DURHAM will need to do a much better job of curbing Graeme Hick tomorrow than they did during his 200 not out at the Riverside yesterday.

A combination of Hick and bad light left the final championship match heading for stalemate, but it will be all or nothing when the teams clash in the Norwich Union League.

On Durham's final day of the season victory will ensure promotion, while defeat will see Worcestershire overtake them for second place.

Hampshire would also leap above them to take the third promotion spot if they won at home to second-bottom Middlesex, and Robin Smith's men also still have to play Sussex next week.

If rain prevents a result tomorrow Worcestershire can still overtake Durham by winning at home to Essex next week, while Hampshire would need at least a win and a no-result.

The match, to be broadcast live by Sky, starts at 12.10 and Durham have named the same squad which lost at home to Essex last Sunday.

That means Nicky Peng and Nicky Phillips will replace Gary Pratt and Ian Hunter from the current championship line-up.

It is hoped Danny Law will be fit to bowl after a toe injury prevented him from having a pop yesterday at Hick, whose batting was more metronomic than magnificent.

For those who are not fans of the 35-year-old former England batsman it was a depressing day as he equalled the highest score made on the six-year-old Riverside ground.

Darryl Cullinan also made 200 not out for South Africa against Durham three years ago, while the previous highest championship score was Owais Shah's 190 for Middlesex this season.

Hick also achieved the unique feat of completing championship hundreds home and away against all other 17 first-class counties.

He has been an infrequent visitor to Durham. He once thrashed a Sunday League century at Darlington, but he was playing in that match only because England had lost a Test match in three days.

When he made 150 against Durham at Worcester in 1996 he survived a sitter early in his innings to John Morris at third man.

He should have been out on 88 yesterday when Jimmy Daley ran back 15 yards from mid-off to get underneath a steepling drive off Graeme Bridge.

But the ball slipped through Daley's hands to compound his failures in front of the home fans.

Durham took four wickets yesterday, three of them run out, before Hick declared on 356 for nine, 13 behind, in the hope of keeping the game alive.

But play had begun half an hour late because of the odd spot of rain and a further 17 overs were lost to bad light after tea. Although they returned at 5.30 for nine overs, Durham's advance to 99 for two left them in a difficult position in terms of setting a target today.

Hick saw two partners run out when he was on 99 then edged Nicky Hatch just wide of Martin Love, the only slip, for the two runs which took him to 101.

Love dived to his left to get his fingertips to the ball, but this was Hick's day as he joined Don Bradman on 117 first-class centuries.

Bradman made rather more than Hick's six in Tests and also played only half of Hick's 678 innings.

Hick is well known for steady accumulation against flagging bowlers on flat tracks, which was pretty much what he achieved yesterday.

Many of his 26 fours were pulled disdainfully through mid-wicket, while his only six was a straight drive off Bridge, which took him to 200 off 238 balls. His last 50 came off only 23 deliveries.

Towards the end there was a marked similarity to Durham's late season efforts last year when Dominic Cork took a double hundred off them at Derby.

At 227 for eight, with Hick on 99, Durham still had hopes of a healthy lead. But Matthew Rawnsley hung around for 23 overs to contribute 17 to a stand of 99 before he became Gary Pratt's second run out victim with a direct hit coming in from cover.

There was no way Hick was going to take any risks on 99 as Steve Rhodes called him for a second run to backward square leg. Pratt nipped round from mid-wicket and his throw left Rhodes stranded at the same end as his illustrious partner.

Chris Liptrot turned the third ball he faced to mid-wicket and failed to beat Ian Hunter's direct hit at the non-striker's end.

Other than that the only wicket came when Bridge had Andy Bichel caught at the wicket straight after the Queenslander drove him for a straight six.

Worcestershire might have fancied knocking over demoralised Durham cheaply in their second innings.

Bichel worked up a fair pace in having Gary Pratt caught at slip for eight then trapping Jon Lewis lbw with a full-length ball. Lewis's 19 took him to exactly 1,000 first-class runs for the season.

Bichel was unlucky not to take another wicket when Love got in a tangle trying to hook him on 21. With two men back behind square the ball lobbed in the air and fell just short of them.

But Love is still there on 45, needing a further 71 to break Wayne Larkins' Durham record of 1,417 championship runs in a season.

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