IAN Hunter returned to haunt Durham yesterday, exploiting their sudden fragility and life in the Riverside pitch to take a career-best five for 63 as they were dismissed for 230 by bottom club Derbyshire.

The total didn't look too far below par for the pitch when Liam Plunkett removed danger man Michael Di Venuto in the sixth over of the reply and Neil Killeen trapped Steve Stubbings to leave the visitors on 36 for two after 17 overs.

After playing no championship cricket in 2003, Hunter was released at the end of the season and played for Cumberland before being picked up by Derbyshire towards the end of last season.

Hunter, who will be 26 next week, came into this match with 26 championship wickets this season at 46.15, which gave Durham no reason to chastise themselves for letting him go.

But Derbyshire's bowling coach, former England seamer Mike Hendrick, has been pleased with his progress and believes he will benefit from playing a full season's cricket.

Although there was more assistance in the pitch, Hunter certainly looked a different proposition from the one who took two for 79 when Durham made 371 at Derby last month.

He and fellow local boy Graeme Welch both used the new ball well after Paul Collingwood chose to bat on a sunny day.

There is talk of Collingwood being in the England team for the fifth Test at the Oval next week as they could opt for the extra batsman to help protect their 2-1 lead.

His run of magnificent form seems to have ended, however, with the stunning catch by Andre Adams which dismissed him for 46 at Southend and he has not looked quite the same since.

That's not to say England shouldn't pick him, but with his purple patch apparently over, Mike Hussey and Mick Lewis back in Australia, and Jon Lewis and Mark Davies injured, Durham are not the side they were at the start of the season.

They are heavily reliant on Dale Benkenstein and he battled valiantly yesterday for 49 before Hunter nipped one back to take out his off stump.

It took Benkenstein to 1,033 first-class runs, but as 53 of those came against Durham University he still needs 20 for his 1,000 in the championship.

Only a day after arriving from Australia, Queensland left-hander Jimmy Maher made nine from three strokes through the covers before pushing forward to a quick, straight one from Hunter which pinned him lbw.

Collingwood made 13 before he shaped to turn Welch to mid-wicket but the ball swung from its leg stump line to earn another lbw verdict.

Both bowlers beat Gary Scott, but the youngster worked hard and played a few nicely-timed drives to hit seven fours and move within sight of his second half-century.

But on 45 a ball from Australian all-rounder Jon Moss left him and brushed something on its way to wicketkeeper Luke Sutton. It had, in fact, hit his pad as he was given out lbw.

Benkenstein had not added to his lunchtime score of ten when he survived a good lbw shout from Welch, returning for another probing spell.

With runs hard to find, Gordon Muchall drove at Moss and edged to first slip for 26.

Only ten runs came off the first 11 overs after lunch and Benkenstein had added only four in an hour when he edged medium pacer Mo Sheikh for four.

An on-driven four followed in Sheikh's next over and shortly afterwards a pulled six suggested Benkenstein was about to reap the rewards of his graft. But after seeing Gareth Breese bowled by a ball from Hunter which nipped back he was undone by something similar.

Hunter also moved one away from left-hander Phil Mustard just enough to take the edge and with four for 47 he was obviously keen to better the career-best four for 50 he took at Northampton recently.

He continued to run in energetically in search of a fifth wicket, but Neil Killeen and Callum Thorp saw him off in a ninth wicket stand of 32.

Welch returned to have Killeen caught at second slip, reaching 50 first-class wickets for the fourth time in his career. He is taking them at the impressive average of 22 this season.

Scenting an easy scalp in last man Brad Williams, Hunter came back again, but it was Thorp who chopped on for 23.

The stroke was repeated by Di Venuto, who looked fortunate to survive the first ball of the innings as Williams' impassioned lbw appeal was turned down.

Following his double century at Derby last month, Durham were delighted to see the back of the Tasmanian left-hander, who got a big inside edge into his stumps when trying to force Plunkett away off the back foot.

Plunkett also had a couple of good lbw shouts rejected but just when Steve Stubbings and Chris Bassano looked certain to survive to the close Killeen moved one away off the pitch to have the left-handed Stubbings lbw