Harmison Whistles Down the Wind and Takes Six of the Best But Durham Face Uphill Struggle

If the scoreboard suggests this match remains in the balance - Durham need 109 runs to win, Hampshire four wickets - the reality is that on a pitch which continues to favor ball over bat, the visitors are strong favorites to score their first championship victory of the season. Only the unbeaten presence of Durham's captain, Dale Benkenstein, gives the home supporters any real hope.

With Hampshire leading by 223 overnight, Durham began the day needing to take their four remaining wickets as quickly and, more importantly, as cheaply as possible. They made an ideal start with Sean Ervine pulling a Callum Thorp delivery on to his stumps in the third over, and Chris Tremlett edging the same bowler to Phil Mustard behind the wicket shortly afterwards.

It looked as though Dimitri Mascarenhas was going to quickly run out of partners, but the New Zealander Shane Bond was prepared to get in line even when Steve Harmison was whistling the ball past his nose.

Mascarenhas attacked in some style and Harmison, increasingly frustrated, went around the wicket and saw consecutive bouncers pulled dismissively to the midwicket boundary. The next ball, delivered from over the wicket at venomous pace, hit Mascarenhas' bat as he desperately tried to duck out of the way, and looped just over gully.

The former England paceman was into his ninth over before he finally bowled Mascarenhas for 74, though not before the two previous deliveries had been cut for six and square-driven for four respectively. Bond was finally bounced out the following over, leaving Harmison with six for 122 from 29.3 overs, his best return of a championship season which has thus far yielded 25 wickets at just over 21 runs apiece.

With more than five sessions in which to score 294, the Durham chase began disastrously when the opener Michael di Venuto edged a Tremlett delivery which left him off the pitch and was caught behind by Nic Pothas. Di Venuto and Benkenstein are the only Durham batsmen to have scored runs consistently this season, and another good crowd shook their heads.

Mark Stoneman's poor form continued when Greg Lamb clung on to a thick edge off Bond at second slip, but Will Smith and Neil McKenzie ground their way to a half-century partnership before Smith, who was beginning to play really well, misjudged a sweep at Lamb's off-spin and the ball clipped his leg stump.

McKenzie followed, pushing at a Mascarenhas out-swinger - the South Africa Test batsman has been a serious disappointment for Durham, failing to register so much as a half-century in his time with the county - and Mustard's poor trot also continued, when he chipped Bond's slower ball straight to mid-on.

Benkenstein needed support, but it did not come from Ben Harmison, who reached for an Ervine delivery and edged to slip. Paul Wiseman too had his moments, but at least the New Zealander was still there at the close on five.

If he can hang on for an hour this morning, Benkenstein could yet rescue the game, and if he does, then with the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Liam Plunkett and Graham Onions ready to come back into the side when the championship resumes after the Twenty20 competition, Durham will be well worth backing for the title.