DURHAM eased to a third successive totesport League win after finally shaking off the shackles of another sluggish Riverside pitch yesterday.

After choosing to bat against Scotland, they struggled to 114 for four after 35 overs before Jon Lewis inspired the addition of 89 runs in the last ten overs.

The skipper hit three fours and drove a straight six in racing to 37 off 26 balls as Durham totalled 203 for nine to set up a 25-run win.

Scotland were all out for 178 with eight balls unused, but on 154 for six at the 40-over mark they were four runs ahead of Durham at the same stage. Shoaib Akhtar returned to gain a fourth catch for Andrew Pratt and Neil Killeen also came back to take the last three wickets and finish with four for 24.

It seemed strange that Mark Davies bowled only five overs for nine runs, while Paul Collingwood went for 52 off eight, but Lewis probably felt Durham were sufficiently in control to allow him to save the legs of his leading championship bowler.

The Durham bowlers applied an early stranglehold despite a couple of lapses in the field. Scotland reached 20 before the first wicket fell in the eighth over, but then only three runs came off the next seven overs from Killeen and Davies. This pressure persuaded Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat, who has played two one-day internationals, to follow an away swinger in Collingwood's second over and edge it to Pratt.

Rhodesia-born Ryan Watson drove Collingwood for six in a stand of 31 in five overs with India A batsman Sridharan Sriram. But when Watson pushed forward to Gareth Breese and edged to Pratt all threat of a Saltires' salvo seemed to have vanished.

They were revived, however, by a seventh wicket stand of 40 in six overs between Cedric English and Craig Wright to ensure at least a hint of excitement for the fans.

Lewis dominated a stand of 57 in nine overs with Gary Pratt, who had been the more fluent partner in the previous stand of 51 with Collingwood. Pratt's 54 was his first one-day half-century of the season and continued his return to form after his 71 in the second innings of the championship match at Trent Bridge.

He was the first batsman to play with any fluency as even Collingwood struggled to time the ball, as all the batsmen had on the adjacent strip against Derbyshire last Monday.

The pitch for the championship match against Yorkshire starting tomorrow is a good 30 metres closer to the river, where the ball usually comes on to the bat better.

The labours ahead could not have been predicted when Nicky Peng hit the first ball of the second over from Arafat for a straight four off the back foot. But Marcus North couldn't get going against the usual medium pace from a Scotland side which featured neither former Durham bowler James Brinkley nor last season's impressive off-spinner Majid Haq. Both have apparently been in poor form.

South Africa-born Dewald Nel, making his debut on his 24th birthday after several years of club cricket in Scotland, came on first change and began with a wicket maiden.

He yorked Peng with his sixth ball then had North caught behind in his second over.

There had been some nonsense on the internet quoting Shoaib as saying Durham had asked him to play in one-day matches purely as a batsman.

This was given some credence when he was sent in at No 3, although he later opened the bowling and performed quite aggressively.

There is some point in him batting at three when the ball is coming on to the bat and he can go for his big shots to take advantage of the fielding restrictions. But he quickly resorted to scampering quick singles until he hit his only boundary over cover then went for another drive and was bowled through the gate.

Shoaib's elevation meant Breese batted at eight and Andrew Pratt at nine. Breese got to the crease at 164 for six in the 42nd over and scored 18 off ten balls before being run out.

Durham had only 49 on the board after 20 overs and things might have got worse had the edged four with which Gary Pratt got off the mark carried to slip.

After that his only scare came on 30 when a leading edge off Sriram's left-arm spin fell just short of extra cover.

His three other fours were beautifully-timed through the off side and he also played a classic on-drive for three in reaching 50 off 66 balls.

He also ran well with Collingwood, who fell for 25 when he went for a big hit off Sriram and miscued to mid-on.

Lewis twice whipped Craig Wright off his legs to the mid-wicket boundary in the 40th over, then hit his straight six as 11 came off the final over of off spin from Watson.

But when Arafat returned for the 42nd over Pratt made room to drive him through the off side and was yorked then Lewis suffered a similar fate.

Gordon Muchall looked unfortunate to be given run out after scampering a second to fine leg, but Breese and Andrew Pratt ensured that the late momentum was maintained.

Read more about Durham County Cricket Club here.