Hants suffer nightmare return to Basingstoke

8:09pm Wednesday 27th August 2008

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DAY ONE: Hampshire (65-6) are 91 runs behind Durham (156)

The Davies brothers have not provided sports fans on the south coast with much cheer in recent days.

A week after Andrew Davies left St Mary's for Premiership Stoke City, the former Saints captain's older brother Mark delivered a devastating spell of seam bowling for Durham against Hampshire on the first day of Championship cricket at May's Bounty for eight years.

Dimitri Mascarenhas, the only survivor from Hampshire's last match at Basingstoke, also against Durham, took 5-46 during a marathon 23-over spell as the title favourites were dismissed for 156 after winning the toss.

The seam-friendly conditions were also ideal for Davies, who continued his outstanding record against Hampshire with a devastating display.

After replacing Graham Onions when Hampshire were 28-0, Davies bagged 5-24 before the home side closed on 65-6, still 91 runs behind.

Hampshire's long-awaited return to the north of the county is now in danger of finishing with several sessions to spare.

It could even be over tomorrow evening.

An extraordinary first day back at the leafy outground began with Mascarenhas excelling on a wicket that provided the batsmen with even bounce and the bowlers with plenty of movement off the seam.

The Hampshire captain returned his 16th five-wicket haul for the county and his second-best Championship figures for two years.

Mascarenhas was indebted to an excellent left-handed catch by a diving Chris Benham at third slip to account for the star of the Durham top order - the West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Two other left-handers, Michael Stoneman and Phil Mustard, were also beaten by Mascarenhas deliveries that shaped back into them during the morning session.

Opener Stoneman nicked to first slip and Mustard was trapped on the crease.

After holding on to a sharp return catch to see off Paul Wiseman in the third over after lunch, Mascarenhas found more movement to bowl Liam Plunkett.

Only Will Smith (70) provided any significant resistance, facing 150 balls and hitting eight fours during his three-and-a-half hours at the crease.

The right-hander ensured that Durham registered their highest-ever total at Basingstoke (they were dismissed for 83 and 93 on their only other visit).

Callum Thorp also contributed. He thumped a 38-ball 28, including a six over long-off against Mascarenhas, before he and Graham Onions were both baffled by Imran Tahir, who completed the innings by holding on to a return catch when Smith top-edged an attempted pull.

Ominously for Hampshire, ECB pitch liaison officer Tony Pigott was a more than interested onlooker but the watchful Smith applied a sound technique and Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams also showed that batting was possible before Davies' magnificent spell.

The ginger-haired 28-year-old from Stockton-on-Tees is no stranger to Hampshire and his first-class record (209 wickets at 21) is up there with the best.

Running in with skill and purpose from the Pavilion End, he left Hampshire's top order struggling to lay bat on ball.

Left-handers Carberry (22) and Adams (26) batted very patiently in putting on 48 for the first wicket.

But Davies trapped Carberry lbw in his third over and in his fifth Adams steered a checked drive to gully.

That was bad enough, but Davies swung the game firmly in Durham's favour as Hampshire slumped from 65-2 to 65-6 during five extraordinary overs that were interrupted by a 15-minute delay because of bad light.

Chris Benham (11) looked confident before he edged a Davies leg-cutter as Hampshire's hopes of a much-needed win deteriorated faster than the fading light.

Attempting to work the ball through mid-wicket, Ervine was trapped lbw by Davies for a five-ball duck in the first over after the interruption.

And after Michael Lumb prodded a Paul Wiseman off-break to slip for a 48-ball five, Davies claimed Nic Pothas as his third lbw victim, for an 11-ball duck.

Umpire Steve Garratt - nicknamed 'Trigger' - eventually decided Pothas was out to leave Hampshire deep in the mire.

Hampshire bowling: Tomlinson 18-6-48-1, Mascarenhas 23-10-46-5, Balcombe 11-2-51-1, Tahir 4.1-1-5-3

Durham bowling:Onions 7.0 3 16 0 Thorp 7-2-12-0, Davies 10.3-4-24-5, Plunkett 7-3-12-0, Wiseman 3-3-0-1