HAMPSHIRE put up feeble resistance to Graham Onions today as they lost their six remaining wickets in 52 minutes at Chester-le-Street.
Onions took five of the wickets to finish with six for 58 as Hampshire folded for 96, handing Durham victory by an innings and 110 runs to take them to the top of the table.
Resuming on 52 for four, Hampshire lost their second nightwatchman, David Griffiths, to the first ball of the second over.
When Onions knocked back his off stump it was the third time in the match he had struck in his opening over of the day. Michael Carberry was the victim on both the other occasions.
“When I was younger I made the mistake of not always being ready to bowl,” said Onions. “Now I have a routine which means that when I get to the end of my mark I’m ready to give the batsman hell from the first ball.
“It was a perfect morning for me. I was a bit disappointed to go for more than four an over, but I had a very attacking field.
“I’ve still got a lot of hard work to do to get into the England team for the Ashes, and I think Steve Harmison still has a very good chance. But he won’t begrudge me these wickets. We’re one big happy family here.”
Sean Ervine adopted a muck-or-nettles approach when he came in on Griffiths’ exit. The left-hander took three fours off the rest of the over, and he certainly wasn’t inclined to knuckle down once he had been struck on the helmet by Onions and the hand by Callum Thorp.
Opener Jimmy Adams, who faced 71 balls for 11, finally went to drive Onions through mid-off and got an inside edge into his stumps.
That ball swung in a little to the left-hander, then for his next victim Onions nipped one back off the pitch to have right-hander Nic Pothas lbw.
Ervine hooked Thorp to long leg then Dominic Crok, demoted to No 10 by the two nightwatchmen, edged Onions to second slip.
Finally Imran Tahir departed first ball, wafting at a short ball and edging it to wicketkeeper Phil Mustard.
Nottinghamshire will go back above Durham by securing a draw against Warwickshire, but Durham skipper Will Smith said he was delighted his team were back on top, however briefly.
“We played really well in the first three games without quite being able to finish things off,” he said. “This was even better and if we keep playing like that we will be right up there again at the end of the season.”
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