DURHAM will arrive at Basingstoke today next to the bottom of division one but still believing they can achieve a hat-trick of titles.

“It’s a bit of a false position because we have won more games than we have lost,” said coach Geoff Cook. “If we win the one, or in some cases two, games we have in hand on the others we will be right in the middle of the title race.

“The next two games are season-defining and we have to see our visit to an outground as a chance to be on the right end of a positive result.”

Hampshire have just ground out a tedious draw against Lancashire on a Rose Bowl pitch which flattened as the game progressed, much as it did when Durham visited late last season.

That is unlikely to happen at Basingstoke, where Durham are hoping it will be third time lucky after losing there on two previous visits.

In 2000, the pitch was dry and Shane Warne took eight wickets in a match which was all over in just over two days.

In 2008, the pitch began wet and improved as it dried, allowing Hampshire to make the biggest total in the fourth innings to win by two wickets.

Mark Davies took his career- best eight for 24 on a pitch which suited bowlers of his pace rather than the quicker men. On that basis Durham might prefer Chris Rushworth to Mitch Claydon.

“We have to be prepared for any eventuality, so we are also taking Scott Borthwick,” said Cook. “He got quite a few overs in for the seconds against Warwickshire last week and also bowled for his club at the weekend.”

The leg-spinner has been out for a month with a broken finger, while Davies hadn’t played for three months until he turned out for Billingham Synthonia on Saturday. He was reported to have felt some soreness in his ankle afterwards.

Hampshire also have their injury worries with Dimitri Mascarenhas and wicketkeeper Nic Pothas out for the season, while last winter’s new signings, Kabir Ali and Simon Jones, are still not fit.

It leaves Dominic Cork to lead a threadbare attack and after a heavy workload against his former Lancashire teammates Durham will be hoping he is feeling the pace.

Hampshire took ten points from that game to move two ahead of Durham, who have a game in hand and now face seven championship matches in the last six weeks of the season.

They knocked off 262 in the fourth innings to beat Hampshire by five wickets at home in April, despite the visitors starting the match with an opening stand of 183 between Michael Carberry and James Adams, who have both had excellent seasons.

Durham (from): P Mustard (capt), M J Di Venuto, M D Stoneman, G J Muchall, D M Benkenstein, B A Stokes, I D Blackwell, P Mustard, L E Plunkett, C D Thorp, M E Claydon, S J Harmison, S G Borthwick, C Rushworth.