AFTER the lord mayor's show at Taunton came the carnival at Worcester yesterday as cock-a-hoop Durham continued their weekend of sensational record-breaking.

Never have they heaped such humiliation on first-class opponents in a one-day game, cruising to victory in the totesport League match by 94 runs after setting the following landmarks:

l Their total of 319 for three was easily their best in the one-day league, beating their 282 for two against Derbyshire at Durham University in 1993.

l Paul Collingwood's 72-ball hundred was the fastest one-day century by a Durham player, beating by seven balls the efforts by Dean Jones against Lancashire at Durham University in 1992 and Gary Pratt against Somerset at Taunton last year.

l The stand of 156 between Collingwood and Marcus North was four more than the county's previous record for the second wicket in the one-day league, set by Mike Roseberry and Manoj Prabhakar at Swansea in 1995.

It was expected that Collingwood would not be allowed to play if he was named in the England squad for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday.

However, Durham had a call on Saturday night to say that he was in the squad but Duncan Fletcher wanted him to play, and Collingwood ended up captaining Durham as Jon Lewis had been laid low by a virus.

Delighted coach Martyn Moxon said: "Saturday's win has been a massive springboard for what has happened today. It has given a tremendous boost to everyone's confidence."

Collingwood won the toss and went in after North, who made a superb 110, had put on 137 for the first wicket with Nicky Peng.

The top three all reached 50 at around a run-a-ball, but Collingwood's second 50 came off only 22 balls as Durham blasted 95 off the last ten overs.

It was another glorious day, and Durham were helped by Worcestershire, already without Kabeer Ali and Vikram Solanki, losing skipper Ben Smith and South African all-rounder Andrew Hall during the first 12 overs.

Hall bowled only two overs before retiring with a back problem, while Smith dislocated a finger diving to stop a drive from North.

Australian Andy Bichel mysteriously bowled only four overs, although he was fit enough to bat at No 3, while Smith went in with the reply faltering at 63 for four.

Durham were off to a cracking start when Bichel began with a no-ball off which Peng scored a single, then North picked up the next ball over long leg for the first of his five sixes.

He also drove Gareth Batty over long-on and the other three were hoisted high over mid-wicket, two off Batty and one off Graeme Hick, for whom a miserable day was completed when he was out third ball, brilliantly caught by Ian Pattison at second slip off Shoaib Akhtar.

Peng made 121 in a floodlit match at Worcester three years ago, when Durham amassed 274 for seven and lost by seven wickets.

Driving superbly, he had 11 fours in his 49-ball 50 yesterday but on 65 he cracked a catch to backward point.

The end of the fielding restrictions had brought something of a lull after the 100 came in the 15th over, and Collingwood could easily have been out second ball.

He took a risky single into the covers and would have been well short had substitute Kadeer Ali's throw hit the stumps.

But once underway the acting captain showed all his one-day expertise by working the ball into spaces before cutting loose in the last ten overs.

North reached his 100-ball century in the 35th over shortly before Collingwood got to 50, but the Australian added only ten more while his partner raced into the 90s with the help of two big sixes.

North was lbw to seamer Nadeem Malik in the 43rd over and Durham sent in Shoaib, who hit David Leatherdale over long-off for six in his 14 off seven balls before the medium pacer bowled him.

Collingwood reached his century with two off the second ball of the final over and the only one-day batting record Durham didn't break was their highest total of 326 for four against Herefordshire in the NatWest Trophy in 1995. But this was the first time they had topped 300 against a first-class side in limited overs combat.

Worcestershire made a reasonable start with the help of a few wides from Shoaib, who was also hooked for six by Stephen Peters.

But they suddenly lost three wickets with the score on 34, starting with Batty chipping Neil Killeen to mid-on in the sixth over. Shoaib removed Peters and Hick in the next over and Worcestershire barely raised a canter after that.