All-round Stokes puts Durham on top

Stumps Hampshire 87 for 0 (Dawson 35*, Adams 47*) and 294 (McKenzie 75, Stokes 6-68) v Durham 473 (Benkenstein 118, Briggs 5-129) and 310 for 3 dec. (Stokes 135*)
Scorecard

Durham's Ben Stokes came close to earning a place in the record books in the County Championship Division One match against Hampshire on Sunday. Stokes hit the first five balls of an over from Hampshire's Liam Dawson for six - but could only manage a single off the last delivery.

The 19-year-old came close to recording career-best batting and bowling performances on the same day at the Rose Bowl. Stokes took six wickets for 68 runs, comfortably his best bowling, to wrap up the Hampshire first innings. He then hit an unbeaten 135, just 26 short of his best batting as Durham took merciless command.

Left-arm spinner Dawson had no answer to Stokes' belligerence, but escaped the humiliation of conceding six consecutive sixes when the batsman could only edge his final ball to fine leg. Durham captain Phil Mustard declared soon afterwards, with Stokes having hit 13 fours and six sixes in his remarkable 145-ball innings. At that stage, with first-innings centurion Dale Benkenstein 55 not out, Durham were able to set Hampshire an improbable 490 to win in three sessions and 20 overs.

Hampshire resumed the third day at 280 for 6 in response to Durham's 473 - and Stokes was in the middle of the action straight away. He hustled out Dominic Cork, Danny Briggs and Simon Jones in a five-ball spell with his medium pace to put Durham firmly in control. In the previous over, Callum Thorp had sent back Nic Pothas for 56, but with the healthy first-innings lead of 179, Mustard declined the opportunity to enforce the follow-on.

Hampshire were hampered immediately by injuries to former England bowlers Jones and Cork. Injury-troubled Jones managed only nine balls before limping off with a groin strain, and Cork's contribution was only 14 balls before he too was forced out of the attack with the same problem.

Durham made the most of their absence. Michael Di Venuto and Scott Borthwick put on 45 for the first wicket before two big partnerships took the match away from the hosts. Stokes and Gordon Muchall put on 88 for the third wicket, then Stokes and Benkenstein hammered home their advantage on a gentle-paced wicket with a stand of 140 for the fourth.

When Mustard declared, Durham were a formidable 310 for 3, but Hampshire openers Jimmy Adams and Dawson found batting just as easy as their opponents had done. Even with another former England bowler, Steve Harmison, available after recovering from a hand injury sustained earlier in the match, Durham were soon on the defensive.

At the close, still 403 behind, Hampshire had recovered to 87 without loss. Adams was 47 not out, and Dawson, having got over his mauling at the hands of Stokes, was unbeaten with 35.