THE best indication yesterday that Durham are in excellent spirits came from a scintillating display in the field as they won their opening totesport League match at Grace Road.

It was epitomised by two run-outs stemming from brilliant fielding by Jon Lewis and Paul Collingwood as Leicestershire limped to 175 for eight in their 45 overs.

The hosts' defence of this inadequate total began by donating 13 extras before a run had come off the bat, and with three one-day internationals in their top five Durham didn't really need such gifts.

It was a shame that what should have been a victory stroll was spoilt by drizzle, which always seems to cloud batsmen's thinking when the dreaded Duckworth/ Lewis target has to be taken into consideration each over.

Durham were 85 for three after 22 overs, nine ahead of the requirement, when the rain became too heavy to continue.

Other than when Leicestershire put on 98 for their third wicket, taking 31 off three overs at one point, this contest was almost as one-sided as the championship match until the drizzle started.

With Steve Harmison not allowed by the England management to take part in these helter-skelter affairs, Durham brought in one-day specialist Neil Killeen and also left out Mark Davies to give Victoria's Mick Lewis a game.

Gary Pratt, who also travelled down, had to settle for 12th man duties, which is a fair reflection of the confidence Durham have in their fielding.

Operating from an economical run-up, Lewis proved to be a skiddy bowler, although there seemed little point in him conceding two wides by bowling bouncers.

He bowled two of the three overs which went for 31 - Collingwood conceding 12 inbetween - during the one period when Durham were not in control. But Lewis came back to bowl three very tidy overs at the end of the innings, when he was also handed two wickets to finish with two for 38 from eight overs.

Dale Benkenstein's gentle medium pace provided the most economical bowling, but it was again Liam Plunkett who initially rocked Leicestershire after they chose to bat.

Inside four overs they were four for two, left-hander John Maunders getting an inside edge into his stumps before Aftab Habib had his off and middle stumps splattered by a ball which dipped into him.

Darren Maddy and Hylton Ackerman threatened to make a game of it, although Durham were convinced they had Maddy out with his score on 18.

He edged Lewis low to the right of first slip, where Collingwood appeared to take an excellent catch, but Maddy stood his ground. Umpire Ian Gould went to consult his colleague Mark Benson at square leg before allowing Maddy to stay.

When Maddy hit three of his six fours in one Collingwood over on the way to an 85-ball 50 it was clear that all was not sweetness and light.

But without adding to his score Maddy shaped to turn a quicker ball from off-spinner Gareth Breese to mid-wicket and was lbw.

The recovery was on the rocks two overs later when left-hander John Sadler sliced a shot which was running away from Jon Lewis at backward point.

Ackerman set off for a run then hesitated as Lewis dived to make a brilliant stop and threw the ball to Phil Mustard while still on the ground.

As Sadler had continued running in response to the initial call, Ackerman was run out for 46 and when Sadler was lbw to Benkenstein in the next over the Foxes were in a tight corner on 108 for five.

The experienced Paul Nixon shepherded them to their final total with an unbeaten 29, but any hope of reaching 200 ended when Collingwood swooped from backward point to pick up at cover and throw down the non-striker's stumps to run out Jeremy Snape.

Ottis Gibson struck the one defiant blow of the closing overs with a six over long-off, then claimed the scalp of Durham skipper Mike Hussey once he located the right line with the ball.

First Charlie Dagnall bowled three wides and conceded eight leg byes in the opening over before Gibson opened up with two wides.

The West Indian moved one into Hussey in his third over to have him lbw for one and shortly afterwards drizzle meant Durham had to take the D/L requirement into consideration once the ten overs required for a result had been completed.

As the light faded and the rain became heavier batting obviously wasn't easy, but several well-timed strokes by Nicky Peng, particularly wide of mid-on, kept the board ticking over.

Jon Lewis had made 18 when he was lbw to David Masters in the 19th over with the total on 67, and with the rain getting heavier Gibson returned at 79 for two after 21 overs.

Two wickets would have tilted the D/L advantage in Leicestershire's favour, but after driving Gibson's first ball on the up imperiously through extra cover Peng went to pull a quicker ball and lofted a catch to mid-on to fall for 36.

He would have had cause to kick himself had an ambitious shout for lbw against Collingwood been upheld two balls later.

But at the end of the over off they went and Durham's official winning margin was nine runs.

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