Notts' Ali Brown profits as Durham revive memories of dark days

If Durham achieve their ambition of a hat-trick of championship titles they will look back at their disintegration at Trent Bridge today with disbelief. This was the day the championship favourites revived memories of their demoralising early years as a first-class county when they were the whipping boys of nearly every county in the land. Not since their inaugural first-class season in 1992 have Durham conceded more than 500 in the first innings of two successive championship matches. The punishment inflicted first by Yorkshire and now by Nottinghamshire, the two likeliest challengers for their crown, questions whether their malaise will be more prolonged than expected. An innings defeat, and a heavy one at that, beckons. Ali Brown is one of the few county players who will remember Durham's troubled early years. The third-oldest player on the circuit, his 40 years and four months are exceeded only by Mark Ramprakash and Shaun Udal. He made his maiden first-class hundred in the year Durham entered the championship and his 134 from 121 balls against them today was a sprightly reminder that his powers are not yet spent. Durham have been unbeaten in the championship for 23 matches. They last lost in Basingstoke, known because of its large number of roundabouts as Doughnut City. As Notts, runners-up for the past two seasons, thrashed 226 in 35 overs en route to a teatime declaration and then took four wickets in the final session to emphasise that this pitch was no featherbed, Durham could have looked at a doughnut and only seen the hole in it. Brown and Chris Read (124 not out from 181 balls) put on 237 for the sixth wicket. Paul Franks then weighed in with a quick-fire 64 from 45 balls. Only Ian Blackwell's left-arm spin exerted control, but he was brought on too late by Will Smith. Steve Harmison's first wicket of the season, an excellent catch by Phil Mustard off an inside edge, was cold comfort. Read manipulated and deflected scampishly; Brown's runs flooded through every crevice. Brown reached his hundred by cracking Ben Stokes to the cover sweeper. Stokes, one year old when Brown hit his maiden first-class hundred, would not have given much thought then as to how he might bowl to him in full flow and looked as if he had not done so since. The oddest decision won by Durham was an lbw against Samit Patel, one of the Sunderland seamer Chris Rushworth's first three championship wickets, and given out by umpire George Sharp in a pair of black gloves. It is a good job that he was not wearing mittens – Notts could have been batting yet.