AFTER the lack of competition at Worcester last week, it again looked almost too easy for Durham this morning as they comfortably achieved maximum batting points for the fourth time in seven games.

Although they then lost the record-breaking fourth wicket pair, Ian Blackwell merely stepped up the onslaught as he raced to 45 out of 483 for five at lunch.

Two landmarks were passed as Will Smith and Dale Benkenstein added 51 in the first ten overs before Smith took the single which brought up the 400 three overs before the 110-over cut-off for bonus points.

After resuming on 90, Benkenstein clipped Naqqash Tahir to the mid-wicket boundary in the first over and later ran him to third man for three to complete his 20th first-class century for Durham off 183 balls.

Shortly afterwards Smith cut Boyd Rankin for four to break Durham’s record fourth-wicket stand of 250, set by Benkenstein and Paul Collingwood at Derby in 2005.

The stand was worth 273 when Smith fell for 179 – a dismissal which owed everything to a brilliant piece of anticipation by Rikki Clarke.

Smith tried to paddle left-arm spinner Chris Metters to fine leg and probably thought he had succeeded. But he got it a little too fine and Clarke nipped across from slip to leg slip to take a remarkable, tumbling catch.

Blackwell opened up by nonchalantly driving the next ball to the extra cover boundary, but after 39 had been added with ridiculous ease Benkenstein surprisingly departed for 128.

He gave Metters a simple return catch but his third century of the season had seen him become the championship’s leading run scorer with 717.

In the day’s 21st over Blackwell lifted Darren Maddy over long-on for six and repeated the stroke in the next over off Metters.

Phil Mustard pulled off one reverse sweep for four but failed with two other attempts and was on 17 at lunch.