COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, The Rose Bowl :
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY ONE: Durham 95-1, v Hampshire
15-18 September 2009

Di Venuto is close to his season's best Championship run tally of 1,538

Michael Di Venuto defied the weather to maintain his individual contribution to Durham's Championship-winning season with an unbeaten 61 against Hampshire.

Di Venuto, scorer of 1,418 runs already this season, was impressive again as Durham made the most of a day badly truncated by rain at the Rose Bowl.

Only 29 overs were possible and Durham, after winning the toss, ended at 95-1, Kyle Coetzer proving the only casualty.

Durham gave a first-class debut to young spinner Scott Borthwick.

The visitors, like Hampshire, decided to go into the match with two front-line spinners.

Hampshire had Danny Briggs and leading wicket-taker Imran Tahir to back up a seam attack of Dominic Cork, David Griffiths and Sean Ervine but there was little to help the bowlers in what little play was possible.

At the first interruption Durham were 59 without loss but by the time they came off again for bad light they had lost Coetzer.

Hampshire introduced teenager Briggs as early as the eighth over and it was he made the breakthrough, bowling Coetzer.

Briggs ended the first day with figures of 1-26 from 11 economical overs, by which time di Venuto had raced to his half-century.

At the premature close in mid-afternoon the Tasmanian had faced 92 balls and struck seven fours.

He has now taken his haul of Championship runs to 1,479 for the season - and another 59 on Wednesday will better his previous highest, 1,538, for Derbyshire in 2002.

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