DURHAM skipper Mike Hussey will expect to find his team facing much stronger opposition than yesterday's visitors, Scotland, when he returns next season.

Hopefully that will be at the end of April, when Australia have fulfilled their commitments in Bangladesh, and as things stand he should not be called away until September, and then only if a scheduled trip to Zimbabwe goes ahead.

Durham's double promotion bid remains on course after they moved back into second place in division two of the totesport League with a 93-run win against the Scots.

The visitors were a one-man clan as Zimbabwe-born Ryan Watson scored 86 of their 134 runs and took four for 36.

Watson thrashed a 37-ball century against Somerset at Taunton two years ago and began to give a glimpse of such fireworks when Durham brought on Gareth Breese with victory apparently in the bag at 63 for six after 24 overs in reply to Durham's 227 for seven.

Watson reverse-swept Breese's first ball for four and drove the second over long-on for the first of three superbly-struck sixes off the spinner.

One of those just missed a kilted fan who had his back to play just over the advertising boards, apparently conducting his mates in a rendition of Flower of Scotland.

Brad Williams was recalled to stem the flow but Watson took 11 off the over and Durham needed a huge stroke of fortune to end his stand of 77 in 13 overs with Craig Wright.

Breese, surprisingly recalled, deflected a drive so fiercely struck that it sent one of the non-striker's stumps cartwheeling with Wright out of his ground.

Two balls later Watson drove a catch to Dale Benkenstein at long-off and Hussey celebrated joyously. The last four wickets went down for four runs.

Durham's total was their highest score in the competition since their 256 for four against Yorkshire at Riverside in May.

Given the quality of the opposition, it looked like being a modest total until they took 70 off the last nine overs, largely through Breese's unbeaten 47 off 39 balls.

He hit sixes in each of the last two overs - a straight drive off Cedric English and an old-fashioned swipe to mid-wicket off Wright.

There were also some clever improvisations in his knock, and also playing his best innings of the season in the competition was Gordon Muchall with 79 off 84 balls.

Coming in at 43 for two in the 11th over, Muchall was quickly into his stride and passed Hussey on 21 four overs later with three fours off Sean Weeraratna's first over.

Raised in Scotland with a Sri Lankan father, Weeraratna and left-arm spinner Ross Lyons represent Scotland's attempt to introduce some youth to a side which has struggled in this competition since qualifying for the 2007 World Cup by winning the ICC Trophy in Ireland in July.

Their team then included Gavin Hamilton, who for the third successive totesport match was sent in to open by Durham and was out first ball.

After batting half the innings for 22 at Taunton last week, it was impossible not to feel sympathy for a popular player in the last throes of trying to resurrect his first-class career. He pushed forward and was lbw to Wright.

Other than Lyons, the six other bowlers regularly rotated by Scotland all bowled from just above to just below medium pace.

The most successful was Watson, who normally bowls off spin but opted for something slightly quicker, with a roll of the wrist suggesting an attempt to bowl leg-cutters.

He had Hussey smartly stumped by Dougie Lockhart for 24 when the captain pushed forward and appeared to over-balance slightly.

Watson also had Phil Mustard caught at long-off first ball, clean bowled Callum Thorp and persuaded Muchall to drive to long-on in the 40th over to finish with four for 36.

Easily the most economical bowler was opener Paul Hoffman, with one for 21 in nine overs. His victim was Paul Collingwood, who was looking nicely settled after an uncertain start when he edged a forcing back-foot shot to second slip.

Benkenstein, top of the division two averages with 339 runs at 67.8, played as well as ever in contributing 35 to a fourth-wicket stand of 69 with Muchall before cutting Lyons to backward point.

The Scotland innings was a shambolic repeat of those produced by the side batting first in the last three totesport matches at Riverside.

They were eight for two after Williams induced two edged catches in the third over and Watson was the only player in the top seven to make more than seven.

Williams should have had a third wicket but Breese, who had held one catch, dropped a straightforward one at first slip with Jon Beukes on seven.

He didn't add to his score before edging Thorp to Mustard and it looked as though the Scots wouldn't reach their lowest totesport score of 86 until Watson cut loose.

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