DURHAM are seeking revenge against last season's bogey team, Hampshire, when they visit the West End Rosebowl for the first time for the championship match starting today.

The new ground near Southampton has been producing some good scores, featuring a century in every match played there so far.

It should at least offer Durham the chance of more runs than they made in the final match at Basingstoke last season, when they were bowled out for 83 and 93.

They also lost at home to Hampshire late in the season, when their desperation for a win forced them to set a generous target.

Add to that two defeats in the Norwich Union League and another in the NatWest Trophy and it was clear that Hampshire had a real stranglehold on Durham.

But without Shane Warne and Alan Mullally, who is still with England's one-day squad, their bowling looks thin this season.

They apparently signed Zimbabwean Neil Johnson thinking he was a genuine all-rounder, although Thornaby could have told them that their former professional is a much better batsman than bowler.

He has a top score of 60 in the championship, however, and runs from openers Derek Kenway and Giles White have done more to carry Hampshire into third place.

They are nine points ahead of Durham with a game in hand, so this is a match Durham would like to win if they are to get into the promotion frame.

Durham are looking a bit stretched on the bowling front with Neil Killeen out for three more weeks with his ankle injury and James Brinkley hading for Canada on Saturday to play for Scotland in the World Cup qualifiers.

The Helensburgh-born seamer will be away for three weeks, which was agreed between Durham and Scotland official before he signed last winter.

Skipper Jon Lewis said: "We're still not certain we have the balance of the team right. Perhaps Danny Law should be at seven rather than six, but our options are limited - certainly until Paul Collingwood returns."

Durham (from): J J B Lewis, M A Gough, M L Love, M P Speight, N J Speak, N Peng, D R Law, A Pratt, I D Hunter, N C Phillips, S J E Brown, S J Harmison.

Hampshire: R A Smith (capt), D A Kenway, G W White, W S Kendall, N C Johnson, L R Prittipaul, A D Mascarenhas, A N Aymes, S D Udal, A C Morris, C T Tremlett