Hampshire amassed their highest innings total at the Rose Bowl against a depleted Durham attack yesterday.
Groundsman Nigel Gray was sleeping soundly in the Atrium bar during the evening session on the second day of Hampshire's latest championship match, quietly content with the state of his square.
Quite right too.
Shaun Udal and Dimitri Mascarenhas bolstered Hamp-shire's total way beyond the 400-mark, scoring at a rapid rate after Simon Katich and Wasim Akram had both departed in the space of three overs.
Hampshire finished on 456 all out, beating their previous highest score at West End - the 437 made against Sussex here two years ago.
It was not enough to surpass their highest of the current season - the 531 for 7 totalled against Glamorgan at Cardiff six weeks ago.
But a rare 400-plus total for Hampshire at the Rose Bowl is further evidence that the wicket is beginning to bed down, even if it was made against a Durham attack without Dewald Pretorius, who is unable to play any further part in this game after suffering a hamstring injury on day one.
Katich was bowled round his legs, having added 34 runs to his overnight 101, before describing yesterday's track as "good but a little two paced".
But it was Nic Pothas who was the first to go.
Pothas and Katich resumed on 238 for 4, adding a further 46 runs before Hampshire's wicketkeeper hit an upper cut straight to substitute fielder Mark Davies at third man.
Pothas had received treatment for a hand injury after 18-year-old Liam Plunkett had struck him with the new ball five overs old.
Within two overs Pothas was on his way back to the pavilion having dominated his fifth wicket partnership with Katich, making 79 runs out of 133.
And when Katich became the first of former Durham teammate Nicky Phillips' four victims, Wasim Akram soon followed, bowled after coming down the wicket to the off spinner, just before lunch.
It was then that Mascarenhas and Udal set about taking Hampshire to maximum batting points - and they did so very quickly.
Between them they added 123 runs for the eighth wicket at a rate of five runs per over before Mascarenhas was trapped lbw on the back foot by Phillips when he was within sight of his second Hampshire ton of the season and the fourth of his career.
A declaration at that point would not have been a surprise but Alan Mullally and Ed Giddins were allowed to wield the long handle.
They did not last long.
Mullally was out second ball, caught at long on, and Giddins was caught by the wicketkeeper Phil Mustard who took a well judged catch after a huge swing sent the ball skywards.
That left Udal marroned on 60 not out after the off spinner had reached his first championship fifty of the season from 66 balls.
In reply, Durham lost two quick wickets after a solid if unspectacular start.
Captain Jon Lewis and Gordon Muchall both departed in successive overs as the visitors finished on 107 for 2, needing 200 more runs to avoid the follow on.
Lewis gloved Giddins behind and then Muchall fell victim to Udal's quicker ball leaving debutant James Lowe unbeaten on 41 in the absence of Michael Gough, who could not play because of a family illness.
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