He bludgeoned serenely through the leg side several times and was no doubt just preparing to unleash the full array when he chipped an

He bludgeoned serenely through the leg side several times and was no doubt just preparing to unleash the full array when he chipped an innocuous ball carelessly to square leg for Gavin Haynes to take.It was the kind of shot which would be called in evidence by those who would condemn the Championship for being too soft. Maybe these said more about the Durham batting than his canny accuracy.With the first part of their task thus unaccomplished, Durham followed on. The one man probably capable of playing an innings big enough to contemplate the saving of the match was John Morris and he was duly given an early opportunity to put this theory to the test.Stewart Hutton, opening in place of Mike Roseberry who had received a blow on the helmet the previous night, edged the new ball to first slip for a routine catch For a while Morris played vintage shots. The capitulation obliged seamer Phil Newport to return his best figures of the season. Durham folded within 85 minutes, the end hastened by the departure of Manoj Prabhakar Resistance thereafter was minimal. It was not the stuff of rearguard actions.
The bald figures at the start were that they were 267 runs behind with four wickets left and the harsh fact was that, like someone else down the road, they did not appear to have the stomach for the fight.

Some attractive second innings cameos were insufficient to take the match into a fourth day. There are exceptions of course – before this game at Feethams, Durham had gone one better than England and, for the first time, won twice in succession – but by yesterday they were in more familiar territory. WHILE Durham may not feature prominently in selectorial thoughts, the comparison with England is unavoidable. Both of them habitually arrive for the Saturday morning of a match staring defeat eyeball to eyeball. But when he was out chipping a catch to midwicket off the same bowler, Essex could muster a lead of only 56.Surrey suffered an early setback in reply, losing Jason Ratcliffe to a blow on the helmet.

But batting looks easy enough on this wicket and by the close Surrey had ambled to a lead of 67 with the aid of leisurely 50s from Darren Bicknell and Mark Butcher.. But the visitors had not reckoned with Rackemann, a changed man after the interval, ripping out Essex’s lower order with a spell of three for 5 off 14 balls.Irani flourished briefly once more, hitting a towering straight six off Nowell. He fell for 137 tickling a catch down the leg side to the wicketkeeper Graham Kersey.Alex Tudor, a gangling 17-year-old pace bowler playing only his second championship match, helped to stem the tide as he bowled a far more disciplined line and length and was unlucky not to pick up a wicket.At lunch, as Graham Gooch signed copies of his autobiography in front of the pavilion, Essex must have been anticipating a substantial lead. But this did not stop Irani clattering Carl Rackemann for 18 runs in his first over and then taking three fours off the next from Joey Benjamin. In all, 45 runs came off the first 23 deliveries with the new ball, as Irani reached 50 for the sixth time this season.Nasser Hussain was positively becalmed by comparison. Irani dominated the morning session, getting into his stride quickly by hitting Mark Butcher for three fours in one over. Richard Nowell, a slow left-armer playing his first season for Surrey, was more parsimonious, spearing the ball in at leg stump.
Adam Hollioake, captaining Surrey for the first time, had no hesitation in taking the new ball which was due.