IT'S a measure of Durham's professionalism that after Saturday's win against Essex the talk was all about getting back to winning ways in the totesport League today.

The defeat at the The Oval two weeks ago was Durham's only setback to date in either of the second divisions, and Saturday's win was their fifth in the championship.

In three of the last four seasons five wins has been enough to secure third place, but coach Martyn Moxon said: "We are not talking about promotion yet. There's still half a season to go and our aim is to win as many games as possible.

"It was a disappointing performance at The Oval, so we need to use the visit of Derbyshire to put that right."

Derbyshire are back at Riverside today after inflicting a painful one-wicket defeat off the last ball of the C & G Trophy tie six weeks ago. Otherwise they have continued to struggle and the fact that Durham still have to play them twice in the championship provides further reason to believe that Moxon's men will coast into the top-flight.

The victory by an innings and 19 runs against Essex, who began the match in second place, took Durham 17 points clear at the top and after seven out of 16 games they already have more points than they managed last season.

Moxon said: "We had spoken about building partnerships because at Worcester a lot of people got in then got out. So it's pleasing that we put that right.

"A lot of concentration went into it, and when you score 500 it usually sets you up for victory.

"Gordon Muchall has been threatening to score a century all season. He has been playing consistently well and looks composed at the crease. The innings will give him a lot of confidence.

"Our bowling in Essex's first innings was as good as you will get, and that includes Mark Turner, who bowled better than his one wicket would suggest."

Dale Benkenstein preferred Mark Davies to Turner with the second new ball on Saturday at a time when Durham were coming under sustained fire from New Zealander Andre Adams.

With James Foster also well entrenched, the carnage continued with 78 coming off the next ten overs before Davies shot one through just above Adams' bootlaces to bowl him for 103.

A similar delivery pinned Mervyn Westfield lbw as the last three wickets went down for 14 runs and Essex were all out for 380.

Davies finished with five for 86 and match figures of nine for 101, taking his championship tally for the season to 31 at 13.9, putting him top of the first-class averages.

Adams' 76-ball century was not the only remarkable knock of the day as Essex's other overseas man, South African paceman Dale Steyn, improved his career-best from 11 to 82.

In his final appearance for the county before making way for Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria, who has been playing in the West Indies, Steyn began the day on four in his role as nightwatchman.

He made a mockery of Essex's first innings capitulation for 106 as well as their shaky start to the second innings.

Left-hander Alastair Cook fished at a ball wide of off stump in the day's third over to edge to Phil Mustard and give Turner his maiden first-class wicket.

Then Ashley Noffke forced Grant Flower to fend to short leg to make it 41 for three before Steyn shared half-century stands with Ravinder Bopara and Andy Flower.

Steyn played and missed at least twice an over, and got away with a couple of comical swipes when the ball lobbed into unexpected areas. But he produced some good leg-side shots and hit 12 fours before Noffke unsettled him with short-pitched bowling from round the wicket.

After a blow on the helmet, Steyn began to back away and flail like a genuine tail-ender, finally swotting a catch to mid-on.

Flower was caught off bat and pad at short leg off Davies in the next over and at 146 for six the deficit was still 253 and Essex needed 37 to prevent Durham improving on their biggest innings win, achieved at Leicester in the opening match.

But while Foster dug in, James Middlebrook contributed a sprightly 37 to their stand of 56 before Benkenstein nipped one back to bowl him.

Then came the fireworks from Adams, who added 164 in 29 overs for the eighth wicket with Foster and looked certain to take the game into a fourth day.

Adams hit 11 fours and five sixes in his century, which was the second fastest of the season behind Shane Warne's 72-ball effort for Hampshire.

Adams had the fastest century last season, off 80 balls on his Essex debut at Leicester, until Somerset's Richard Johnson bettered it by 17 balls against Durham at Riverside.

In ten championship innings since that debut knock Adams had a top score of 27 and he could have gone for eight on Saturday when he skied Benkenstein to mid-wicket, where Jon Lewis dived for the catch and just failed to hang on.

With their seamers tiring, Durham tried Gareth Breese's off spin and Adams hit him for three sixes, Nicky Peng losing sight of one which he probably could not have reached anyway on the mid-wicket boundary.

Adams also carved Noffke over the rope at third man in the fifth over of the new ball, which cost 18.

He pulled Davies for four and six three overs later, then hit the same bowler over extra cover to reach his hundred.

At tea Noffke had bowled 32 overs in the match for 52 runs, but his seven overs with the new ball cost 46 as even Foster took him on, advancing to lift him over extra cover for six.

After taking 137 balls to reach 50, Foster was almost keeping pace with Adams at the end and was furious when he was last out, lbw to the first ball of a new spell from Neil Killeen.

Perhaps Foster wanted a century, or simply to make Durham bat again. Either way, it would not have affected the result of a match in which his side were thoroughly outplayed.

* Gary Pratt is in the squad for today's totesport League match against Derbyshire and is likely to make his first appearance of the season in place of Mark Turner.

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