Middlesex v Durham (County Championship) : Day One

DURHAM'S ever-dependable captain, Dale Benkenstein, and his new-found ally, Gareth Breese, turned a potential collapse into a torrent of runs at Lord's yesterday.

On a day when the staunchest of MCC members must have wished they could loosen their ties, two batsmen used to sunnier climes really turned up the heat on Middlesex, who won the toss.

After putting on 126 in the second innings of the last championship match, against Yorkshire at Riverside, Benkenstein and Breese shared the county's record fifth-wicket stand of 222.

Coming together when three wickets had gone down for 19 runs, they made hay for 48 overs and Durham ended the day on 379 for six.

Benkenstein passed 50 for the fifth time in his last six championship innings and, after falling twice in the 90s against Yorkshire, he celebrated his century with three sixes before surrendering for 125.

Breese was on 94 at the time, but had initially outpaced his captain on the way to eclipsing the fifth-wicket record of 197, set by Vince Wells and Nicky Peng at Derby in 2003.

On Benkenstein's exit at 5.40pm, Breese suddenly found himself facing the off-spin of Jamie Dalrymple, who had just arrived from Old Trafford after being released by England.

Breese was also starved of the strike and added only three singles in five overs before clipping Chad Keegan through mid-wicket for his 13th four to complete only his third first-class century.

No doubt wishing to come back fresh today to add to his 107, Breese shortly afterwards accepted an offer of bad light.

Since making his famous 165 not out at Taunton two years ago, Breese had a top score for Durham of 79 not out, also against Somerset, at Stockton last season.

New Zealand Test all-rounder Scott Styris, Middlesex captain in the absence through illness of Ben Hutton, must have regretted putting Durham in to bat when they were 110 for one at lunch.

He was briefly vindicated afterwards as it became 131 for four before Breese blew away the rising home spirits.

He hit the first ball he faced to the cover boundary off the back foot and repeated the shot twice off successive balls in Chad Keegan's next over, underlining his liking for a good pitch.

The sun on his back may have helped, and the steamy conditions were probably what persuaded Styris to bowl first. The only other possibility was that he didn't want to run the risk of Dalrymple being released, only to arrive too late to bat.

Left-arm spinner Chris Peploe started the match but bowled as though he knew he would be making way for Dalrymple before the day was out.

In fact, he had probably just seen his replacement arrive when Benkenstein, on 101, drove him for a straight six then swept him for another.

He pulled Johann Louw for his third six, but it was his last scoring shot before he drove the same bowler straight into mid-off's hands.

He was probably hoping Phil Mustard could continue the attack for the final hour, but there is a danger of the wicketkeeper's runs tailing away, as they did last year after the Twenty20 Cup. He made only one before edging Styris' medium pace to second slip.

Durham's introduction of new blood into the top six was not an instant success as James Lowe was out for five and Ben Harmison for one.

They were two of the three victims for South Africa-born paceman Keegan, who found a good ball for both.

He swung one away to have Lowe caught at the wicket and moved one back off the pitch to squeeze through left-hander Harmison's forward defensive stroke and take out leg stump.

In between, Durham prospered through a second-wicket stand of 104 between Jimmy Maher and Gordon Muchall.

Maher had some early difficulties against Chris Silverwood, but once the sun reached its midday zenith he was timing the ball well enough to hit straight fours from little more than a forceful lean.

He was outpaced by Muchall, however, as the man whose place had been under threat quickly showed his liking for the ground where he scored his maiden century four years ago.

It was Gary Scott who made way for Harmison and, as the reprieved man, Muchall quickly set about proving his worth. Having stroked eight fours, he reached his 78-ball 50 by hooking Louw for six over the short boundary beneath Old Father Time.

He was ten ahead of Maher on 54 at lunch, but the Australian went to the fourth ball on the resumption, pushing forward at a ball from Keegan he could have left and getting an inside edge into his off stump.

Muchall continued to play fluently, but on 68 he pushed wide of off stump at Silverwood and edged straight to first slip.

When Harmison followed in the next over the good start was in danger of being squandered, but after scoring 63 in his last innings against Yorkshire, Breese began very confidently.

He was well ahead of his captain when, on 36, he gave the only chance offered by either, driving Keegan to short extra cover, where Nick Compton got one hand to the ball.

After that Breese throttled back slightly but he was still first to 50, reached rather streakily with an inside edge for his eighth four.

In the next over Benkenstein also reached the target with his eighth four, punched through the covers off the back foot off Keegan. He turned the next ball to the mid-wicket boundary then forged ahead of his partner.

His second 50 came off only 52 balls and there was no sign of nerves in the 90s as he on-drove Silverwood for four then pulled Louw for his 17th boundary to complete his 122-ball century.

It was all beginning to look too easy for him when he was out and when Mustard followed in the next over it needed the old head of Ottis Gibson to help Breese to his century.

Not that Gibson was going to play second fiddle as he had made only four when he smashed Dalrymple over long-on for a huge six. He will be looking for more of those today.

Scorecard

Middlesex v Durham at Lord’s. Middlesex Won Toss

Durham First Innings
J P Maher b Keegan 46
(inside edge into off stump 108b, 7-4s)
J A Lowe c Nash b Keegan 5
(pushed forward, edged to keeper 26b,
1-4)
G J Muchall c Shah b Silverwood 68
(pushed forward, edged to first slip 90b,
10-4s, 1-6)
D M Benkenstein c Silverwood b Louw125
(drove to mid-off 142b, 18-4s, 3-6s)
B W Harmison b Keegan 1
(ball cut back, hit leg stump 7b)
G R Breese not out 107
(177b, 14-4s)
P Mustard c Joyce b Styris 1
(pushed forward, edged to second slip 4b)
O D Gibson not out 12
(21b, 1-6)
Extras (lb7 w3 nb4 pens 0) 14
Total 6 wkts (95.3 overs) 379
Fall: 1-8 2-112 3-130 4-131 5-353 6-355
To Bat: C D Thorp, G Onions, M L Lewis.
Bowling: Silverwood 18-3-69-1. Keegan 18.3-
4-76-3. Styris 18-3-65-1. Louw 20-2-85-1.
Peploe 17-3-64-0. Shah 1-0-1-0. Dalrymple 3-
0-12-0.