DURHAM are not allowing the threat of Shane Warne to worry them at Basingstoke today as they face a match which could be crucial to their division one survival.

On paper, at least, Durham have weakened their already fragile batting by dropping Jimmy Daley and retaining Marc Symington, who will play as an all-rounder batting at No 7.

Nicky Peng will move up to open for the first time in a championship match, and Durham's selection suggests they are banking on their seam attack to blow away the struggling Hampshire batting line-up.

While Daley stayed behind to captain the second team yesterday, Durham will be banking on the return of Neil Killeen to turn their fortunes round just as he did last season.

It was when the 24-year-old seamer came into the side last year that Durham started winning and he went on to top the bowling averages with 58 championship wickets at 18.44.

He is again top this season with eight at 11.5, but has missed the last three games with a side injury and Durham have slid to second bottom.

The team below them are Hampshire, who have yet to win a game in either the championship or the National League.

After his disappointing start Warne has started to take wickets recently and the fact that Hampshire also have off-spinner Shaun Udal in their squad suggests they think the pitch will take spin.

Durham have taken Nicky Phillips, but they would prefer to play an all-seam attack with Simon Brown and John Wood also fit again after missing the defeat by Yorkshire.

Durham's first visit to the May's Bounty ground will be the last first-class match at Basingstoke as Hampshire are to play all their games at their new headquarters near Southampton from next season.

Yorkshire were the visitors last year, when their former seamer Peter Hartley took eight for 65 against them in the first innings but still finished on the losing side.

In fact, he took 11 of the 14 Yorkshire wickets to fall in the match and at the age of 40 he is back in the Hampshire squad today after a calf injury.

Will Kendall, who scored a century when Hampshire beat Durham by eight wickets at the Riverside last season, faces a fitness test on a hamstring injury.

With the whole side struggling for runs, former skipper John Stephenson has been dropped and Hampshire have rushed in 20-year-old left-handed opening batsman Andrew Sexton, who was registered only last week.

Born in Southampton, he has had two years on the Lord's groundstaff and has also played for Dorset.

Durham (from): N J Speak (capt), J J B Lewis, N Peng, S M Katich, P D Collingwood, M P Speight, M J Symington, J Wood, M M Betts, N Killeen, N C Phillips, SJ Harmison.