Durham make Lancs spinners toil

Simon Katich (129) scored his third championship century of the summer to help Durham hold back Lancashire's spinners at Manchester.

The visitors reached 355-9 after electing to bat first on a very dry pitch. Gary Keedy (4-99) was the most successful of the three home spinners, and Lancashire might have made better progress if their bowling and fielding had been sharper. Glen Chapple, who yielded 13 in the opening over, broke through first by bowling Michael Gough.

After that Katich was the major partner in stands of 75 in 24 overs with Jon Lewis and 146 in 40 overs with Paul Collingwood. The latter survived a stumping chance off Gary Yates early in his innings and progressed to make 60 from 127 deliveries (which included ten boundaries) before his leg-before dismissal to Mike Smethurst.

Two further wickets fell before tea by which time Katich had reached his hundred from 157 balls and was to bat for 283 minutes and strike seventeen boundaries.

The hosts came back into the contest after the interval and shortly after Katich was caught by Crawley off Keedy their opponents were 268-7. Wicketkeeper Andrew Pratt and Nick Phillips added 37 for the eighth wicket.

Leg-spinner Chris Schofield caught Phillips off Yates and then had Pratt caught by young substitute fieldsman Carl Hey. Tenth-wicket pair Neil Killeen and Simon Brown scored 30 to win a fourth batting bonus point - made easier by Saurav Ganguly dropping Killeen.