DURHAM more than doubled their tally of batting bonus points for the season in glorious style yesterday when they amassed 479 for nine against Derbyshire at Darlington.

Granted a Feethams featherbed as opposed to the sub-standard surfaces at Tunbridge Wells and Basingstoke, Simon Katich and Paul Collingwood scored centuries, skipper Nick Speak made 78 and Melyvn Betts followed his seven for 30 by hammering 55 off 62 balls

As far as the home fans were concerned, this was a wonderful advert for out-ground cricket, although the toiling members of a depleted Derbyshire attack might not have agreed.

With Dominic Cork playing for England, Paul Aldred injured, and Matthew Cassar unable to bowl because of a groin injury, Tim Munton had a huge burden to bear.

He bowled the first 25 overs of the innings from the town end to take two for 45, but earned no further reward until Speak's excellent innings ended with a catch to mid-on.

With five batting points available this season for reaching 400 in 130 overs, Durham were on 381 for seven when Speak was out in the 119th over, but Betts and Neil Killeen kept them safely on course for the maximum haul of 20 points which victory will bring.

That will put them nine points ahead of Derbyshire and could also lift them above Kent and Hampshire. Moving out of the relegation zone would be a welcome tonic ahead of three successive away matches against Yorkshire, Leicestershire and Lancashire.

The only time Durham made a bigger total last season was in reaching 552 at Cheltenham in July, when Speak and David Boon made centuries.

Collingwood's 111 was his fourth first-class hundred and also the highest, and he clearly had his sights on extending his superb knock much further when he fell to occasional medium pacer Mathew Dowman's first ball.

He looked at the pitch as if to suggest the ball had stopped as he drove it to short extra cover, but hopefully there will be more to come this season from a player now blossoming into full maturity.

He picked out the balls to put away with good judgement, and there was no lack of confidence as he reached the 90s with a six over long-on off left-arm spinner Lian Wharton then went to his century with a scorching straight drive off Simon Lacey.

Katich was in masterful form as he completed his second century for Durham, getting off to a rapid start when he resumed on 34 yesterday as he repeatedly tucked Munton away behind square then drove him through the covers to reach 50.

Collingwood would have been run out on 19 had a shy hit the stumps when he was sent back, otherwise both batted flawlessly in a stand of 157 in 50 overs.

One of the most memorable strokes came when Katich waited for a ball from off-spinner Lacey which was just short of a length and worked it effortlessly in front of point for four with immaculate timing.

Surprisingly, he was out in the over before lunch immediately after driving Trevor Smith for four. He tried to repeat the stroke and edged to slip.

Speak was averaging 8.18 from his first six championship matches in charge, but looked in prime form as he worked the ball sweetly off his legs, and also drove and cut with supreme timing in collecting ten fours.

He could have chosen to deny Derbyshire the final bowling point by declaring once 400 was passed in the 125th over when Betts pulled Trevor Smith for four.

But he preferred to grind them into the dust and Betts repeated the stroke off Smith before reaching only his second first-class 50. The first, 57 not out, came at Hove four years ago during his record last-wicket stand of 103 with David Cox.

He was eventually stumped for 55, then Wharton took his first championship wicket when he had Killeen lbw, giving Steve Harmison his chance to join the fun.

He drove two sixes and also unveiled some stylish sweeps in reaching 33 not out