Date-stamped : 11 May97 - 02:16 Walker puts Notts on back foot By Geoffrey Dean at Hartlepool First day of four: Durham (115-3) trail Notts (170) by 55 runs DURHAM secured an early bridgehead in what, on the two sides` positions in the championship last year (17th and 18th), might be termed the battle of the basement. Alan Walker, at 34 comfortably the oldest piece of artillery on either side, provided the thrust for Durham`s advance, taking the best figures for the county on home soil, seven for 56. A first win for two years now beckons. Walker is a bit better than a reliable popgun, possessing the best Durham analysis of eight for 118 at Chelmsford two years ago. Last year he was largely overlooked in the Championship, but solid performances in the Benson and Hedges Cup gained him selection here for what he pronounced "a plug-away wicket." The pitch, slow but offering some movement off the seam, suited him nicely. After Durham had bowled a foot too short in the first hour, when Notts cruised to 46 without loss, Walker located the right length and got the ball to nip around. He was presented with the first wicket, when Tim Robinson chipped a half-volley to square leg. A trio of seaming deliveries then accounted for Graeme Archer, Paul Pollard and Paul Johnson. Later, another good ball ended Chris Tolley`s positive 54, but well though Walker and Simon Brown, in his second spell, bowled, Notts were guilty of several bad shots. Mohammad Zahid`s much anticipated debut for Notts did not materialise after he complained of back pain during a net yesterday. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Speak gets angles right for Durham By Geoffrey Dean at Hartlepool Third day of four: Notts (170 & 68-2) trail Durham (331) by 93 runs ANOTHER good day for Durham suggested that the new air of optimism at the club is not misplaced. Time may yet deny them their first victory for two years, but whatever the result, their batting now has more than a solid look about it. Nick Speak should prove to be one of the best acquisitions of the close season, and his patient 93 in 5.5 hours could prove crucial. A strong onside player, he has often got out hitting across the line, but here he played immaculately straight. This, he said, was an area he worked hard on after moving up from Lancashire in February. A more open stance was clear evidence. After the washout of the second day, Speak and David Boon extended their stand to 135 in 44 overs. Rightly cautious in the first half-hour when they scored just six runs, they began to tuck into a Notts attack that, without Mohammad Zahid, looks as unthreatening as any in the championship. Boon, whose bat looked as broad as his figure, cut with precision and drove imperiously down the ground, once memorably on the up through mid-off. Nothing seemed more unlikely than his dismissal when he fell to Richard Bates`s fifth ball, expertly taken at silly point. Another fine piece of fielding accounted for Martin Speight, who had batted with determination before Mark Bowen`s direct hit from cover ran him out. Bowen`s throw also deprived Speak of his hundred and Durham of maximum batting points. Simon Brown took them close with straight driving that hinted at a useful golf swing. His team-mates complain he is a bandit off 14. Brown was not quite at his best with the ball, but James Boiling took a superlative one-handed catch to his left in the gully to remove Paul Pollard. On a pitch that may assist him today, Boiling then spun one through Graeme Archer`s tentative defences. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Boon times must wait after rain By Geoffrey Dean at Hartlepool Final day: Durham (331) drew with Notts (170 & 200 - 6) DURHAM were apparently well on course for their first championship victory for two years when the rain finally arrived at Park Drive yesterday. Notts were only 39 ahead with four wickets remaining when a deluge stopped play mid- way through the afternoon session. The umpires had no option but to abandon the match at 4.30pm. Resuming on 68 for two, still 93 behind, Notts lost their nightwatchman, Mark Bowen, to the third ball of the day. David Boon held a good low catch at second slip off Simon Brown, owner of an unfamiliar crewcut following a prank in Forfar that went wrong. "Chubby", as he is known to his team- mates after the renowned North-East comedian of the same surname, tried to balance a tin of paint on his head but failed. The contents emptied themselves on to his locks and he decided they had to come off. Mathew Dowman did not last long, edging the seam-up of Michael Foster to second slip where Boon held another far from easy catch. Paul Johnson made a rapid 34 that included a couple of streaky edges for four before he was taken off the full face of the bat at short leg off James Boiling`s off-spin. Moments later, Boiling underlined why he is one of the best gully fieldsmen in the country with a diving catch low to his right to remove Tim Robinson. That was the one wicket Durham had wanted above all. Last year, Robinson`s 184 after Notts had followed on had denied Durham victory. This time, he was again a frustrating obstacle, holding out for 57 overs for his 69. Victory seemed tantalisingly close at lunch with Notts 150 for six. But no further inroads were made in the hour after the interval before the rain came, forcing the players to gallop for cover to the enchanting little pavilion on this tree- ringed ground, whose attractiveness is as marked as the friendliness of the club`s officials and members. One had to feel for Durham. Last year, the elements deprived them of probable victory against both Gloucestershire and Hampshire. Here, having thoroughly outplayed a poor Notts side, they were stymied by the loss of five sessions. The portents at least look reasonable for the rest of the season, particularly in limited-overs cricket. The new arrivals, Boon, Nick Speak and Martin Speight have given the previously frail middle-order a different look. And Jon Lewis, recruited from Essex, has the ideal temperament for an opener. His and Speight`s chirpiness should help to keep spirits up when times are tough, as they undoubtedly will be, for Durham are still one quality seamer short and over-dependent on the excellent Brown. But above all, Durham are prospering from both the batting and captaincy of Boon. His is a reassuring presence both at the crease and in the field, where his body language is clearly rubbing off on the rest of the team. Not that he is overly demonstrative. Far from it. As team manager, Norman Gifford, says, "Boony just tells everyone what he expects and wants. He doesn`t go over the top and he doesn`t fly off the handle if people don`t deliver. He`s just what we needed." Already the Australian is popular with the membership. A club T-shirt with "Boon Army" (an obvious amendment of Toon Army, Newcastle United`s diehard supporters` group) is selling well. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)