DURHAM edged towards safety in their match against Warwickshire as Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick shared an unbroken stand of 151.

Both reached 50 off 93 balls and continued neck and neck into the 70s as Durham reached 164 for one at tea, only ten behind.

A pleasant afternoon and a placid pitch helped the left-handers to flourish and, while the runs flowed at the other end, they concentrated on survival against Jeetan Patel.

He conceded only seven runs in his first nine overs, going closest to a breakthrough when Stoneman missed an attempted cut on 45 and was almost bowled.

A a repeat of the stroke brought the three runs which took him to 50 as nine runs suddenly came off Patel's tenth over.

Rikki Clarke bowled a good spell, in which Borthwick took care not to play at several balls which pitched on off stump and left him.

But it was Borthwick who played the more eye-catching strokes, notably his sublime cover drives and one straight down the ground off Oliver Hannon-Dalby.

He replaced Patel and ten came off his first over, then when the spinner returned his first over included two leg-side wides as he tried to find Keith Barker's foot-holes from over the wicket.