SCOTT BORTHWICK was at the Lord’s crease to face the third ball yesterday and after surviving a perilous first half hour he was still there at the close on 169.

He also had to repel the second new ball, which immediately claimed two victims, leaving Durham on 348 for seven at the close.

It was also a day on which Paul Collingwood passed Dale Benkenstein’s record of 9,055 first-class runs for Durham.

The captain reached the landmark on 38 and went on to make 59.

The Middlesex attack holds no fears for Borthwick, who scored 216 against them at Chester-le-Street in early June and had since made two 90s and not much else.

He said: “I also got a few runs against them last year so I was determined to do well today and to score a hundred at Lord’s is a good feeling.

“It’s a new ball pitch, but when the ball went soft it was hard to get away, so we had to be patient after lunch. I was lucky enough to get a good start when I put away a half volley and I didn’t mind having the second new ball come on to the bat better.”

As Durham look ahead to the Royal London Cup final, they were reminded of the dangers of choosing to bat first at Lord’s with a 10.30 start in September.

They slipped to 24 for three, all the wickets falling to Tim Murtagh’s swing. But once the dew burned off on a glorious day it became evident that this is pitch on which both teams will be happy with a draw, given Lancashire’s struggles at Hove. If they lose to Sussex they will be as good as relegated.

The only wicket to fall between the seventh over and the 81st was that of Ben Stokes. He was clearly kicking himself for getting out for 85, not that Collingwood had any complaints about being given the opportunity to parade his fine form at headquarters.

He was never in any trouble until he fatally padded up to Murtagh’s fifth delivery with the new ball.

Those sitting beneath Old Father Time had a close-up view as the pitch was almost as close to the edge of the square as the one used for the Village Cup final on Sunday.

The middle shows a lot of late-season wear, but there is one strip which is obviously being saved for the RLC final on September 20, a match for which Collingwood appeared at times to be rehearsing.

As Middlesex set some eccentric fields he indulged in a few one-day shots, once cheekily steering Steven Finn through the totally unpopulated slip area.

Stokes looked equally at ease in a stand of 176 before he drove at Neil Dexter’s medium pace and edged to wicketkeeper John Simpson.

That was a bonus for Middlesex, who had settled for containment in mid-afternoon when Durham, after reaching 161 from 40 overs, scored only 17 off the next ten.

Neither batsman took any liberties against off-spinner Ollie Rayner, clearly not wishing to become his third victim in seven appearances this season. His two wickets have cost more than 240 apiece.

He conceded runs at little more than two an over, while Finn tended to go at five as he made a mockery of the England hierarchy decreeing that this should be his final game of the season. He dropped short far too often on the placid pitch, allowing Borthwick to pull and cut, and on this showing needs all the practice he can get if he is to return to Test standard.

Mark Stoneman took a hurried single off the day’s first ball and Keaton Jennings was bowled when pushing forward to the second.

Stoneman didn’t face another ball until the fourth over and was out for four in the fifth when he drove at an away swinger and edged to Simpson.

Murtagh made one go the other way to right-hander Michael Richardson to have him caught at second slip, also for four.

Borthwick has had a lean run in the last four matches, but he was quickly out of the blocks, scoring 12 off the first 11 balls he faced.

Stokes was already well settled on 30 when Middlesex brought back Finn for a second burst. Stokes pulled his first and fifth balls for four and punched the second off the back foot to the short cover boundary.

Finn was also the bowler when Borthwick went to his hundred off 170 balls, driving a four wide of mid-off for four before edging the next ball for his 15th boundary.

In the southern shires Collingwood tends to be labelled a leg-side shoveller, so any MCC members not dozing in the sunshine would be surprised when he leaned into the first ball he faced from Dexter and eased it to the cover boundary.

There were no such luxuries for Gordon Muchall, on the ground where he scored his maiden century in 2002. Having to settle for a slot at No 7, he had to face the new ball when Collingwood was out and fell lbw fifth ball to Finn.

LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE

Middlesex v Durham
At Lord’s. Durham Won Toss
Durham First Innings Close
M D Stoneman c Simpson b T J Murtagh........4
K K Jennings b T J Murtagh ................... 0
S G Borthwick not out ........................169
M J Richardson c Malan b T J Murtagh ..... 4
B A Stokes c Simpson b Dexter .........85
P D Collingwood lbw b T J Murtagh ..59
G J Muchall lbw b Finn............................ 0
P Mustard lbw b Roland-Jones............ 15
J W Hastings not out............................... 0
Extras (b4 lb5 w1 nb2 pens 0) 12
Total 7 wkts (96 overs) .... 348
Fall: 1-1 2-20 3-24 4-200 5-294 6-295
7-346
To Bat: C Rushworth, P K D Chase.
Bowling: T J Murtagh 22-2-91-4. Finn
19-1-88-1. Roland-Jones 19-4-68-1.
Dexter 11-1-37-1. Rayner 25-4-55-0.