Love hits a ton, but Durham still lose

A deeply unwelcome combination of bad luck and inept batting saw Durham dismissed for 160 and 213 by average bowling on a blameless pitch, leaving Middlesex to score 27 to win, which they achieved in four overs.

Neither Simon Brown nor Nicky Phillips batted yesterday, with Brown's side strain likely to keep him out for at least six weeks.

Both were injured on the first day, Phillips breaking a spinning finger when trying to hold a return catch off a full-blooded drive by David Nash.

That was the start of Durham's troubles and there were further misfortunes with two very unlucky run-outs and losing three wickets on Saturday when all five bad light indicators were shining.

The umpires' light metres are what determines whether an offer is made to the batsmen and they were required to stay on, Love coming safely through to finish on 57 not out.

When play resumed at 2.30p.m yesterday following rain he played imperiously, only to be left stranded on 101, made off 163 balls.

Despite the lack of pace in the pitch, he adjusted quickly after his first innings duck and his superbly-timed strokes emphasised just how badly the other senior batsmen had missed the boat.

"There was a lot of talk about Martin not converting 50s into centuries last season, so it's good that he has got that hoodoo off his back so quickly," said coach Martyn Moxon. "The debut boys played well. Gordon Muchall certainly looked the part and Mark Davies stuck to his task when the pitch was at its slowest.

"There were a few disappointing dismissals, but some were down to good bowling. Middlesex outplayed us and kept the pressure on us.

"Imported players are a contentious issue, but every county has to do what they think is right for them.

"We want to give our local players the opportunity to show they are capable of playing at this level. We want this squad to kick on and develop into one of the best sides in the country."

The first hour, the last hour and an hour in early afternoon went well for Durham on Saturday, otherwise it was a disaster.

In the first hour they took the last two Middlesex wickets for the addition of 21 runs then comfortably reached 36 without loss, and in the final hour Love and Andrew Pratt averted a two-day defeat with an unbroken stand of 59.

The highlight, however, was the afternoon stand of 88 between Nicky Peng and Muchall, who came together when Durham had slumped to 47 for four.

Born in Newcastle only two months apart - Peng, who will be 20 in September, is the elder - both had intensive coaching with the Northumberland elite squad and there was a distinct similarity in their uninhibited strokeplay.

If Muchall felt any nerves coming into such a tricky situation on his debut he showed no sign of it and initially outpaced his better-known partner.

A solidly-built six-footer, he matched Peng's power of stroke and also had the finesse to cut several of his eight boundaries delicately behind square.

It was a highly encouraging effort, and he might have gone on to match Peng's 98 on debut against Surrey two years ago had he not been left with a depleted tail.

After Peng edged Queenslander Ashley Noffke to the wicketkeeper for 47, Pratt edged the same bowler to second slip, and with Brown unable to bat and Phillips struggling there was little left.

Muchall fell lbw for 48 trying to sweep Phil Tufnell, a stroke Peng had played very effectively, and the end was swift as Stephen Harmison was run out by a deflection at the non-striker's end and Davies was taken at short leg off Tufnell before Phillips had faced a ball.

But the real damage had been done in that witching hour before lunch when wickets often tumble at the Riverside.

Batting had looked the simplest of pastimes for Jon Lewis and Jimmy Daley as neither Noffke nor Angus Fraser could extract any more life from the pitch than the Durham bowlers.

Fraser looked a little careworn as he handed over after a five-over spell to Simon Cook, a 6ft 4in seamer who, at 25, probably owes his place on the Middlesex staff to the fact that he can also bat a bit.

He possesses no great pace, but on this pitch that was probably an advantage, and by bowling straight and full he took wickets in each of his first two overs.

Lewis was lbw half forward, Love was too anxious to get off the mark and edged a flat-footed drive to second slip, then Noffke suddenly moved one off the pitch to have Daley caught behind and three wickets had gone down on 36.

Paul Collingwood fretted for 31 balls over seven, then played across a ball of almost yorker length from Cook which hit his middle stump.

That brought the Geordie boys together just before lunch and the gremlins seemed to have vanished on the resumption as the strokes flowed.

But it was too good to last and after the last five wickets went down for 25 runs Daley was out first ball, lbw to Fraser, when Durham followed on 187 behind.

Lewis sliced to gully and Collingwood was just beginning to blossom with some lovely straight drives when he edged Cook to the wicketkeeper.

Peng cracked a Fraser long hop to point and Muchall was run out first ball when he played it just beyond the slips, Love hesitantly called him for a single and Paul Weekes turned to score a direct hit at the non-striker's end.

Pratt took his overnight 35 to 49 yesterday before he drove at a ball from Noffke which nipped in and bowled him with the stand worth 87.

Noffke got through Davies's defence to hit his off stump and as Love had hardly faced his Queensland teammate he scampered a single on Harmison's arrival to get himself to the danger end.

He had equalled his second highest score for Durham, 82 at Hove, when an inside edge for four off Noffke levelled the scores.

A rare short ball from Noffke was then guided almost casually behind point for four and when a man was posted in that position Love ran another four much finer to third man.

An elegant cover drive for his 15th four took him to 98 and two singles brought up his century off 162 balls.

But in the next over Harmison, who had played Fraser comfortably, forcing the introduction of Tufnell, pushed forward to the spinner and was caught off bat and pad.

Durham go to Derby on Wednesday to face the only team to finish below them last season.

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