Oxford UCEE v Durham CCC (UNI) : Day One

IT WAS a few degrees warmer in The Parks yesterday than when Durham used to visit in perishing mid-April, but were any degrees to be awarded for cricketing prowess they would have gone to the Oxford UCCE batsmen.

Coventry-born Luke Parker, who played five County Championship games for Warwickshire last season, scored 140 and skipper Josh Knappet 100 not out as the students rattled up 362 for four declared on the first day of the three-day match.

Durham were spared further punishment from Mali Richards, son of Sir Viv, who faced only five balls and had still to score when Knappet declared after cracking his 15th four just out of point's reach to complete an impressive century off only 128 balls.

Left with three overs to bat in warm sunshine, Durham reached 20 without loss.

It used to be the Durham batsmen who filled their boots in this fixture, recording three double-century opening stands in six years, but after James Lowe lost the toss they were subjected to a day of toil on a slow pitch.

The featherbed surface and low-key occasion may have sapped motivation, but this is a first-class match and it is up to individuals to seize their chance.

As an exercise in assessing Durham's back-up staff it was not encouraging. Mark Turner, known as Tina to his teammates, removed both openers, but if he was Simply The Best it didn't say much for the others.

Turner bowled with good pace but little control over line and length, while Mark Davies still looks to be struggling to regain his form of the last two seasons. His stress fracture of the back has obviously been a setback and after having a good shout for lbw turned down in his first over he posed little further threat.

The spinners were a disappointment, again underlining how difficult it is to bring them on in first-class cricket.

The closest Durham have come to mastering the art of producing a home-grown spinner is through Graeme Bridge, whose progress continues to be hindered by injury.

In his absence, Glasgow-born leg-spinner Moneeb Iqbal was handed his first-class debut at the age of 20. He was very highly rated in his first season in the academy in 2003, but statistics suggest he has not improved and he conceded ten off his first over yesterday and finished with none for 71 in 16 overs. What little turn he found was too slow to cause trouble and there was at least one bad ball every over.

Another whose spin bowling has not progressed is Gary Scott, who made his debut against Derbyshire 19 days after his 17th birthday in 2001, primarily as an off-spinner. His six overs yesterday cost 40 runs.

Enough has been seen of Callum Thorp and Neil Killeen in the first team this season to know that they are in decent nick, and they continued in the same vein without luck.

As ever, Killeen's best balls beat the bat, while Thorp found the edge on several occasions but the only time the ball went to hand Scott dropped the chance at third slip.

Otherwise there was little wrong with Durham's fielding, except that two shies at the stumps narrowly missed when they would have resulted in run-outs.

The first was off the day's third ball, when Ben Harmison's smart pick-up at backward point almost sent Nottinghamshire second-team batsman Peter Wilshaw packing without facing a ball. He went on to make 60 before miscueing a pull off the fourth ball after lunch to be caught at mid-wicket.

The other opener, Steve Moreton, drove at a wide ball from Turner in the ninth over and edged to Gareth Breese at first slip.

Four overs later Parker gave the first hint of his class by pulling Thorp dismissively for four and he lofted Iqbal's third ball for a straight four.

Scott's introduction was greeted by a straight six from Parker, but on 71 he looked fortunate to survive an lbw appeal from Thorp.

Omar Anwar, the batsman dropped by Scott on nought, went on to make 34 before Killeen finally found the edge to give wicketkeeper Garry Park a straightforward catch.

That brought in Knappet, who is new to the Worcestershire staff this season, at 202 for three and he dominated a stand of 152 with Parker.

Eleven came off the last over before tea, bowled by Iqbal, then in the first over after the break Parker square drove Turner for three to complete his century.

He celebrated with a glorious six over extra cover off Breese and was finally well caught by Davies at mid-off off Thorp. Knappet was on 94 and quickly became the day's second batsman to record his maiden first-class century.

Richards opened the bowling for the students and after first running through the crease he managed to let go of the ball at the second attempt but fell down in the process.

Later in the over came a wide which threatened first slip before both batsmen dug out yorkers and Scott completed the day's entertainment by taking three fours off Richards' second over.

Scorecard

Oxford UCCE v Durham at The Parks

Oxford UCCE First Innings
S J Moreton c Breese b Turner 13
(drove at wide ball, edged to first slip)
P J Wilshaw c Scott b Turner 60
(miscued pull to mid-wicket)
L C Parker c Davies b Thorp 140
(drove to mid-off)
O S Anwar c Park b Killeen 34
(edged good ball to keeper)
J P Knappett not out 100
M A Richards not out 0
Extras (lb8 w1 nb6 pens 0) 15
Total 4 wkts dec (95 overs) 362
Fall: 1-27 2-121 3-202 4-354
Did Not Bat: P J W Young, N J Woods, J H P Hooper, T
Kalam, M K Munday.
Bowling: Turner 16-0-51-2. Thorp 17-4-38-1. Killeen 18-4-
54-1. Davies 12-5-39-0. Iqbal 16-0-71-0. Scott 6-0-40-0.
Breese 7-0-42-0. K J Coetzer 3-0-19-0.

Durham First Innings
J A Lowe not out 1
G M Scott not out 17
Extras (w2 pens 0) 2
Total 0 wkts (3 overs) 20
To Bat: B W Harmison, G R Breese, K J Coetzer, G T Park,
M M Iqbal, C D
Bowling: Thorp, M L Turner, N Killeen, M Davies.Richards
2-0-19-0. Kalam 1-0-1-0.