Date-stamped : 07 Jun97 - 06:16 Lenham punishes wayward Durham By Tim Wellock at Chester-le-Street First day of four: Sussex 314-7 v Durham DURHAM`S attempt to justify their obsession with fielding an all-seam attack at the Riverside Ground was undermined when, for the third successive match, their pre-lunch bowling was wayward in the extreme. An improvement thereafter brought wickets for each of the five bowlers, who exposed Sussex`s shortcomings in a steady decline from 153 for one, with wicketkeeper Martin Speight holding three catches against his former team-mates. It was day of tentative sparring between two sides desperate for a victory and the only real beneficiary of the early dross was Neil Lenham, who enjoys his visits to the banks of the River Wear. A few miles upstream, at the Durham University ground four years ago, he scored 88 and 78, then took a career-best four for 13. Yesterday he pulled and drove crisply to make 93. Durham brought in former captain Mike Roseberry for his first championship game of the season, but for the sixth time in six matches they were denied first use of the pitch, David Boon having inserted the opposition the only time he won the toss. What looked the best pitch yet produced at the ground offered the bowlers some assistance once they located the right areas, but neither Bill Athey, caught behind for 40, nor Mark Newell, lbw for 29, looked convinced they were out. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Over 30s find the right tune By Tim Wellock at Chester-le Street Third day of four: Sussex (373 & 243 for 8) lead Durham (338) by 278 runs THE FAT lady has still to sing in this match, which after three days of low-key tuning up is building nicely to a crescen- do. Yesterday was a day for the 30-somethings as Neil Taylor made his second century of the season and shared a stand of 142 with Bill Athey which appeared to have tipped the balance Sussex`s way only for Alan Walker to restore equilibrium. Walker took four wickets as Sussex subsided to 208 for seven before Peter Moores dug in for the second time in the match until bad light intervened with 10 overs remaining. With both sides seeking their first championship win of the season, the most obvious difference between the teams so far has been in the accuracy of their seamers. That was not the case in the first 55 minutes yesterday, how- ev- er, as Walker and Simon Brown added 19 in 13 overs of largely short- pitched bowling before proceedings were greatly enlivened by the in- troduction of leg spinner Amer Khan. Brown took 10 runs and survived a stumping off the first five balls and was caught at long on off the sixth, ending a last- wicket stand of 41 which left Durham only 35 behind. Walker and Brown then saw off the Sussex openers, only for Taylor and Athey to take root. Taylor`s deceptively casual ap- proach pro- duced much languid stroke play while rarely sug- gesting permanence. The value of his experience, however, shone through in his shot selection and he hit 14 fours in making 109 before edging a lifter from Walker. Athey, who came into the match averaging 75, looked the more solid partner in reaching his fourth half-century of the season, but his departure removed the rock around which Sussex hoped to build an impregnable lead. The Newell brothers, Keith and Mark, both failed to capitalise on dropped catches as the persevering Walker spared Durham from the embarrassment they might have suffered through not selecting a spinner. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Jarvis injury evens odds for Durham By Tim Wellock at Chester-le-Street Sussex (373 & 271) beat Durham (338 & 269-8) by 37 runs JUST when Sussex needed to have Paul Jarvis firing on all cylinders, the former England paceman was laid low by an Achilles` tendon problem yesterday, leaving the match in the bal- ance. A target of 307 was a tall order as Durham set off in pursuit of their first championship win for 21 months, but the absence of Jarvis altered the equation. Sussex had leg-spinner Amer Khan on as early as the 10th over, leaving Vasbert Drakes and Mark Robinson to share the downwind duties. Drakes removed both openers in a lively spell, completing a miserable return for Mike Roseberry, before John Morris provided further evidence of his rehabilitation. Averaging 50.8 in the championship, compared with 14.6 last season, he passed his 1996 aggregate of 410 on his way to a mas- terful half-century. He was dropped on 60 by Keith Greenfield at first slip off Robinson, who was rewarded in his next over by trapping David Boon lbw to end a threatening stand of 57, and at tea Durham were 145 for four. Amer Khan had done his bit by increasing Nick Speak`s miseries when he bowled him for nine, but he tended to bowl one bad ball an over which was punished by Morris. Jarvis`s absence meant he had the least impact of the five York- shiremen in this game, even being upstaged by the unlikely figure of Alan Walker, who continues to confound those who felt this would be his last season in the first-class game. Walker, 35 next month, had championship figures of two for 277 in his three matches last season, but when he took the last two Sus- sex wickets yesterday to dismiss them for 271, he fin- ished with six for 68. It is indicative of Durham`s progress on all fronts that this has been the first example of the perfect four-day game at the River- side Ground, but they knew this was a match they had to win. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)