TWO weeks ago Durham faced the challenge of taking on the other two sides in the top three. Now they have beaten both by an innings, restricting Warwickshire to one point and Lancashire to four while picking up the maximum of 24 themselves in both games.

Coach Geoff Cook said: “The team have played brilliantly over the last three games. But Lancashire have a game in hand and this result is not hugely significant in terms of the whole competition.

“There have been some unexpected results and when you get the opportunity to win you have to take it and gain as many points as you can.

“We had a disappointing season last year, when we finished in mid-table. If this is a response to that then the whole approach has been admirable.

“We have played half of our four-day games already and in an ideal world we would have liked a break from championship cricket anyway. We just have to shift the focus to the different challenge of Twenty20, but it’s the proximity of the games which is the problem.”

The 2008 and 2009 champions went 17 points clear at the top by ruthlessly bursting the bubble of previous leaders Lancashire, who had won five of their first six games.

They mustered precious little resistance yesterday once Mark Chilton and nightwatchman Gary Keedy had survived for 58 minutes and in a further 78 minutes it was all over.

If anyone was going to bat all day it was Chilton, but once he had pushed forward and edged Mitch Claydon to first slip the rest surrendered meekly, Ian Blackwell mopping up the tail to finish with four for 34 as Lancashire were all out for 158.

Cook added: “It’s been absolutely top-class cricket. We have played on surfaces which have been testing for the bowlers, but we have a big enough variety of bowlers to cash in on the big totals the batsmen are making.

“It’s the first time we have played two spinners regularly, while Callum Thorp has been terrific and people like Ruel Brathwaite and Mitch Claydon have done their bit.

“The batsmen are all chipping in. They haven’t been used to such good pitches here. It’s a bit like Yorkshire last season, when they made a good start by getting their batsmen into good form on good pitches.”

Lancashire captain Glen Chapple said: “We’ve played a very good team playing good cricket, and I think our standards probably dropped a bit.

It was just that ten per cent in all areas. We still competed, the effort was superb throughout, but the quality of our bowling wasn’t as good as it has been, mine included.

“They had a massive stand of 331 where we a little bit unlucky.

We went past the bat countless times and dropped a couple of catches.”

After resuming on 69 for three, Lancashire lost both their overnight pair with the total on 94, then Graham Onions picked up his third wicket of the innings by pinning Steven Croft lbw with a full-length swinger.

Gareth Cross was bowled when he sat back to cut a ball from Blackwell which was too full for the shot, then Tom Smith was caught at slip off bat and pad attempting a sweep off the left-arm spinner.

Having had Glen Chapple caught at third man in the first innings, Claydon posted a man on the backward point boundary, where Dale Benkenstein held the catch when the visiting captain again slashed at a very short ball.

Finally Blackwell turned one through left-hander Kyle Hogg’s forward push to bowl him.

SCORECARD

Durham v Lancashire
At Emirates Durham ICG.


Durham (24pts) beat Lancashire (4pts)
by an innings and 125 runs
Lancashire Second Innings
P J Horton c Mustard b Onions 34
S C Moore lbw b Onions 10
K R Brown lbw b Thorp 6
M J Chilton c Muchall b Claydon 25
G Keedy b Blackwell 12
S J Croft lbw b Onions 6
T C Smith c Di Venuto b Blackwell 12
G D Cross b Blackwell 3
L A Procter not out 15
G Chapple c Benkenstein b Claydon 13
K W Hogg b Blackwell 0
Extras (b5 lb2 w1 nb4) 12
Total (59.4 overs) 148
Fall: 1-19 2-30 3-69 4-94 5-94 6-106
7-109 8-116 9-139
Bonus Pts: Durham 8 Lancashire 4
Bowling: Onions 19-5-56-3. Thorp 8-2-24-
1. Claydon 15-7-27-2. Blackwell 16.4-7-34-
4. Borthwick 1-1-0-0.