STEVE Harmison's return failed to inspire his Durham team-mates yesterday as he was the only bowler to command any respect from the Lancashire batsmen at Old Trafford.

Despite Harmison's two for 47 from ten overs, Lancashire rattled up 307 for five to turn the battle of the top two in the northern group of the C & G Trophy into a one-sided affair.

Durham made a good start in reply, Jimmy Maher and Jon Lewis reaching 64 before they were parted in the 13th over. But the weight of runs they faced, coupled with excellent bowling from Glen Chapple and Tom Smith, saw them slump to 81 for five seven overs later and they were all out for 182.

Harmison said: "I felt fine. Everything feels good and as long as I'm okay tomorrow I will play in the championship match at Trent Bridge this week."

Since the premier one-day competition was reduced from 60 to 50 overs-a-side in 1999 the previous highest total Durham had conceded was 245 by Sussex at Riverside two years ago.

After losing the toss on an excellent batting pitch, Dale Benkenstein opted to give the new ball to Ottis Gibson and Mick Lewis rather than Harmison and might quickly have regretted it.

Both sent down a wide in their first over and there was also a no-ball from Lewis, setting the tone for some shabby bowling, which saw the score reach 61 for no wicket after 11 overs before Harmison came on.

Gibson also conceded 15 off each of his last two overs at the death to finish with one for 71, which included four wides. He was also responsible for the only blemish in a very spirited fielding display, with Gary Pratt outstanding.

Durham have beaten the four other teams they have faced in two competitions this season quite comfortably, but have now lost twice to Lancashire.

Since their championship win at Riverside the Red Rose men have been strengthened by the arrival of Australian Brad Hodge, who scored 118 off 105 balls before Lewis bowled him with the last ball of the innings.

Lewis bowled better at the death than he had at the start to finish with the second-best figures of one for 55, while Neil Killeen, preferred to Graham Onions and Callum Thorp, had one for 70.

Killeen had to bear the brunt of Mal Loye's assault on his way to a career-best one-day score of 127, all his three sixes coming off the one-day specialist.

His fourth ball was swept over square leg to take Loye to a 41-ball half-century and in Killeen's next over he repeated the stroke and was very well caught by Harmison, who unfortunately had no chance of staying inside the rope.

These were the sort of audacious strokes for which it is very difficult to legislate, but Durham bowled too short too often to Loye, a batsman they should know all about after he followed last year's double hundred at Riverside with a century last month.

He was beaten a couple of times early on by Gibson and also edged him between the slips, but once he had cracked successive balls from Lewis for back-foot fours through the covers he was in full cry.

Harmison's second ball was a leg-side wide and Loye then cut him for four, but the England paceman quickly settled in his first appearance since the second Test in India just over two months ago.

He bowled within himself but forced home captain Mark Chilton to play on in his fourth over.

As Chilton had contributed only 19 to the opening stand of 96 his removal didn't do Durham any favours, with Hodge coming in to score 50 of the next 99 runs.

He then accelerated with his second 50 coming off only 35 balls, despite including only two fours and a six, driven over long-off.

The unlucky bowler was again Killeen, who had gone very close to bowling Hodge on six, although the only other piece of good fortune the Australian enjoyed was on 62 when he skied Gareth Breese just short of long-off.

The second wicket stand was worth 115 in 21 overs when Loye was yorked by Killeen, then Harmison struck Stuart Law on the boot to have him lbw.

But there was no let-up as Chapple came in to smash Gibson for six on his way to a rapid 15 before driving the same bowler to Pratt at long-on.

Hodge was scoring at will in the last few overs and hit three more fours after completing his 96-ball century.

A Durham win did not look out of the question while Maher and Lewis were together as both batted well.

Maher was first to go for 34, losing his off stump when driving at Tom Smith, who impressed at Riverside recently.

In the next over from Chapple, Lewis and Gordon Muchall were both dropped at slip off successive balls. But there was to be no profit as three wickets went down with the total on 78.

Lewis and Benkenstein were caught at the wicket off excellent balls from Chapple, and inbetween Muchall shaped to pull Smith only to flat-bat a catch straight back to him.

Chapple then moved one the other way to left-hander Pratt, who played himself in for three overs and was then persuaded by the mounting pressure to drive outside off stump and give wicketkeeper Luke Sutton his third catch.

Phil Mustard hit two big sixes in contributing 33 to a stand of 61 with Breese before they drove successive balls from 23-year-old leg-spinner Simon Marshall to long-on.

That brought in Harmison in the hopeless position of 142 for seven and he quickly employed his favourite paddle shot to the spinners.

He was in no difficulty as he set out to achieve respectability with Gibson and they added 34 before Dominic Cork returned and earned a dubious lbw decision against Gibson.

Harmison then prodded a return catch to Marshall for 17 and Cork had Killeen caught behind with 6.2 overs left unused.

On the evidence so far Lancashire are by far the best team in the northern group and if they break away there is a danger of a lot of games becoming meaningless.

Read more about Durham here.