Wickets check Hampshire's progress

Stumps Hampshire 280 for 6 (McKenzie 75, Pothas 50*, Stokes 3-59) v Durham 473 (Benkenstein 118, Mustard 68*, Briggs 5-129)
Scorecard

Durham youngster Ben Stokes was the unlikely wicket-taking hero as Hampshire struggled to avoid the follow-on at the Rose Bowl. Stokes, who had previously only taken 11 first class wickets and is better known for his batting, finished the day with figures of 3 for 59 with his medium pace.

Durham began the second day at 413 for 6 and added a further 60 runs in 14 overs to finish with an impressive total of 473. Hampshire's new South African signing Friedel de Wet dismissed Scott Borthwick to a catch at the wicket and Liam Plunkett and Callum Thorp also edged to Nic Pothas but Hampshire were held up by an obdurate last wicket stand of 33 between Durham captain Phil Mustard and last man Steve Harmison.

Harmison was the last to go, leg before to spinner Danny Briggs - and it proved to be a costly dismissal. While Briggs was celebrating career-best figures of 5 for 129, Harmison was receiving treatment for a hand injury.

Hampshire made a stumbling start to the day, losing opener Jimmy Adams to the first ball of the innings from Thorp, with Mustard taking the catch behind the stumps. Former England bowler Harmison had a curious four-ball cameo before leaving the pitch to go to hospital for an x-ray on his hand. Two of the deliveries were judged as wides before Plunkett had to finish off his over.

Another new Hampshire signing, Johann Myburgh, hit seven fours in a breezy 32 and later Neil McKenzie and Liam Dawson put on 96 for the third wicket. It was then that Stokes struck for the first time, inducing an inside edge from Dawson soon after the young opening batsman had reached his half-century.

At 171 Stokes removed James Vince to a catch in the gully by Thorp and then took the crucial wicket of McKenzie at 190. McKenzie had struck 12 fours in his side's top score of 75 and at 190 for 5, Hampshire were still 134 adrift of their follow-on target. Sean Ervine and Pothas removed the imminent danger in a stand of 71 for the sixth wicket as Durham struggled for further wickets on an easy-playing surface and without the bowling of the injured Harmison.

Ervine was the last Hampshire wicket to fall on the day, bowled by spinner Ian Blackwell for 33 at 261 and Hampshire closed at 280 for 6 soon after Pothas had completed a determined half-century. Pothas went in at stumps with 50 not out from 84 balls and having hit eight fours, while his partner Dominic Cork was unbeaten with nine. But the match was still delicately poised, Hampshire 193 behind and still needing another 44 to make Durham bat again.