AS FAR as Kent's bowlers are concerned Australian batsman Michael Di Venuto is the devil incarnate - the Tasmanian devil that is.

Over the past nine years the compact left-hander from Hobart has enjoyed taking runs off Kent attacks and he continued to prove the point at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday where his unbeaten 204 helped Durham, his third county, to an impressive first day score of 407 all out inside 87 overs.

The gritty Di Venuto first came up against Kent in 1999 when he scored 136 and 71 for Sussex in a drawn championship match in Hove.

Then, two summers ago when with Derbyshire, he smashed an 80-ball century in defeating the Spitfires by 90 runs in a Totesport League clash at The Mote in Maidstone.

Despite wearing the colours of Durham, the story remained the same at The Riverside where Kent's wayward bowling allowed Di Venuto to score at will on both sides of the wicket.

As Kent's bowlers persisted in spraying the ball around Di Venuto and the home top-order plundered 19 fours in the opening two hours of the match having won the toss and elected to bat despite some cloud cover and a threat of rain later in the day.

He cashed in on umpteen short deliveries, especially from Robbie Joseph who, after being preferred ahead of the in-from Simon Cook, went for 53 runs in his five overs of the day.

It set Joseph back when, from the only time he did find the edge, Geraint Jones failed to get a glove on the chance from Will Smith that flew between him and first slip.

It mattered little when, three overs later, Yasir Arafat nipped one back to trap Smith for 13, leg before playing all around his planted front pad.

England's Paul Collingwood marched in and appeared lucky to survive a second-ball shout for leg before but Arafat made sure next ball with a perfect leg-cutter that pitched middle and hit middle and off to send Collingwood packing for nought.

Di Venuto teamed up with another import, Aberdeen's Kyle Coetzer, to add 181 for the third wicket with the Scottish right-hander contributing an impressive 74.

Ruffled by a Joseph bouncer that smashed his helmet grille, Coetzer settled thereafter to play shots all round the wicket as Kent's bowlers lost their discipline.

Arafat bowled too short while Andrew Hall proved wayward. The South African followed a near off-side wide with one slipped down the leg, both of which Di Venuto dispatched for four.

Luckily for Rob Key's sanity, his side re-grouped and hit back by taking five wickets in the run up to tea.

Off-spinner James Tredwell threw one up tempting Coetzer, on 74, to drive only for the ball to turn back through the gate and peg back middle stump via an inside edge.

Tredwell then had Dale Benkenstein (2) caught when slogging to mid-wicket by Ryan McLaren, who then replaced the off-colour Hall at the Finchale End.

Kolpak-signing McLaren showed the rest how it should be done, pushing the ball up to a fuller length allowing it to nip around off the seam and swing through the air; he proved more than a handful.

Phil Mustard moved to 23 with a miscued hook that just sailed over Joseph's head at long leg for six, but next ball up McLaren returned to the 'corridor of uncertainty' to find middle stump off an inside edge as the home keeper attempted to drive.

McLaren hit Garry Park (0) on the boot with a yorker to send him packing leg before then Gareth Breese (5) played inside a leg-cutter to give the South African seamer his third victim in the space of 10 balls at a cost of four runs.

Kent might have had Di Venuto for 156 before tea had Matthew Walker held on to a difficult chance at third man, but the Kent fielder could not hold on to the diving chance, the result of a top-edged cut off the bowling of Arafat.

As it was, the left-hander continued his march after the interval to post the third double century of his career from 241 balls with 23 fours and a six.

Gradually he ran out of partners though as Liam Plunkett (35) edged to Jones stood up to Tredwell when attempting a back-foot force then the off-spinner took a return catch off Graham Onions (4) after he failed to get to the pitch of an ambitious drive.

Last man Steve Harmison (5) then wafted at a McLaren bouncer to edge to Jones, leaving Di Venuto unbeaten on 204, carrying his bat for the second time in the three weeks for his new county.

McLaren and Tredwell were easily the pick of the visiting attack with four wickets apiece but, on a sloppy day in the field, Kent conceded 42 extras and maximum batting bonus points to the hosts.

In the remaining 6.5 overs of the day, Kent's openers Key (7) and Joe Denly (15) reached 23 without loss before bad light stopped play, taking their side into the second day of four with a deficit of 378.

SCORECARD

Durham first innings

M J Di Venuto not out 204
W R Smith lbw b Arafat 13
P D Collingwood b Arafat 0
K J Coetzer b Tredwell 74
D M Benkenstein c McLaren b Tredwell 2
P Mustard b McLaren 23
G T Park lbw b McLaren 0
L E Plunkett c Jones b Tredwell 35
G Onions c&b Tredwell 4
S J Harmison c Jones b McLaren 5
Extras 42

Total 407 all out after 86.5 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-46, 2-46, 3-227, 4-243, 5-286, 6-290, 7-296, 8-359, 9-367.

Bowling: Yasir Arafat 17-2-85-2, Joseph 8-0-62-0, McLaren 19.5-0-91-4, Hall 10-0-48-0, Tredwell 27-2-88-4, Stevens 5-1-15-0.

Kent first innings

R W T Key not out 7
J L Denly not out 15
Extras 1

Total 29 without loss after 6.5 overs

Bowling: Onions 3.5-0-15-0, Harmison 3-0-7-0.

* Mark Pennell's second day report will appear here at the close of play this evening.