IF Will Smith felt he was drinking in the Last Chance Saloon yesterday, he also knew that he would rarely have a better opportunity to fill his boots.

On another Edgbaston belter and against a modest attack, the rest of the top four missed the boat. But the former captain cashed in by defending stoutly and remaining alert to the fact that a poor ball was never far away.

Smith batted throughout the first day to reach 153, and while Dale Benkenstein played more fluently, he was happy to let his partner dominate the strike in an unbroken stand of 221, which took Durham to 348 for three at the close.

As seen in Sunday's high-scoring CB 40 League match, the Edgbaston groundsman has had to favour the batsmen following the deduction of eight points after the last championship match here.

So winning the toss for the sixth time in seven championship games was a good start for Durham on a sunny, but blustery, day.

Smith needed a big score as he came into the match averaging only 27.4 since replacing Mark Stoneman, who has recovered from the broken hand he suffered in the first match.

Smith had a top score of 44 in his four matches last season before losing the captaincy and his previous best this season was 66 at home to Warwickshire.

His last century was at the Rose Bowl in September, 2009, when he made 150 and his only higher score is the 201 he made against Surrey at Guildford in the middle his prolific 2008 season.

He has a strong desire to get back to that sort of from and concentrated on survival as Durham slipped to 127 for three. But there were ten fours in his first 50 and he hit a further seven before punching a back-foot single into the covers to off Rikki Clarke to complete his 207-ball century.

Most of his fours were cleanly struck off the back foot in front of square on both sides of the wicket as an attack shorn of Chris Woakes by injury frequently fell short.

It is hard to imagine how the team who began the match in joint second place with Durham have managed to dismiss Nottinghamshire and Somerset cheaply in winning at Trent Bridge and Taunton.

Warwickshire have nominated two bowlers, Andrew Miller and Keith Barker, to take over when batsman Will Porterfield and paceman Boyd Rankin leave this match tonight to join the Ireland squad.

They might argue that they have no other players available with first team ability, but as Warwickshire will be altering the balance of their side they are clearly going against the spirit of an agreement which is already controversial.

As the hosts opened up with the gentle medium pace of Naqqash Tahir and had 20-year-old Chris Metters, a left-armer from Devon, as their only spinner, it was obvious from the outset that a big score was available.

It was a surprise therefore when Michael Di Venuto departed for 18, but he showed there is still some sportsmanship in the game when we walked without being given out.

He tried to withdraw his bat from a ball by Tahir but knew he had nicked it.

Following his 175 at Worcester, Gordon Muchall raced to 22 before edging Clarke's fourth ball to Darren Maddy at first slip.

On the ground where he made 150 not out on Sunday, Ben Stokes moved easily to 33 off 43 balls before he clipped Rankin into the hands of mid-wicket.

Benkenstein began fluently but became a little becalmed as Smith saw almost twice as much of the strike.

A cut for four off Maddy took Benkenstein to his seventh half-century in the seventh match and ten more runs today will give him his 20th first-class century for Durham.

SCORECARD

Warwickshire v Durham
At Edgbaston. Durham Won Toss
Durham First Innings Close
M J Di Venuto c Ambrose b Tahir 18
W R Smith not out 153
G J Muchall c Maddy b Clarke 22
B A Stokes c Clarke b Rankin 33
D M Benkenstein not out 90
Extras (b2 lb8 nb22 pens 0) 32
Total 3 wkts (96 overs) 348
Fall: 1-36 2-68 3-127
To Bat: I D Blackwell, P Mustard, S G
Borthwick, C D Thorp, R M R Brathwaite, S
J Harmison.
Bowling: Tahir 24-6-75-1. Rankin 18-1-96-1. Clarke
22-7-68-1. Metters 14-4-48-0. Maddy 16-
5-38-0. Westwood 2-0-13-0