Date-stamped : 13 Sep96 - 06:10 Simmons keeps Leics in control By Tim Wellock at Chester-le-Street First day of four: Leics (253-5) lead Durham (126) by 127 runs FIRED by title ambitions and a vibrant Phil Simmons, Leicestershire treated Durham like a minor irritant yesterday, establishing such embarrassing superiority that a hint of complacency eventually checked their march towards maximum points. Plundering runs at will on 209 for one, they suddenly slipped to 232 for five before Simmons restored order with 28 not out. Winning a championship in a tight finish ought to involve more testing encounters than this, against a Durham side looking short of incentive. The match became totally one-sided once Simmons joined the attack. The West Indian came on for the 29th over when Durham, who chose to bat on a cold, blustery day, were 88 for two. With the ink barely dry on his three-year contract, Alan Mullally had failed to make an impression in two wayward spells and the leaders looked in need of inspiration. Simmons provided it with career-best figures of six for 14, though his first two wickets were the result of poor strokes and his third of no stroke at all, as Mike Roseberry shouldered arms and was lbw. During his time as the Guisborough professional, Simmons played in two NatWest Trophy matches for Durham in their Minor Counties days, and in one of them he bowled appallingly. With Leicestershire, however, he has become a genuine all- rounder and his medium pace swingers have now brought him 54 championship wickets this season. Never scorning the chance of a celebratory huddle, Leicestershire were in danger of becoming over-familiar as Simmons struck three times in one over and at one stage had figures of five for five. Only Darren Blenkiron, undone by low bounce to give Mullally his one wicket, could blame the pitch, though John Morris was out of luck as he added another unusual dismissal to his season`s catalogue of disasters. Advancing down the wicket to pad away the off-spin of Adrian Pierson, Morris fell foul of the predatory instincts of Darren Maddy at short leg and was run out for one. With Simon Brown thrust reluctantly into the captaincy, Durham are awaiting their new leader from Australia. But one disgruntled member observed: "It`s not David Boon we want, it`s Daniel Boon." The lack of firepower was evident as they introduced Stephen Harmison, 17, from Ashington, to the all-seam attack they insist on fielding at the Riverside, even at the expense of David Cox, who has been easily their best player in recent months. Harmison is the 24th player Durham have used in the championship this season, compared with Leicestershire`s 13. But this was a strange time to blood a promising youngster and he found sympathy in short supply as Maddy and Ben Smith put on 148 in 19 overs for the second wicket. Smith, timing the ball majestically off the back foot, was almost contemptuous in reaching 50 off 38 balls and he advanced to 70 before both batsmen fell to full-length deliveries from Melvyn Betts. Gregor Macmillan drove carelessly to extra cover, but with Simmons still there maximum batting points should be achieved today. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) ==============================>Day 2 Simmons in scramble to top table By Tim Wellock at Chester-le-Street Leicestershire (516-6 dec) bt Durham (126 and 139) by an innings and 251 runs DURHAM`S defenceless chickens were ruthlessly scattered by the Leicestershire fox as the County Championship front runners made sure of maintaining their lead with only next week`s home match against Middlesex to come. Leicestershire repeated their two-day win against Somerset two weeks ago and could have wrapped this one up even more quickly had they not allowed Phil Simmons and Paul Nixon to gorge on the tasty fare served up by Durham`s bowlers. They broke the county`s sixth-wicket partnership record of 262, which had stood since 1911, and had put on 284 when Simmons was bowled for 171, prompting a declaration at 516 for six with a lead of 390. The highest team and individual totals at the Riverside Ground provided yet more landmarks on a day which began with Simmons reaching 1,000 runs for the season on 69. Nixon, profiting heavily from the pull in his unbeaten 103, kept pace with his partner in reaching a 71-ball fifty, but then the West Indian surged ahead with a glorious display of controlled aggression, scoring his third fifty off 32 balls. Durham`s misery was typified by successive balls from acting captain Simon Brown, which were picked up over square leg for six and cut savagely for four. Whatever the terms of his new contract, Simmons certainly gives excellent value for money, especially for a player who never established himself in a West Indies side whose current opener, Sherwin Campbell, looks as though he cannot get home fast enough. Campbell flashed wildly at the second ball of Durham`s second innings to give Nixon the first of his four catches and he will depart with a top score at Chester-le-Street of 39. Defeat confirmed Durham`s third wooden spoon in five years. They did not need to be battered into submission as the white flag had been hoisted during Simmons` first-day spell of six for 14. He could probably have beaten them single-handedly but he was left to languish at slip as the team`s other medium-pacer, Vince Wells, removed four of the top five batsmen. Alan Mullally bent his back in cleaning up the tail, yorking three of his five victims and removing the others with bouncers. He finished with five for 27 when he bowled Stephen Harmison with nine overs of the day`s allocation remaining. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)