PAUL Collingwood’s determination to keep his side in Division One shone through as Durham crucially won the final session of a rollercoaster second day at home to Nottinghamshire.

The captain followed his three for 26, his best four-day haul since 2008, by surviving for two hours to make an unbeaten 38, as Durham closed on 196 for seven in their second innings, leading by 261.

With the match in the balance following four wickets for another veteran, Gary Keedy, Collingwood found fearless assistance in the final hour from Sunderland lad Paul Coughlin.

He hit five fours in reaching 36 not out off 44 balls in an unbroken stand of 59 and after bowling the title chasers out for 188 in their first innings, Durham have a good chance of pulling off the win which should lift them out of the relegation places.

After initially looking like taking command, Durham slipped from 51 without loss to 83 for five.

They had 50 on the board in the 11th over before Keedy removed the top three. All are left-handers and, along with Ben Stokes and Phil Mustard, they had struggled in the defeat at Old Trafford against Keedy’s successor at Lancashire, Simon Kerrigan.

Keedy’s first ball had Mark Stoneman caught behind for 28 and having got away once with an ill-advised paddle sweep, Keaton Jennings tried it again and gloved a catch to Read.

Michael Richardson was run out for three when Scott Borthwick declined a third run to long-off and, as in the first innings, Calum MacLeod did not look comfortable.

James Franklin’s left-arm seam did not trouble anyone else, but MacLeod went close to playing on once, before getting a big inside edge into his leg stump.

In the last over before tea, Borthwick fell for 19 when he sat back to cut a ball from Keedy which turned sharply and bowled him.

Collingwood first found an able ally in Gordon Muchall after the break and he looked like hitting Keedy out of the attack when he drove him for a straight six on his way to 36.

But he was bowled by a beauty from Jake Ball, which cut back sharply, then Keedy had John Hastings lbw second ball.

But Collingwood would not be shifted.

He had previously taken only one championship wicket this season, just as he had in each of the previous two years, but struck with his fifth ball yesterday as his gentle swingers induced three edged catches.

Hastings led the way in heroic fashion with four for 64. Obviously determined to give Durham full value before departing after next week’s match at Lord’s, the Australian bowled nine overs in the morning, spent much of the lunch break bowling on a practice strip, and continued until he took the final wicket.

He should have had it with the total on 174 when Ajmal Shahzad hooked to long leg, where debut boy Peter Chase came in two strides when the ball would have gone straight down his throat had he stood still. He ended up palming the ball for six.

Resuming on 66 for four, Riki Wessels and James Franklin added 35 in the first eight overs before Wessels was squared up by Chris Rushworth and edged to MacLeod at gully.

When Collingwood came on, Franklin gave Borthwick the second of his three catches at second slip.

Hastings had Chris Read caught at deep backward square leg for 21, before Shahzad went for his shots and made 30 before he tried an upper cut off Hastings and lobbed a return catch.

Durham v Nottinghamshire
At Emirates Durham ICG.
Overnight: Durham 253 (M J Richardson
73, M D Stoneman 55).Nottinghamshire
66-4.

Nottinghamshire First Innings
M H Wessels c MacLeod b Rushworth...37
J E Franklin c Borthwick b Collingwood... 24
C M Read c Couglin b Hastings......... 21
A Shahzad c & b Hastings ...................30
L J Fletcher c Borthwick b Collingwood .....9
J T Ball c Richardson b Collingwood .. 12
G Keedy not out........................................ 0
Extras (b4 lb3 nb4 pens 0) 11
Total (58.2 overs).............. 188
Fall: 1-3 2-3 3-37 4-66 5-101 6-135 7-139
8-150 9-169
Rushworth 12-1-47-2. Hastings 21.2-5-
64-4. Couglin 8-4-19-1. Chase 8-1-25-0.
Collingwood 9-2-26-3.

Durham Second Innings Close
M D Stoneman c Read b Keedy..........28
K K Jennings c Read b Keedy .............23
S G Borthwick b Keedy ........................ 19
M J Richardson run out........................... 3
C S MacLeod b Franklin......................... 3
P D Collingwood not out ......................38
G J Muchall b Ball ..................................36
J W Hastings lbw b Keedy ..................... 0
P Couglin not out ...................................36
Extras (lb8 nb2 pens 0)......10
Total 7 wkts (52 overs) .... 196
Fall: 1-51 2-60 3-67 4-75 5-83 6-136 7-137
To Bat: P K D Chase, C Rushworth.
Fletcher 12-1-38-0. Shahzad 6-0-46-0. Ball
9-3-25-1. Keedy 18-3-56-4. Franklin 4-1-14-
1. S R Patel 3-0-9-0.