DEPARTING duo Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick signed off with a stand of 162 to carry Durham to a six-wicket win on the final day of the season at the Ageas Bowl.

Stoneman made 137 and Borthwick 88 after some critics queried why they were even playing prior to leaving for Surrey, and one reason was that Durham had little alternative.

They are short of batsmen and could not be seen to hand Hampshire a victory which would have saved them from relegation and sent Lancashire down.

As it turned out, Hampshire did not look worthy of repeating last season's great escape after batting on for an hour to set a target of 296.

They had prepared a pitch for their spinners, but Ryan Pringle took ten wickets in the match and the home trio of twirlers were found wanting.

Pringle had the slight advantage of being able to fire his off breaks into the rough outside the right-handers' off stump, whereas Hampshire had only left-handers to bowl at until Stoneman was out with only 59 needed.

With Ben Stokes finishing the job with an unbeaten 23, they cruised home with ten minutes left.

Will Smith turned a few past the left-handers' outside edge in conceding only 31 off 14 overs, but the fact that his occasional off breaks posed the main threat did not say much for the others.

Pringle bagged more wickets than he had previously taken all season. His career-best seven for 107 in the second innings gave him match figures of ten for 260.

He took the two wickets to fall as Hampshire added 69 in the morning before declaring on 245 for nine.

Pringle was quickly handed his sixth when nightwatchman Mason Crane drove to mid-on. But wicketkeeper Lewis McManus reached 67 easily enough, suggesting the pitch had not deteriorated.

He was caught down the leg side by Michael Richardson, but Brad Wheal helped Gareth Berg to bat out the opening hour, which was Hampshire's stated target.

Durham suffered some barracking for time-wasting just before the declaration, but they wasted little time in setting about chasing down a target which was remarkably similar to the final match of last season, when Worcestershire's hand was also forced by the need to win.

Stoneman and Keaton Jennings shared their 13th half-century opening stand of the season before Jennings fell lbw to Crane for 25 with the total on 75.

The country's leading run scorer finished with 1,548 championship runs, 53 short of Michael Di Venuto's club record.

Needing 28 to join Stoneman in passing 1,000 championship runs for the fourth successive season, Borthwick reached the milestone when he hit Liam Dawson through mid-wicket for four.

Durham were 149 for one at tea, needing a further 147, and they stepped on the gas afterwards. With Borthwick sweeping confidently, Hampshire briefly abandoned spin and Stoneman hit three successive balls from Ryan McLaren for four, four, six.

He was finally caught off bat and pad off Dawson and Crane picked up two wickets when it was almost over, having Graham Clark stumped and pinning Borthwick lbw.

It left Paul Collingwood to enjoy the pleasure of helping Stokes to pick off the remaining 14 runs needed to end the season on a joyous note.