IN their final LV County Championship match before the break for Twenty20 cricket, Durham's batsmen yesterday began to show the necessary application for the four-day game.

They reached 228 for five in 83 overs against Warwickshire, with the experienced pair of Dale Benkenstein and Paul Collingwood profiting in the evening from the patience shown earlier.

Durham had been dismissed for fewer than 165 in four of their six first innings this season and had gained only five batting points, four of them at Taunton.

So the point picked up yesterday when 200 went on the board was rapturously welcomed by the few fans left after the day's third shower had threatened to wipe out the final session.

Those who left missed some excellent batting by the fifth-wicket pair, who continued the overall policy of carefully playing themselves in before unveiling some fine strokes.

Benkenstein surprisingly departed for 40 four overs from the close, lobbing an attempted pull to mid-on, but Collingwood remained unbeaten on 43.

The weather, which has been a big factor in leaving Durham's season on the starting blocks, threatens to ruin their chances of reaching the halfway point in the programme with a win under their belts.

The forecast suggests yesterday will be the best day of the four in this apology for a summer.

With the visiting bowlers showing the discipline which has helped to make them strong contenders for the title, Durham's resolve ensured some absorbing cricket.

Ben Stokes threatened to follow his century against Lancashire last Friday with another, only to depart for 66 after helping Will Smith to rescue Durham from 23 for two.

They had put on 109 when Stokes tried to withdraw his bat from a ball by Chris Wright, who had just started to bowl round the wicket, and got a bottom edge into his leg stump.

Smith battled on until the 55th over, but with his score on 47 his old failing resurfaced when he walked into a straight one from Wright, aiming for mid-wicket, and was lbw.

Durham chose to bat on a bright morning, perhaps thinking they would have the best of the conditions.

But the two men given the chance by injuries to push their claims for a regular place failed again. Mark Stoneman and Gordon Muchall both edged low to second slip, where Rikki Clarke made the catches look much easier than they were.

The two batsmen were pushing forward to balls which swung just enough to find the edge, but Stokes never appeared to be in any difficulty.

He pulled three fours fiercely in front of mid-wicket and also played a delightful steer to the boundary between gully and backward point, but also showed the required restraint in reaching 50 off 95 balls.

Warwickshire's out-of-form captain, Jim Troughton, was ruled out by a back spasm and replaced by England Under 19 all-rounder Tom Milnes, making his championship debut.

Varun Chopra, captaining the side for the first time, tried six bowlers before lunch, including Milnes, who was unlucky not to take a wicket in the evening.

He found the edge of both Benkenstein's and Collingwood's bats, wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose getting fingertips to one and Clarke to the other.

Darren Maddy's gentle swingers saw him concede only 16 runs in 14 overs until Collingwood cut him for four then drove him down the ground.

If Maddy can cause problems then Chris Rushworth will certainly hope to do so after being brought in for Graham Onions in Durham's only change from the team which lost to Lancashire.