THE class of Dale Benkenstein, helped by Paul Collingwood and Gareth Breese, turned a potential two-day defeat into a position of strength for Durham at sunny Southend.

After trailing by 49 on first innings, Durham were 13 for two shortly after lunch, but Collingwood played superbly for 46 and Breese followed his three wickets in the morning with 42.

But Benkenstein's masterful 96 not out was chiefly responsible for them closing the second day on 275 for six, 226 ahead.

He went to the crease when Collingwood was cut down in his prime by a stunning catch by Andre Adams and had the South African got out quickly Durham would have been in deep trouble.

But he progressed sedately to 31 at tea, then pulled and drove the first three balls after the break for four in an over from young seamer Tony Pallodino which yielded 17 runs.

That prompted Essex to turn to an all-spin attack, but the fifth wicket pair played Danish Kaneria and James Middlebrook comfortably in a stand of 92 until Breese hit Middlebrook to mid-wicket.

Phil Mustard then played responsibly in a stand of 46 and looked unlucky to be adjudged lbw when well forward, but Liam Plunkett comfortably survived the final 4o minutes to make 19 not out.

With the groundsman admitting he had to flood the pitch several times last week to close the cracks in it, the surface seemed to play more easily for being drier on the second day and Durham will hope that it now starts to break up.

After taking two early wickets when Essex resumed on 107 for five, Durham were frustrated by 20-year-old opener Alastair Cook.

While he was happy to play second fiddle as Graham Napier hit a 49-ball half-century in an eighth wicket stand of 86, Cook soldiered splendidly on to enter the record books as the first man to score a first-class century at Garons Park.

On this evidence the former England Under 19 captain is surely destined for full international honours. There was no sign of weakness as he mixed patience and application with a wide array of strokes.

He edged the sixth ball of the day, from Mick Lewis, to reach 50 off 113 balls and the closest he came to offering a chance was in Lewis's next over, when a top-edged hook eluded fine leg.

But Lewis's efforts to snare him that way merely handed him some easy runs and 26 were added before Mark Davies had nightwatchman Pallodino caught by Mike Hussey at second slip.

In the next over Middlebrook pushed to cover and ran, but Gary Scott swooped and knocked out the middle stump at the non-striker's end with the batsman well short of his ground.

At 134 for seven Napier joined Cook and quickly set about Collingwood when he came on with the total on 147.

With the help of two lofted drives, he took ten off Collingwood's second over and for the next hour Durham did not bowl particularly well. Graham Onions sent down five overs for 33 runs, rarely hitting the right length, while Davies was again sparingly used, finishing with one for 17 in 11 overs.

Scoring mainly off the front foot, Napier had eight fours in his 50 and the total had moved on to 220 before Durham belatedly turned to Breese for the day's 26th over.

He had Napier lbw with his first ball and four balls later had Adams well caught by Liam Plunkett at deep mid-wicket for six, scored with one straight blow off the previous ball.

Cook was on 96 when he drove Onions through extra cover for three, but umpire Richard Illingworth signalled that Kaneria had run one short.

It didn't matter as Cook stayed on strike for the next over and cut Breese's next ball for his 14th four to reach 100 off 196 balls.

Looking set to become the first Essex player for 13 years to carry his bat, on 107 he miscued to mid-on in the over before lunch to leave Breese with three for 22.

Runs had been scored at more than four an over in the morning, compared with three on the first day and Collingwood's fluency seemed to confirm that batting was becoming easier.

But first Durham suffered a major hiccup when skipper Mike Hussey shaped to pull the seventh ball of the second innings and lobbed a catch to mid-on.

Two overs later Adams struck again, when Scott was taken off bat and pad at short leg and Durham were still 36 adrift at 13 for two when Gordon Muchall joined Collingwood.

Immediately looking like a man in prime form, Collingwood straight drove and pulled two fours in an over off Pallodino.

Playing the spinners with equal comfort, he had made 46 out of 73 when he advanced to clip Middlebrook firmly with the stroke which he must have felt sure would bring up his 50.

But Adams leapt like a salmon at mid-wicket to hold a one-handed catch high to his right.

As in the first innings, Muchall played well only to fall in the 30s, apparently beaten in the flight as he was bowled shaping to work Middlebrook to leg.

But although he took two more wickets in a marathon stint, the former Yorkshire off-spinner posed no problems for Benkenstein.

His sixth championship half-century came off 71 balls and after making 98 at Derby he needs four today for his second hundred, the first coming at home to Essex in June.

Read more about Durham here.