IT was an extraordinary case of agony turning to ecstasy for Durham at Lord's yesterday as Michael Gough's dreadful misfortune was followed by a stand of 251 between Martin Love and Gordon Muchall.

Love went on to make the highest first-class score for Durham, finishing unbeaten on 221 out of a total of 456 for two.

The sickening sight of Gough being stretchered off the hallowed turf prompted the feeling that things could not get any worse in this injury-ravaged season.

Gary Pratt was lucky not to be run out two balls later, but his dismissal for 42 was the only hiccup in the next five glorious hours.

The second-wicket stand was only seven short of Durham's record championship partnership - shared by Love and Jon Lewis against Nottinghamshire at the Riverside last year - when Muchall fell for a magnificent 127.

Gough had made six when he ducked into the last ball of the day's fifth over from Pakistani Abdur Razzaq. It hit one of the screws on the back of the helmet, causing a nasty cut as well as briefly knocking him unconscious.

"He was coming round by the time I got out there, but he was bleeding quite profusely," said physio Nigel Kent.

"We had him checked and apart from a massive headache he seems to be OK.

"We'll keep an eye on him and see how he is in the morning before deciding if he can take any further part."

There is unlikely to be any need for Gough to resume his innings after Love made huge amends for converting only two of his 17 half-centuries for Durham into hundreds.

At Lord's last year he earned a place in the record books for becoming Phil Tufnell's 1,000th first-class victim when bowled for 19 in the second innings.

After taking 167 balls to reach 100, his third 50 came off 53 balls, which included four of his 34 fours in one over from South African-born paceman Chad Keegan.

At 6.15 he cut the same bowler to the boundary to move past Lewis's Durham first-class record of 210 not out against Oxford University in 1997.

The only other double hundred was John Morris's 204 not out at Edgbaston in 1994, when he was slightly overshadowed by Brian Lara.

Gough, who had a mystery illness two years ago, has had more than his share of misfortune and this was his third injury of a season in which the casualty list has featured 14 of Durham's squad of 23.

Muchall's hugely impressive innings provided the perfect vindication for Durham's decision to drop Nicky Peng in order to include an extra bowler on a Lord's shirt front similar to the one on which Sri Lanka and England piled up the runs in the first Test.

Middlesex also opted for an extra bowler at the expense of Robin Weston, but it did nothing to boost an attack which was much-changed from that which dismissed Durham for 160 and 213 in the ten-wicket win at the Riverside.

Razzaq is playing his first championship game after taking over from Ashley Noffke, while Angus Fraser has retired.

Starting with Sri Lanka, this was the fourth successive first-class match in which Muchall has passed 50, and this time there was never any doubt that he was going on to three figures.

He had just edged past his previous best of 77 when he hooked Aaron Laraman to fine leg for four, drove the next ball to the cover boundary, then on-drove a further four two balls later.

A series of singles took him to 97 before he ran off-spinner Paul Weekes to third man for three to reach his hundred off only 126 balls.

He clipped Phil Tufnell over mid-wicket for six and was attempting something similar when he edged a catch to slip.

Five not out at lunch, he scored 99 in the afternoon session and never looked like the junior partner as he contributed 14 more than Love to their partnership.

After waiting two years to achieve maximum batting points against Gloucestershire last week, Durham cruised to the target of 400 in the 93rd over yesterday.

Hopefully this time the weather will be a little kinder and allow them to bowl out Middlesex twice.

Read more about Durham here.