TONY Blair's desire for less spin and more delivery clearly hasn't reached Old Trafford, where a trio of twirlers were superbly resisted by Simon Katich yesterday.

The Australian's third championship century was backed up by Paul Collingwood's 60 in a third-wicket stand of 146 and some spirited blows from the tail took Durham to 355 for nine, their second highest total of the season.

Given a rare chance to bat without a long-sleeved sweater, Katich proved he can play spin as effectively as pace, hitting 17 fours in a top-class innings of 129 off 231 balls.

Durham are concerned more about pitch doctors than spin doctors on their travels, knowing they will play on surfaces deliberately prepared to take the sting out of their seam attack.

This one is dry and worn, having been used for last week's one-day international between England and Zimbabwe, and it was a crucial toss for Nick Speak to win.

He succeeded for only the second time in ten championship matches and at 234 for two a match-winning total could be envisaged. Now a great deal depends on how well off-spinner Nicky Phillips bowls.

Lancashire had left-armer Gary Keedy on in the game's seventh over and there was the extremely rare sight of all three spinners having a turn before lunch.

Considerable turn it was too, and it was just as well for Durham that only Keedy bowled well, finishing with four for 99 from 46 overs.

Durham were unable to see the pitch on Tuesday because it was kept under cover, otherwise they might have sent for Graeme Bridge. As it is, they will have to rely on Phillips, whose figures from two appearances this season are one for 95.

The two pitches which have brought eight-point deductions this season, at Derby and Southgate, have both been deemed too wet at the start, even though there were mitigating circumstances and plenty of runs were scored in the end.

Lancashire are unlikely to be in any danger for this one, although it provides another blatant example of the counties' reluctance to provide the best possible surfaces for the production of Test cricketers.

A lot of umpires don't help, either, and there was a glaring example yesterday when Ken Palmer gave Katich not out after he padded up to off-spinner Gary Yates then two overs later ended Gary Pratt's debut innings after three balls.

Pratt took a single off his first ball, cut the second for four then padded up to the third. It didn't look like an arm ball - the one which goes straight on - and how Mr Palmer could be sure it wouldn't turn past off stump is a mystery.

Under pressure from bowlers desperate for wickets, it is probably easier to give out a young lad making his debut than an Australian who has already proved his impeccable judgement.

Pratt's elder brother Andrew helped to ensure that Durham earned four batting points as he dug in like a man determined not to waste his long-awaited chance.

After five wickets had gone down for 34 runs, Pratt the elder put on 37 with Phillips and hit five fours in his 28 before hitting a Schofield long hop to cover.

There was an extraordinary start to the day as 13 runs, six from extras, were already on the board when Gough pushed forward to the sixth ball from Glen Chapple.

It swung from leg stump to hit off and few right-handers in the world could have kept it out.

After his seven for 50 against Durham in May, Mike Smethurst quickly discovered that an Old Trafford dustbowl is rather different from a damp Riverside seamer and the total had reached 46 after six overs when Keedy came on.

Working the left-armer away with the spin, Katich scored predominantly on the leg side, but after a stand of 75 he lost Jon Lewis when the opener cut Keedy straight to Mike Atherton at point.

Collingwood proved equally as adept as Katich in picking out the balls to hit, and with neither Yates nor Schofield showing any great control, patience brought plenty of rewards.

Katich swept Schofield to fine leg for his seventh four to reach 50 off 79 balls, and immediately after lunch showed he could also play through the off-side by cracking Chapple wide of mid-off.

Collingwood cut and pulled two fours in an over off Schofield to reach his 101-ball half-century, but after adding ten more he played across a straight ball from Smethurst and was lbw.

Speak took ten easy runs off Smethurst before groping forward and being stumped off Keedy, then Gary Pratt was out next over, and when Katich clipped Keedy to square leg the familiar rot was under way.

But after the eighth-wicket stand there was another bonus when Simon Brown joined Neil Killeen at 325 for nine and they were still together at the close, with Killeen on 28. Both probably suspect they have more chance of making runs than taking wickets in this match.