DURHAM begin a big week of Friends Provident Trophy cricket today with a home match against Scotland, followed by the visit of Worcestershire on Friday and a trip to Headingley next Sunday.

With three wins from four games, Durham lie third in the northern group of the 50-over competition and need at least two wins from this week's three games to stay in contention for a semi-final place.

Their final two group games are against the two sides above them, Nottinghamshire (home) and Warwickshire (away).

Prospects of play for today's game, which starts at 10.45, will be available from 9am by calling 0870 389 1991.

Squad: D M Benkenstein (capt), M J Di Venuto, P Mustard, W R Smith, K J Coetzer, G T Park, O D Gibson, G R Breese, G Onions, M Davies, N Killeen, P J Wiseman

UNTIL ten days ago Graham Onions had only one five-wicket haul in his first-class career, now he has three following his eight for 101 at Edgbaston and five for 53 against Yorkshire.

He struggled in Durham's previous home win against Kent, and admitted that he had tried too hard to match Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett, who took 17 wickets between them.

In Durham's first three games Harmison had 24 wickets at 14.37, while Onions took seven at 43.3, but since Harmison took up England duties Onions has captured 14 wickets at 18.0 in two matches.

He had a busy winter, going with the ECB Academy to Australia as a shadow Ashes squad, then returning home for Christmas before heading to Denis Lillee's academy in Chennai, India, for two weeks then on to Bangladesh for the five-week England A tour.

"It was the first time I've played through the winter and I wouldn't have changed it for the world," he said. "I got to know Peter Moores, who's a great guy to know and to work with. We straightened my run-up and I worked on a running technique so that instead of taking long strides I have more control coming into the crease. It means I'm not striving any more and the pace comes naturally.

"I proved to myself I could do well on the flat pitches in Bangladesh, and I'm still feeling strong and just want to keep taking wickets.

WHILE a busy winter has worked for Onions, a quiet one has done the trick for Kyle Coetzer, who usually goes back to his parents' native country, South Africa, to play.

His dad came to Kyle's birthplace, Aberdeen, to work in the oil industry but Kyle has always enjoyed winters in Cape Town and also went to the ICC Inter-Continental Cup in Abu Dhabi with Scotland in 2004, where he scored 133 not out against Kenya.

After a promising Durham debut at Cardiff in 2004, Coetzer didn't feature in the next two seasons and coach Geoff Cook explained: "He was held back by injuries and with other players moving past him he perhaps became a little disillusioned.

"He took advice to take four months off in the winter and think about his game and how to develop it. He came back to us in February physically and mentally very fresh and has worked at putting his plan into practice."

DURHAM have produced a commemorative scorecard of the Yorkshire match to mark the club's 125th anniversary. It will cost £1 with proceeds going towards an appeal launched by the president, Tom Moffat, with the aim of raising £50,000 to create a nursery ground.

Chief executive David Harker explained: "Our under 11s upwards don't get enough practice on grass, which is important.

"Recreational cricket is in good health and it's getting harder for us to use local club facilities because they are in such demand.

"We have spoken to local authorities and two in particular are interested in doing something which would also help schools. If we are to spread the word there is an argument that the site shouldn't be too close to Riverside, but we might have to go with whichever authority comes forward with a strong site."