COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Riverside:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY ONE: Warwickshire 135, Durham 173-4 (Durham 3pts, Warwicks 1pt)
19-22 August 2009

Callum Thorp's only other five-wicket haul this season came last week

Durham continued their Championship domination as they dismissed Warwickshire for 135 before reaching 173-4 in reply at the Riverside.

They did it without England duo Steve Harmison and Graham Onions, one of whom is expected to link up on Thursday once the final Test starts at The Oval.

But the leaders already look well on the way to a seventh win of the season.

Callum Thorp earned a second five-wicket haul in successive home games, a season's best 5-49.

He was aided by former skipper Dale Benkenstein, who took three wickets, then weighed in with 59 not out.

Durham outplayed depleted Warwickshire, despite a duck from Shivnarine Chanderpaul on his first appearance of the season.

The West Indies Test star pulled Boyd Rankin straight to backward square leg but Ian Blackwell then scored 30 runs in his first three overs at the crease and remained unbeaten on 48.

Other than occasional steep bounce there was nothing untoward about the pitch, and it was swing which undermined Warwickshire.

Ironically, Thorp might not have enjoyed such a key role if Mark Davies had not suffered a back spasm, allowing thr Aussie to get to work earlier than anticipated.

He swung the ball quite sharply back into the three left-handers at the top of a Warwickshire order lacking Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, earning the first two of his four lbw verdicts as a result.

But the real bonus was Benkenstein, who had taken a total of only six wickets in the previous two and a half seasons.

He came on as early for the 24th over because of Davies's injury and his gentle swingers earned wickets in his third, fourth and fifth overs as the Bears slumped from 70-2 to 71-5, starting when makeshift opener Ant Botha chipped a catch to mid-wicket.

Then in the over before lunch Benkenstein shaped the perfect away swinger from leg stump to off to have Tim Ambrose caught behind for a duck and straight after the break Tony Frost edged an attempted cut to Phil Mustard.

After removing left-handers Ian Westwood and Jim Troughton, Thorp also pinned 17-year-old Ateeq Javid, who was making his championship debut, and Rikki Clarke, the top scorer with 32.

Last man out was Sreesanth, who slogged a catch to mid-on to give Thorp figures of five for 49.

Sreesanth then suffered a buttock strain, bowling only one of the first 28 overs, by which time Durham were in front after Michael Di Venuto hit Rankin's first three balls of the innings for four.

Di Venuto made 40 off 35 balls before he and Mark Stoneman (3) both edged to Ambrose with the total on 43.

Steep bounce from Rankin accounted for Will Smith. But, with Benkenstein hitting 10 fours in his 68-ball half-century (his seventh Championship half century this season), the champions ended the day well in command.

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