Law pays back Durham in kind

Hampshire 246 Durham 113 for 1

Danny Law's previous personal landmarks ­ a career best bowling performance and a hat-trick in a second match ­ had both been made against Durham. Yesterday he went some way towards making amends with his first six-wicket haul for his new county.

To his contribution could be added that of his captain, Jon Lewis who led the Durham run chase. Lewis shared in a half-century opening stand with Michael Gough, but when Dimitri Mascarenhas interrupted proceedings by knocking out the latter's off-stump, Lewis simply linked up with Martin Love to share in a similar stand. This one was unbroken at the close with the captain reaching his half century in the process.

Law had bowled with venom and extracted awkward bounce from a wicket that offered something to the bowlers who were prepared to make the effort, but similarly, as Durham's batsmen later demonstrated, there were no demons lurking in the surface. Indeed Hampshire got off to a bright start, but if the haste they made in accumulating runs at the beginning was indecent, it was nothing compared to the manner in which they subsequently lost their wickets. The openers Giles White and Derek Kenway were galloping along at four an over before the initiative was snatched from them by Durham's 6ft 8in debutant Nicky Hatch.

Once Hatch had marked his first championship appearance with two wickets in three balls in his fourth over ­ removing Kenway, who appeared to miss a straight ball, then finding the edge of Will Kendall's bat ­ it was not long before Law was making his mark.

Neil Johnson, the former Zimbabwean Test all-rounder, Lawrence Prittipaul, and White, when he was within sight of a deserved fifty, as well as Shaun Udal all fell foul of Law. Not until wicketkeeper Adrian Aymes and Alex Morris joined forces at a precarious 149 for 8 was any sanity restored. The pair were within range of a second batting bonus point, having added 92, when Morris mistimed a pull to be caught by Hatch at mid-on. Aymes fell shortly after to Law.