By Tim Wellock at Darlington
First day of four: Leics (247-4) v Durham
DARREN Maddy's slip down the England order has sharpened his focus, as he shrugged off indifferent form here to underline his Test pedigree with a disciplined century spiced with 18 fours.
The Leicestershire opener's top championship score of the season was 40 until he took advantage of an easy- paced pitch on Durham's only out ground this season.
Classic straight driving was the feature of Maddy's innings, in which his first fifty came off 156 balls and his second off 82. He also cut and pulled majestically and was on 115 when bad light ended play at 5.25.
Leicestershire left out David Millns and brought in off-spinner Carl Crowe, 22, for his second first-class game, three years after his first. Gambling on the pitch breaking up, they batted first despite gloomy light and lost four wickets to the seamers before Aftab Habib joined Maddy in an unbroken stand of 116.
In a battle of aspiring Test players, Maddy triumphed against Melvyn Betts, who continued Phil Simmon's struggles, however, during a superior post-lunch spell.
Day 2: Maddy and Simmons wreak havoc
By Tim Wellock at Darlington
Second day of four: Durham (102-5) trail Leics (414) by 312 runs
DURHAM began this match two points ahead of the visitors, but as usual against Leicestershire they continued to be out-manoeuvred as Darren Maddy completed his highest first-class score in England and Phil Simmons wreaked havoc with the ball.
Medium-pace swing and seam proved much more effective than pace as Simmons took three wickets and Vince Wells forced David Boon to play on in reducing Durham from 40 for one to 69 for five.
They did not need the assistance of catches as Paul Collingwood lost his off stump and Nick Speak his middle. John Morris fell lbw after taking 63 minutes to get off the mark.
Simmons, who once played in a NatWest tie on this ground for Durham in their Minor County days, had previously taken one championship wicket this season.
Maddy also registered a big improvement, batting for seven hours to make 162 with scarcely a blemish. Apart from his 202 for England A against Kenya in January, his only other first-class score above 103 was 131 against Oxford University. He put on 209 with Aftab Habib (96) before John Wood completed his second five-wicket haul in three matches.
Day 3: Cool Lewis puts the Fox among the chickens
By Tim Wellock at Darlington
Third day of four: Leics (414) bt Durham (134 & 177) by an innings and 103 runs
CAPTAINING Leicestershire is a piece of cake. So said Chris Lewis as the Red Fox county began to scent their second title in three years after their annual scattering of the Durham chickens.
The new-found steel which had carried Durham into second place prior to their demolition by Yorkshire two weeks ago was again absent as they succumbed to medium-pace swing on a slow pitch.
Their spirit broken, they surrendered their last five wickets to the spinners, with Carl Crowe, 22, taking three for 49 with his well-flighted off-breaks having previously bowled only two overs in first-class cricket.
Lewis, in charge until James Whitaker recovers from a knee injury, took only one wicket in the match but brought about the downfall of David Boon when he positioned himself at very short extra cover and nonchalantly held on to a full-blooded drive.
``I have played against David a few times and I think initially he sometimes hits the ball in the air a bit,'' explained Lewis. ``We were in a strong position so we were able to try a few things. I'm not sure whether he middled it but it certainly hurt.''
The removal of Durham's cornerstone further justified Lewis's decision to hand the new ball to Vince Wells, who claimed three of the top four when Durham followed on 280 behind.
The difficulty of Boon's task compared with Lewis's was all too evident, but the Australian said: ``It's purely a mental thing and I think we can get over it. We've shown our ability and proved we can win games. We've had a relapse but the important thing is not to revert to how things used to be.''
Jimmy Daley provided Durham's staunchest resistance, making 30 and 42 not out, but when he was caught behind in the morning he was the first victim of a spell of four for five in nine balls by Phil Simmons.
It left the West Indian with career-best figures of seven for 49, beating the six for 14 he took against Durham at Chester-le-Street two years ago.
John Morris was lbw to Wells's first ball in the second innings, becoming the third Durham batsman in the match to be out without offering a stroke. There were also three other first-ball dismissals.
John Wood was one of those but he went to the crease at 97 for eight in the second innings inspired by the news that his wife had just given birth to a son and proceeded to hit 36 off 35 balls in a stand of 58.
Daley's driving also tarnished Crowe's figures, but overall there was no doubting Leicestershire's pedigree.
``We're all friends,'' said Lewis. ``We work hard at the game and we're playing well. Everybody knows what he needs to do.''