A BURST of three wickets in eight balls revived Durham when things had gone flat on a pleasant afternoon at Chesterfield. But it didn't last and Derbyshire were 180 for seven at tea, leading by 247.

Alex Hughes and Matt Critchley looked increasingly at ease in a fourth-wicket stand of 52, which took Derbyshire's lead beyond 200.

The a poor ball from Barry McCarthy made the breakthrough as Critchley followed it down the leg side and Stuart Poynter dived to hold a fine catch.

Two balls later Daryn Smit edged low to Paul Collingwood at first slip and in the next over Tony Palladino looked nonplussed to be adjudged caught behind off Ryan Pringle.

That was in the off-spinner's eighth over. He had previously posed little threat, and two overs later he was pulled for a big six by Hughes, who was on 87 at tea.

The frist wicket of the afternoon fell to Paul Coughlin, who skidded one through to have Luis Reece lbw for 37. But Critchley played with the same assurance as in his first innings century and Durham were lucky to get him for 28.

After his unbeaten 48 in the first innings at No 11, Gurjit Sandhu was promoted to nine and helped Hughes to stop the rot.