of John Crawley's century for Hampshire, spanning all but the last few balls, had become clear.

Muchall began to accelerate, but with Wasim Akram returning for a second spell it wasn't easy and 75 were needed off the last ten overs.

With Lewis suddenly starting to find the gaps, he raced past his partner and 27 came off four overs before Muchall clubbed the first ball of Udal's last over straight to short mid-wicket.

Danny Law, out of form with the bat, played out the rest of the over then Lewis fell for 43, driving Mascarenhas to extra cover.

Law managed a couple of good blows before a suicidal second saw him run out for nine and Durham finished on 196.

Durham made a dreadful start after Hampshire chose to bat. The last ball of Neil Killeen's opening over flew down the leg side to the boundary then Ian Hunter raised doubts about the wisdom of his 300-mile trip by bowling three wides in his first over.

Hunter had three more wides as he bowled straight through his nine overs, but he also took the first two wickets. He bowled Derek Kenway through a lavish drive and tempted Robin Smith to drive wide of off stump and edge to Mustard.

That brought in Simon Katich to join skipper Crawley in a partnership for the purists. Both are classy players not especially suited to the one-day biff and it was surprising that Hampshire did not promote such formidable strikers as Mascarenhas and Wasim.

Good bowling by Mark Davies, Law and Nicky Phillips tied up the middle of the innings and after contributing 34 to a stand of 70 Katich grew frustrated and chipped Phillips to Hunter at long-off.

Law then dug one in to have Will Kendall caught at the wicket and would have had good figures had his last two overs not been saved for the death, when they cost 22 runs.

Crawley by that time had switched to full one-day mode and was bashing the ball to cow corner. He reached his century off what should have been Law's last ball, but as it was a waist-high full toss the call of no-ball took the tally of extras to an unacceptable 18.

In the final over Crawley hoisted Killeen to long-on, where Pratt ran in to take an excellent catch, but off the final ball there was a danger of Pratt and Muchall colliding as they went for Mascarenhas' straight hit. Pratt checked, Muchall got a hand on it, but the ball went for four and 42 had come off the last five overs after the previous 15 had yielded only 55.

Nic Pothas, who put on 75 with Crawley, finished unbeaten on 30, although Durham clearly felt he should have been given run out in the final over.