GIVEN the excellence of the Riverside pitch, it could be argued that there was nothing exceptional about Durham's total of 515 against Hampshire as without Martin Love they would have been all out for 242.

It was, however, their highest total at the ground and Love's momentous 273 was the highest individual innings for Durham, beating his own 251 at Lord's last year.

On that occasion Gordon Muchall made 127, four others passed 40 and Durham declared on 645 for six. The previous week seven batsmen had passed 30 as they made 470 for eight declared, which until yesterday was their highest score at the eight-year-old Riverside.

Extras were third top scorer on 36 yesterday and when Hampshire slipped from 50 without loss to 80 for four in reply Love's effort was beginning to look even more awesome.

Resuming on 181 when play started at 12.12 after morning rain, he almost ran out Neil Killeen in adding his first run of the day.

But it was his only hint of a misjudgement and two overs later he guided Alan Mullally to third man for four to take Durham to maximum batting points for the second time this season.

A drive for two to deep extra cover took Love to 201, beating the previous best score at Riverside of 200 not out, made by Graeme Hick for Worcestershire two years ago and Darryl Cullinan for South Africa in 1998.

His next 50 came off only 37 balls and he reached 250 with three fours in an over off James Tomlinson. The first came from his trademark drive wide of mid-on, the second was a square drive and the third was drilled straight down the ground.

On 253 Love survived an impassioned lbw appeal from Chaminda Vaas, and celebrated by hooking the next ball for his first six. His next swiftly followed as an effortless pick-up over mid-wicket narrowly missed the ice cream van.

He had batted for 458 minutes, faced 364 balls and hit 38 fours when he was last out, going down the pitch to off-spinner Shaun Udal and missing a quicker ball as he aimed to hit it to leg.

Love had made 48 of the 63 runs Durham added in 11 overs after lunch and the entertainment plummeted as John Crawley and young left-hander Jimmy Adams doggedly saw off Durham's new ball pairing of Killeen and Nicky Hatch.

Adams opened the account in the third over with a streaky four which just missed off stump as he tried to withdraw his bat from a Killeen delivery.

Then Crawley got off the mark with a sliced four off Hatch which narrowly eluded gully and he needed all his skill to play down several balls of steep bounce from the 6ft 8in bowler.

But both batsmen were playing more comfortably when Jon Lewis made a double change at 38 for none after 13 overs, bringing on Paul Collingwood and Mark Davies.

It was Davies who made the breakthrough in the 20th over when he found the edge as Adams pushed forward to bring in Simon Katich.

On his first appearance at the ground he graced in 2000 as Durham's overseas player, Katich got off the mark with a tentative shot which almost provided a bat-pad catch for Nicky Peng off Davies.

The left-hander had made six off six balls at tea and emerged afterwards apparently intending to smash the ball to all parts.

He had already taken ten off the first over after the break when he tried to work a ball off fullish length from Davies to leg and was out lbw.

Robin Smith made one before thrusting his pad down the line of leg stump and staying long enough to check the alignment when he was adjudged lbw to Collingwood.

Graeme Bridge came on at 74 for three and in his second over a miscued sweep by Crawley presented Collingwood with a simple catch at backward square leg.

John Francis and Nic Pothas took the score to 88 for four before bad light, then drizzle, ended play with 18 overs left.

After their drubbing by bottom club Derbyshire last week, Hampshire do not exactly look full of fight and given two fine days Durham should complete their fifth championship win of the season to stay in contention for promotion.

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