By Jon Steer
June 11 2005

Durham completed an innings victory over Essex with a day to spare at the Riverside today. Essex were all out for 380 in their second inning, still 19 runs adrift. Mark Davies was the most successful Durham bowler taking his seventh five wicket haul. Essex improved dramatically on their first innings total of 106. Night watchman Daryl Steyn who came in at number eleven in the first innings and whose previous first class best was just 11 scored 82 as the other top order wickets fell around him.

Mark Turner started the day with his first championship wicket when he had opener Cook caught behind. Noffke and Davies then accounted for Grant Flower and Ravinder Bopara to leave Essex in deep trouble at 93-4.

Andy Flower and Steyn took the score to 146 before both fell with a few balls of each other, again to Davies and Noffke. Other than Steyn's 82 the highest score in the top 6 was 24 from Andy Flower.

Captain James foster and Middlebrook then put on 56 for the seventh wicket before Middlebrook was bowked by Benkenstein. Andre Adams joined Foster at the wicket and made run scoring look easy.

With the new ball approaching, Benkenstein was happy to keep his front line bowlers resting and use himself, Nathan Astle and Gareth Breese to complete the overs with the old ball. This helped Adams push the scoring rate even further and as the eighth wicket stand passed 100 and then 150 it looked as if Essex would force Durham to at least bat again.

When the new ball came it didn't bring an immediate breakthrough but it did slow the scoring rate. Adams reached his century but soon after Mark Davies profited from a bit of uneven bounce as one kept low to Adams and clean bowled him. The stand had been worth 164 and Adams' total of 103 had brought some respectability to the Essex innings.

Essex managed just 14 more runs as Davies trapped Westfield lbw to complete a five wicket haul and Neil Killeen had James Foster lbw for 78.

22 points for Durham puts them well on top of the table, with Yorkshire hanging on for the draw against Lancashire they are 29 points adrift in third place, with Worcester the closest rival 17 points behind.

Durham travel to Northampton next week where they will face a team who are yet to win in the championship this season.