DALE Benkenstein will have two landmarks in his sights when Durham and Yorkshire resume LV County Championship action at Chester-le-Street today.
He needs 132 to reach 1,000 first-class more quickly than in any of his previous six seasons with Durham, and a further 16 to break the county's record first-class aggregate.
Former captain Jon Lewis, now the second-team coach, totalled 7,854 runs in 262 innings from the 1997-2006 seasons, while Benkenstein has scored 7,707 in 171 innings.
He has hit four centuries and four half-centuries in 12 knocks this season and is the second highest run-scorer in the country behind Marcus Trescothick.
With five wins from eight, Durham are 17 points clear at the top with 139, while Yorkshire haven't won since the opening match at Worcester and lie seventh with 62 points.
While the visitors await Tim Bresnan's return to full fitness, Durham are able to reunite Steve Harmison and Graham Onions for the first time since August, 2009.
They also have Liam Plunkett available for his first championship action since he took Durham over the line at Headingley in April.
An eighth-wicket stand of 98 between Richard Pyrah and Ryan Sidebottom took Yorkshire into the final session on the last day before Plunkett was asked to produce an aggressive spell and obliged by taking two of the remaining three wickets.
He also scored 66 not out in that match but suffered a thigh injury and has missed six four-day games.
Durham always want Plunkett in the team for his all-round qualities, but his return will have to be at the expense of either Callum Thorp or Scott Borthwick.
Both have been ever-present in the championship and Thorp is the leading wicket-taker with 23. His average of 33.91, however, leaves him seventh in the Durham list, with Harmison top with ten wickets at 23.5.
There has been a good spread of wickets among the others, with Ian Blackwell taking 19, Borthwick, Graham Onions and Ruel Brathwaite 18 and Ben Stokes 17.
Stokes will be out for a further three weeks with his finger injury, allowing Paul Collingwood to re-establish himself after making only four championship appearances in five years. Prior to that he scored six centuries in the 2005 season - another record for Benkenstein to aim at.
Durham (from): P Mustard (capt), W R Smith, M J Di Venuto, G J Muchall, P D Collingwood, D M Benkenstein, I D Blackwell, S G Borthwick, L E Plunkett, G Onions, S J Harmison, C D Thorp, M E Claydon.
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