Following last season’s championship winning campaign could have proved a tough call for Durham. Instead, they have taken on the champions’ mantle and continue to set the pace at the top of the table. Tim Wellock reviews an impressive season so far.

THE greatest worry for Durham as they began their defence of the LV County Championship was how their new young captain’s batting form would survive under the burden of responsibility.

In the past only the experienced overseas men, David Boon, Mike Hussey and Dale Benkenstein, have been able to maintain their own form while leading the side, and the fears over Will Smith have not been without substance.

He is averaging 21.09 in the championship, compared with 51.38 last season, yet it has scarcely mattered. Smith played a crucial innings of 80 in the win against Hampshire, sparking the run of four victories which have carried Durham into an 18-point lead at the top.

They never enjoyed that kind of cushion last season, and at the equivalent stage they were fourth in the table with three wins and two defeats, giving them 26 fewer points than they currently enjoy.

While one-day form has been disappointing until the recent run of Twenty20 success, a four-day defeat has never looked likely. Durham were on top in each of their first three games but were thwarted by a mixture of flat pitches and the weather, and the subsequent four games have brought comfortable wins.

Benkenstein, an acknowledged expert in the art of captaincy and in charge again this weekend in Smith’s absence at Headingley, was always going to be a hard act to follow, but he is happy that he made the right decision to hand over to Smith, saying: “He’s doing very well and I take my hat off to him.

“Perhaps he thought it was going to be easier than it is, but he was motivated to do the job and he’s got his teeth into it now. He hasn’t backed down on anything, which is a good sign of a really strong character.

“He always knows I’m there, but there are different ways of doing things and you have to let a new captain experience his own thoughts and gut feelings. If I step in it’s because I want us to win.”

The compensation for the shortfall in Smith’s runs has come largely from Ian Blackwell, while Phil Mustard’s growing maturity at No 7 has baled the team out of potentially tricky situations.

Michael Di Venuto has made three championship hundreds and is averaging 53.1, yet his struggles in the one-day game have continued and have been mirrored by Blackwell.

This confirms the surprising discomfort which some stroke-playing batsmen experience in adapting to the shorter game – something which Durham previously witnessed with John Morris.

It is only since the Australian Twenty20 specialist David Warner took over from Di Venuto at the top of the order that Durham have found some one-day form.

Hopes of regaining the Friends Provident Trophy, which they won two years ago, receded during a poor start.

They began with three home games and lost heavily to Yorkshire and Sussex, who have become surprise finalists, while scraping home by one run against Surrey.

Defeat by 148 runs at Bristol was the low point of the season to date, and after losing five of their first six games in the competition, victory in the final two was irrelevant.

Blackwell made 59 in the opening Twenty20 victory at Trent Bridge, but then totalled 22 runs in his next five innings as four of those games were lost.

At that stage it was difficult to imagine Durham making progress, but Warner’s arrival transformed their fortunes and three victories and a washout in the last four games earned a quarter-final at Canterbury on July 27.

Durham have been making every effort to keep homeproduced batsmen involved, rewarding Gordon Muchall’s loyalty with a place in the four-day team.

He was approached by another county last season, but chose to stay and fight for his place, which was cemented by his unbeaten century at Hove.

Kyle Coetzer has made some valuable Twenty20 contributions and did well as a makeshift opener in the championship win against Worcestershire. But he hasn’t made a big enough score to cement his place, and the same applies to Mark Stoneman.

The Blaydon youngster was out of luck in suffering a thigh strain at Edgbaston, but has shown enough glimpses of real talent for Durham to persevere with him.

The unfortunate one has been Ben Harmison, who was in the team which clinched the title at the end of last season and didn’t take kindly to being left out at the start of this campaign.

Differences needed to be settled before he was drafted into the T20 line-up, taking valuable wickets, but he has yet to figure in the championship and next month’s arrival of Shivnarine Chanderpaul will not help his cause.

Muchall needs to keep making runs to ensure he’s not the one making way for the West Indian, otherwise Stoneman will be the most vulnerable, with Smith moving up to open.

Either way, given Durham’s strength in depth it is difficult to see any county other than Nottinghamshire challenging them for the title.

Durham go to Trent Bridge next Wednesday, when the expectation is that they will again be without Graham Onions because of the second Test starting at Lord’s the following day.

The return fixture starts at Riverside on September 13, when it is more likely that Ryan Sidebottom will be on England one-day duty.

So the international calls could even themselves out and if Durham emerge from the two battles with Nottinghamshire with honours at least even, as they did last season, then there is every chance they will retain their title.

The final game is at Worcester, starting on September 23, and if Durham go there still top of the pile they are unlikely to be denied by a team who look likely to have been relegated by then.

Durham's season game by game

DURHAM V YORKSHIRE (RIVERSIDE, APRIL 22-25)

Yorkshire hung on throughout the final day to achieve a draw on 193 for seven, despite Graham Onions taking five for 56 in 28 overs. They were helped by a placid pitch and a 35-minute shower.

In a good game for the wicketkeepers, Phil Mustard’s unbeaten 94 was his highest Riverside score and Gerard Brophy’s six catches in the first innings equalled the record against Durham. Yorkshire slumped from 247 for four to 272 all out then Michael Di Venuto’s fluent century put Durham in command.

SOMERSET V DURHAM (TAUNTON, APRIL 28-MAY 1)

Somerset prepared what initially looked like a result pitch, with a strong tinge of green, then put Durham in and performed woefully in the field. Dale Benkenstein’s championship-best 181 underpinned Durham’s 543, then on the day he received his England call-up Graham Onions led the rout of Somerset for 69.

He took six for 31, but after following on 474 behind Somerset reached 83 for one at the close of the second day. Only 90 minutes’ play was possible on the third and with the help of the heavy roller Somerset amassed 485 for five in their second innings through centuries by Marcus Trescothick, Justin Langer and Craig Kieswetter.

SUSSEX V DURHAM (HOVE, MAY 6-9)

Durham recovered from 104 for five through Benkenstein making 136 and Liam Plunkett 94 not out, and similarly Sussex were revived from 109 for five through a century by reserve wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd after Plunkett took three toporder wickets through excellent bowling. Durham led by 17 on first innings and went into the final day 181 ahead with eight wickets standing.

Although Di Venuto swiftly reached his century, Gordon Muchall added one run in the first hour on the final morning before going on to complete his first championship hundred for three years. The safetyfirst approach saw Durham bat on after lunch before setting Sussex a target of 317 in 56 overs. They closed on 169 for five.

DURHAM V HAMPSHIRE (AT RIVERSIDE, JUNE 6-8)

Victory by an innings and 110 runs began a run of four wins.

The match started 75 minutes late following rain and finished 52 minutes into the third day after Hampshire surrendered five of their six remaining wickets to Onions.

He bowled well throughout and had match figures of nine for 80. There were also six wickets for Steve Harmison, who improved steadily after a wayward start. In tricky conditions on the second morning, Will Smith studiously survived a testing spell and went on to make 80 off 238 balls.

DURHAM V LANCASHIRE (AT RIVERSIDE, JUNE 11- 13)

Victory by 138 runs was only Durham’s second in the championship against Lancashire, and first at home. Andrew Flintoff made his comeback after knee surgery and took four wickets in the first innings.

He scored three and nought with the bat but added two more wickets in the second innings, when he opened up with a six-over spell which cost one run as Durham slumped to ten for four. That concluded a period in which 16 wickets fell in 65 overs on the second day, but Ian Blackwell’s 74 ensured that Durham put the game beyond Lancashire. Steve Harmison’s steady improvement continued as he produced some unplayable balls in taking the first four wickets in the second innings, finishing with 5-46.

WARWICKSHIRE V DURHAM (EDGBASTON, JUNE 16-19)

Durham clinched a dramatic ten-wicket win with four overs remaining after most of the second day was lost to rain on a ground where ten of the previous 11 championship games had been drawn. Onions took seven for 38 in the hosts’ second innings to reach 52 first-class wickets for the season, 20 ahead of the field.

Blackwell made 158 out of Durham’s 433, then Harmison’s five wickets reduced Warwickshire to 264 for nine on the third day, 20 short of the follow-on target. They failed by eight to reach it on the final morning and were dismissed second time around just in time for Durham to score the 21 they needed to win.

DURHAM V WORCESTERSHIRE (AT RIVERSIDE, JUNE 30, JULY 1,2,3)

Worcestershire suffered more than Durham from losing three of their top six – Solanki, Moore and Davies – to England Lions. Durham were without Harmison and Onions but were able to recall Plunkett after a five-week absence with a groin injury, while Mark Davies made his first appearance of the season.

Plunkett proved the matchwinner, following career-best figures of six for 63 in the first innings with five for 56 in the second. Resuming on 64 for one on the final day, Durham needed a further 115 with rain forecast at lunchtime.

They lost four more wickets in reaching their target at 12.14, Di Venuto completing his 50th first-class century with the single which levelled the scores.