DURHAM can expect to find an entirely different pitch for their next match at Edgbaston tomorrow, but they are confident that Steve Harmison and Graham Onions can end a long run of Birmingham bore draws.

While Onions was the first in the country past 40 wickets, Harmison’s first five-wicket haul of the season clinched a 138-run win against Lancashire, and a second successive Riverside victory inside three days again sent Durham briefly to the top.

They were again overhauled by Nottinghamshire, who beat Hampshire yesterday, and already the stage looks set for a repeat of the tussle between last season’s top two.

They don’t meet in four-day combat until mid-July, with the Trent Bridge men due at Riverside on September 9.

Meanwhile, high-scoring Warwickshire await and Durham skipper Will Smith admitted: “Their pitches seem to be flat and docile. But if we keep playing the cricket we have been playing we’ll have a good chance.

“It was great to beat a side like Lancashire with their tradition.

A few things might be said about the pitch, but it wasn’t that bad and it was a pleasure to watch two worldclass attacks operating on it.

“We were on the receiving end of some hostile bowling and it was heartening to be able to give it back.”

The umpires were happy with the pitch, the only slight concern being that it was twopaced, and Smith added: “Sometimes the ball flew through and sometimes it died, so you couldn’t play cross-batted shots with any confidence.

“Steve Harmison was probably more suited to the pitch than anyone and he got his rewards.

He recognised that Francois Du Plessis was probably their best player and targeted him. When you have a bowler good enough to do that it will worry any opponent.

“It was similar to the pitch for our match against Kent last season, when they came out and tried to slog. We felt we had to battle hard and even though he only made 18 Gordon Muchall did a great job in seeing off their new ball bowlers.

“Then Ian Blackwell played the innings which was the difference between the sides.

There’s no-one I’d rather have in that role because he can consolidate or he can take the game away from the opposition.”

Harmison gives the distinct impression that he is building gradually to reach a peak in around three weeks, when the Ashes series starts.

Whether he will be required remains doubtful, although selector James Whitaker was clearly more impressed on Saturday than on previous visits to Riverside this season.

That wasn’t the case in Harmison’s first over, which cost ten runs and there wasn’t much sign of improvement in the second until he suddenly made one lift sharply and leave Paul Horton to have him caught behind.

Harmison went on to take the first four wickets before Onions had Andrew Flintoff brilliantly caught by a diving Mitch Claydon at mid-off for a duck.

That took Onions to 40 firstclass wickets this season, way ahead of the field, otherwise he was out of luck in his opening spell as, for the first time in this campaign, he was outshone by Harmison.

The wickets of the two South Africans, Ashwell Prince and Du Plessis, were crucial because once they had gone cheaply the target of 274 must have looked unattainable to Lancashire.

For the second time in the match Prince stood his ground for several seconds after being given out lbw by Neil Mallender. But a television camera suggested he should have been given out in Harmison’s previous over, when he appeared to glove a leg-side catch to Phil Mustard.

Another quick, rearing delivery from Harmison struck Du Plessis on the hand first ball, necessitating treatment, and just before lunch he edged another good ball to Mustard.

Mal Loye became Harmison’s fourth victim when an unplayable ball hit his bat handle and flew to Muchall at third slip.

Flintoff probably decided to have a blast at anything pitched up, but didn’t quite middle his drive at Onions, allowing Claydon to fling himself to his right to hold the one-handed catch.

With figures of four for 37 in a 13-over spell broken by lunch, Harmison gave way to Claydon, who had Mark Chilton caught by Mustard when attempting to hook.

Claydon bowled seven overs without further success then Harmison returned and struck with his second ball when Glen Chapple edged a drive to Michael Di Venuto at second slip.

Having not bowled any spin in the match, Durham were in danger of a points deduction for a slow over-rate and brought on Blackwell, who bowled Oliver Newby round his legs. Then Onions completed the rout.

In the morning Sajid Mahmood finished with a careerbest six for 30 after taking three of Durham’s four remaining wickets, which added only 17 runs before they were all out for 145.

The two-paced nature of the pitch was probably to blame when Blackwell was first to go, caught and bowled for 74 when trying to turn Mahmood to leg.

The last wicket went to Flintoff when Harmison tried to launch him over cover and was sensationally caught by Du Plessis, who turned and ran 15 yards back towards the boundary before diving to hold the ball one-handed.

It was Harmison’s fourth successive championship duck, but his wickets more than atoned for that.

Scoreboard

Durham v Lancashire At Riverside

Overnight: Lancashire 116 (S J Harmison 4-28, G Onions 4-40). Durham244 (P Mustard 51; A Flintoff 4-47) and 122-6 (I D Blackwell 65 no).

Durham Second Innings

I D Blackwell c & b Mahmood ..........74

C D Thorp c Horton b Mahmood .......24

M E Claydon c Prince b Mahmood .....0

G Onions not out ................................7

S J Harmison c du Plessis b Flintoff ....0

Extras (lb6 w1 nb4 pens 0)......11

Total (50.4 overs)....................145

Fall: 1-0 2-2 3-3 4-10 5-40 6-57 7-138 8-138 9-138

Bowling: Flintoff 15.4-9-30-2. Mahmood 14-7-30-6. Chapple 9-2-33-1. Newby 6-0- 26-1. Keedy 5-0-19-0. du Plessis 1-0-1-0.

Lancashire Second Innings

M B Loye c Muchall b S J Harmison .30

P J Horton c Mustard b S Harmison .11

A G Prince lbw b S J Harmison ...........3

F du Plessis c Mustard b S Harmison .5

M J Chilton c Mustard b Claydon ......22

A Flintoff c Claydon b Onions ..............0

L D Sutton not out .............................19

G Chapple c Di Venuto b S Harmison 21

S I Mahmood c Mustard b Onions ....16

O J Newby b Blackwell .......................0

G Keedy b Onions ..............................0

Extras (b1 lb2 w1 nb4) .........8

Total (52 overs).................135

Fall: 1-18 2-36 3-50 4-63 5-64 6-78 7-113 8-133 9-134

Total Bonus Pts: Durham 4 Lancashire 3

Bowling: Onions 14-4-28-3. S J Harmison 17-7-46-5. Claydon 9-1-29-1. Thorp 10-4- 19-0. Blackwell 2-0-10-1.

Durham (18pts) beat Lancashire (3pts) by 138 runs.