COACHES and theorists often preach that their players have to learn when to seize the moment, and it was immediately after lunch that Durham swept into overdrive yesterday.

From an evenly-balanced 114 for three against Hampshire at Riverside, Martin Love and Gary Pratt plundered 52 off the first seven overs after the break and Durham were firmly in control.

Their stand was worth 161 in 25 overs before Pratt fell for 66, and with the visitors looking demoralised Love went on to make an unbeaten 181 out of 388 for seven.

This was Durham's highest home total of the season in the championship, and after gaining a paltry six batting points from the first seven matches they have passed 300 runs in each of their last five.

While three up, three down helps to keep interest alive at this stage of the season, there is nothing at stake for second-bottom Hampshire and Ashley Thorpe also looked set to cash in on their sagging morale.

Given a chance to extend his two-year contract, he cruised to 35 on his first championship appearance of the season, only to be caught off bat and pad.

Love does not deal in small hundreds. This was only his fourth century for Durham and as two of them were unbeaten he has never been dismissed for the county between 78 and the 251 he made at Lord's last year. He also amassed two double centuries against England last winter.

With only four games left of his third, and probably final, season with Durham there was an obvious determination about the way he played himself in yesterday.

The resolve was just as strong when he completed a fluent second 50 in 56 balls then dug in again to make sure he didn't give it away after reaching three figures.

The day's only disappointment for Durham was that Paul Collingwood made only nine on his comeback before a fierce pull was well held by Robin Smith at mid-wicket.

The fine lines between success and failure were illustrated when both Pratt and Love were almost out during the post-lunch spree.

In an over from Chaminda Vaas which brought him ten runs, Pratt chipped one ball just over mid-on and was turned round by the next, which he edged just wide of gully for four.

Those runs took him to 32, one ahead of Love after giving him 12 overs start. But in the next few overs Love surged ahead as he laid into Alan Mullally, surviving a scare on 46 when he skied the left-armer just short of fine leg, where Vaas over-ran the ball in attempting the catch and it went for four.

It was Love's ninth boundary, taking him to 50 off 92 balls, while Pratt reached the target off 71 with two fours driven through the off-side off the third left-arm seamer, James Tomlinson.

Judging by Dimitri Mascarenhas' weary trudge back to his mark he had almost given up at this point, but he moved one in to beat Pratt's back-foot forcing shot and had him lbw with one which looked a little high.

Nicky Peng, opening in a championship match for the first time for three years, was badly missed on four at first slip by Simon Katich off Mullally.

The former England bowler went round the wicket to snare Jon Lewis, who drove wide of off stump and edged to wicketkeeper Nic Pothas.

Peng greeted the introduction of Tomlinson by chipping and pulling him for two fours and looked well set on 30. But in the next over he pushed forward and edged Mascarenhas to Pothas.

It was 73 for three when Collingwood went, but Pratt ensured that Durham did not squander winning the toss on a good pitch.

Mullally conceded only 11 runs in his opening seven-over spell, but his six overs after lunch went for 44.

He returned after tea to remove Phil Mustard, who was lucky to survive after a poor game at Cardiff. In his first 13 championship innings he failed to reach 20 only twice, but has now gone nought, three, four.

Hampshire had posted a deep cover by mid-afternoon to cut off Love's stream of immaculate drives, but his other shot of real class, wide of mid-on, continued to be productive.

He beat the sweeper to complete his 148-ball century with his 18th four then dropped anchor for a while before almost giving Tomlinson a return catch off the last ball before tea.

Runs flowed again after the break until Thorpe fell to off-spinner Shaun Udal and Mustard swiftly followed.

But Graeme Bridge lent Love useful support and the Queenslander went past 150 with a hook to fine leg and square drive for four off successive balls from Mullally.

Bridge departed five overs before the close, driving airily at Mascarenhas to fall lbw.

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