COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Riverside
Durham v Lancashire
11-14 June (1100-1800 BST)
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY TWO: Durham 244 & 122-6, Lancashire 116 (Durham 4pt, Lancs 3pts)

Flintoff made just three before Harmison bowled him

Eighteen wickets fell on the second day of Durham's match against Lancashire as bowlers dominated at the Riverside.

Andrew Flintoff took the final two wickets for figures of 4-47 as Durham were bowled out for 244, but then made just three as the visitors collapsed.

Graham Onions and Steve Harmison took four wickets each in Lancashire's 116.

Sajid Mahmood took three wickets as Durham slumped to 3-3 and 10-4 in their second innings but the hosts rallied to 122-6 at stumps to open a 250-run lead.

Flintoff's early dismissals of tail-enders Mitch Claydon and Harmison completed a good return to action for the England all-rounder.

However, Harmison took revenge by bowling the England star, and he also added the wickets of Mark Chilton and Francois du Plessis.

Prior to that Onions, another bowler with Test ambitions, claimed a trio of wickets in the shape of Paul Horton for a duck, Ashwell Prince - making his final appearance of the season - and Mal Loye.

606: DEBATE Give your reaction to day two here

Callum Thorp added two crucial wickets, including Glen Chapple for a duck and Luke Sutton, before Onions and Harmison cleaned up the tail-end duo of Mahmood and Oliver Newby to give them a lead of 128 runs.

However, Durham's second-innings response looked as though it would be short-lived, when four wickets were taken for just 10 runs.

Bolton-born Mahmood notched a hat-trick, conceding just three runs in the process for the wickets of Mark Stoneman, Michael Di Venuto and captain Will Smith, before Chapple took the usually prolific Dale Benkenstein for just one run to leave the hosts in trouble.

With little support Durham all-rounder Gordon Muchall went for a dogged 18, and was also joined by wicketkeeper Phil Mustard who departed from Flintoff's delivery for seven.

Burly all-rounder Ian Blackwell managed to steady the innings for Durham, clubbing seven boundaries from 74 balls to take his score to 65 and lift the Wearsiders into a significant lead.

Lancashire bowler Sajid Mahmood told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"The wicket's doing a bit of seam and swing and the bowlers are getting the ball in the right areas.

"We had a pretty good start and the guys are pretty disappointed up there and hopefully we can do that again on Saturday, get four cheap wickets.

"Me and Freddie (Flintoff) bowled it well and put them under pressure, the pressure is on and hopefully we can get them out and have a good bat."

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