Benkenstein is busy leading from the front

AFTER the joy of last season's double promotion, Durham were rocked by the news in March that Mike Hussey would not be available to captain them for a second season. But while his runs would be missed, the leadership was not an issue.

Dale Benkenstein had proved an inspired signing last season, in both forms of the game, and having earned a reputation in South Africa as an astute captain during his eight years in charge of Natal, he was a natural choice to lead Durham.

On the evidence so far it is doubtful whether there is a better captain in the country, although one inspired decision by Kent's Robert Key consigned Durham to a third successive championship defeat at Stockton.

The bright start to the season has been maintained in the C & G Trophy, in which Durham still have a chance of reaching their first Lord's final, but the slide from third to sixth in the championship seems a little harsh.

After starting with an innings win at Canterbury, they looked on course to complete the double over Kent when the visitors were 24 for three in their second innings, still 24 behind.

But at that point Key promoted left-hander James Tredwell from nine to five with a licence to play his strokes, and having broken the game open he handed on the baton to Justin Kemp and Darren Stevens as the runs flowed for two decisive hours.

Durham should have won the previous game, when they needed 98 on the final day at Edgbaston with eight wickets standing, but lost by 19 runs with Benkenstein left stranded on 23 following his unbeaten 144 in the first innings.

Going into this week's match in Hampshire, he topped Durham's batting averages with 561 runs at 56.10, having leapfrogged Gordon Muchall, who amassed 321 runs in his first two innings but has seen his average slip to 41.58.

Jimmy Maher had 450 runs at 37.50, but the failure of anyone else in the top six to average 30 is an old failing which continues to cost Durham.

On the bowling front there has been a huge bonus from two pacemen who would not have been confidently predicted to be in the side pre-season.

Prior to Liam Plunkett becoming the third member of the current Durham staff to hold down an England place, he would have been expected to open the bowling with Mick Lewis, with Mark Davies providing the main support.

However, the two who are way ahead of the rest in terms of wickets are Graham Onions, who after seven games had 31 wickets at 26.35, and Ottis Gibson, with 30 at 23.4.

Onions' transformation over the winter has been a revelation and he should have had more wickets as he has been the chief victim of dropped slip catches.

The list of top order batsmen clean bowled by Onions includes Key, Mark Chilton, Ed Smith, Ben Hutton, Darren Bicknell and Mark Wagh.

At Edgbaston, Warwickshire's Ian Bell observed that Onions seemed to have gained a yard of pace since he faced him in India during the winter, when Onions stayed on after being one of six Durham youngsters taken to the World Cricket Academy in Bombay.

Bell was also very complimentary about Gibson, who at 37 has so far played in every match, while Mick Lewis, signed partly because of his fitness record, has had two injuries.

He has also not bowled as well as in his two short stints with Durham last season and currently has 12 championship wickets at 28.66.

The season got off to a marvellous start with Muchall's 219 at Canterbury being the highest score by an Englishman for Durham. Only Martin Love and Hussey have surpassed it.

He shared a record sixth wicket stand for the county of 249 with Phil Mustard, whose maiden century showed a welcome new maturity in his shot selection.

Muchall followed up with a century in the 128-run home defeat by Lancashire, who won an absorbing contest with an hour to spare after Durham dropped five slip catches in the first innings.

The first of the three put down by Maher came with Mal Loye on 13 and he went on to make 114, while Glen Chapple was missed twice in bludgeoning 82 off 73 balls.

Durham showed some spirit on the final day and had four wickets standing at tea. But once Sajid Mahmood hurried one on to have Benkenstein lbw for 88 the end came quickly.

Maher's diligent 106 off 207 balls in the next match, at home to Middlesex, was followed by Jon Lewis's 99 off 291 deliveries, spanning 346 minutes, in the second innings.

With the visitors preferring to score at four an over, Callum Thorp's first innings figures of 15-9-19-3 were a tribute to the accuracy of the medium pacer's probing away swing.

He would not have played had Steve Harmison, due to return after a shin injury, not pulled out to attend the birth of his third daughter, who arrived shortly before the start.

Onions clean bowled Smith and Hutton in a devastating opening over in Middlesex's second innings and victory by 135 runs had Durham third in the table.

The first sign that this position would be too lofty to maintain came with defeat by an innings and 39 runs to Sussex in the shortest completed match in Durham's first-class history.

As the groundstaff were able to do little work on the pitch in the previous three days because of rain, it was a testimony to Riverside's improved drainage that play began only an hour late. However, the match was all over before tea on the second day, having lasted 145.2 overs.

Pakistani pair Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Mushtaq Ahmed shared 19 wickets, the leg-spinner profiting largely from his googly in emerging with match figures of ten for 37.

Durham were 47 for none in their second innings when Mushtaq's introduction prompted a mixture of panic and paralysis. In his first over he took three wickets in four balls and Durham capitulated to 80 all out, their third lowest total in first-class cricket.

Durham decamped to Stockton inbetween an Elton John concert, which raised £40,000 for the club, and the forthcoming one-day international at Riverside.

Unfortunately the usual outground delights were overshadowed by the convening of a pitch panel on the third day. Other than some uneven bounce there seemed little cause for alarm and the locals were astonished by the three-hour investigation after the match finished at 6.15 on day three. The pitch was marked below average, but there was no points deduction.

Tredwell's 47 off 44 balls created such a shift in momentum that Kemp then thrashed the fastest century against Durham in their first-class history, off 56 balls.

It included 19 fours and two sixes. Needing 364 to win, Durham had a chance until a fourth-wicket stand of 141 ended when Benkenstein was run out for 70.

The captain initially underlined his all-round class this season in the opening C & G Trophy win at home to Northamptonshire. It was Durham's first win against a first-class county in the competition since 2001, but their only defeat from eight games so far this season has been at Old Trafford.

The Northants game, reduced to 36 overs after a 1.15pm start, was turned around by Benkenstein through his captaincy and bowling, then he completed the job with the bat.

Rob White hit five sixes, including three pulled off Paul Collingwood, in his 42-ball half-century as Northants reached 123 for three after 23 overs before being pegged back as Benkenstein took three for 42. His unbeaten 63 came off 44 balls as Durham won by four wickets.

The following week the game against Warwickshire was also reduced to 36 overs. Durham were 138 for two in the 28th over when Jon Lewis was out for 61 off 87 balls, while at the same stage Warwickshire were 142 for six when Alex Loudon drove to long-off. Durham scored 53 off their last five overs; Warwickshire were all out with 5.5 unused.

Harmison made his return from injury in the match at Old Trafford and took two for 47 in ten overs. But Loye and Brad Hodge both scored centuries as the hosts amassed 307 for five and after racing to 67 without loss Durham subsided for 182.

At home to Leicestershire, the visitors' innings was interrupted four times and Durham's revised target under the Duckworth-Lewis method was 163. The target was down to 40 off six overs when Leicestershire's acting captain, Dinesh Mongia, brought himself on and took two wickets for three runs. But 16 came off his next over as Thorp unveiled previously unseen batting talent to hit an unbeaten 26 off 13 balls.

When Yorkshire visited Riverside their captain and opener Craig White took until the 43rd over to reach 50 then hit 34 off the last 11 balls he faced to reach a century of the final ball of the innings. Maher adopted the opposite approach, scoring 50 of his side's first 57 runs then carefully holding the innings together in reaching 124.

Forced to settle for a single off the penultimate ball, he left Harmison to face Jason Gillespie with three needed and an inside edge flew for four.

Maher followed up with another century at Trent Bridge, where Durham's 280 for six was their highest score against a first-class county in the premier one-day event since it was reduced to 50 overs. Nottinghamshire were 95 for eight in reply, but then Chris Read's 135 dominated a stand of 155 with Andrew Harris before Durham prevailed by 28 runs.

Then came Thorp's six for 17 at The Grange, Edinburgh, the best one-day figures by a Durham bowler since they became a first-class county. Under the D/L method Durham beat the Scots by five wickets and will reach their first Lord's final if they win at Derby on Sunday and Lancashire lose at Edgbaston.