ROT stoppers have been as thin on the ground as Bradleys and Ashleys in Durham cricket, but Australian duo Brad Hodge and Ashley Thorpe swept gallantly to the rescue yesterday.

It won't be enough to prevent a tenth defeat in 15 championship games this morning, but at least they took the game into a fourth day.

On a day when Michael Gough became only the third batsman to carry his bat in first-class cricket for Durham, the usual slump was in progress when, following on 276 behind, they went from 78 without loss to 81 for three.

But a stand of 136 followed, with the hard-hitting Thorpe proving the dominant partner and going on to make 95 as Durham reached 264 for seven at the close, 12 behind.

At the end of a season in which he has done little to justify a two-year contract, the chunky left-hander suddenly blossomed with an array of powerful strokes.

Thorpe has a residential qualification after playing league cricket in Durham for seven years and has a reputation for destroying poor bowling.

But he looked as though he would struggle to get into Alice Springs second XI when confronted by the excellence of Michael Kasprowicz on his championship debut against Glamorgan.

Despite making 61 at Colchester, he was averaging only 12.8 from nine championship innings prior to yesterday's knock, but there had been signs of increasing confidence.

Essex seemed not to have learnt from their earlier meeting that Thorpe is severe on anything wide of off stump, although Mark Waugh realised it and tried to bottle him up on leg and middle in bowling four overs of off spin.

Unfortunately for Waugh, he sent down a couple of long hops which Thorpe smashed to the mid-wicket boundary, and when Jon Dakin returned after tea he took nine off the first over.

Over-confidence threatened to creep in as in the next over he heaved across the line at James Middlebrook and was very close to being bowled, but he settled down to reach 50 off 90 balls, then switched into overdrive.

Middlebrook was twice driven firmly down the ground, then a sweep from outside off stump off Paul Grayson scorched to the boundary.

Hodge was content to concede the strike, but took only five more balls to complete his own immaculate 50, only to fall shortly afterwards.

He looked totally secure but suddenly top-edged a sweep off Grayson and was caught at backward square leg.

In the next over Ian Pattison had his off stump rattled by Graham Napier, and if fans wondered why the fading light didn't trigger any warning lights on the scoreboard it was because they had been switched off following doubts that they were working properly the previous day.

There were five overs left when Thorpe edged a cut off Middlebrook and the ball was knocked up in the slips for Waugh to complete the catch.

Thorpe had hit 16 fours and there were shades of a similar left-hander, Darren Blenkiron, falling so close to a deserved maiden century against the same opponents at Chelmsford in 1994.

In the next over Andrew Pratt was caught off bat and pad and Essex could have claimed an extra half hour to force victory. But the umpires decided at the scheduled close that the light was too bad.

Gough was unbeaten on 75 in the first innings total of 187 after watching the remaining six wickets fall by lunchtime.

Wayne Larkins carried his bat against Gloucestershire at Gateshead Fell in 1992, and Jon Lewis has done it twice. He made 158 out of 251 against Kent at Darlington in 1997 and 70 out of 158 against Lancashire at the Riverside the following year.

Gough was on 41 overnight, but the lack of resistance at the other end began with the day's third ball. Pattison padded up to the previous delivery from Dakin and looked fortunate not to be given out, but he then edged to James Foster.

Four of the last five wickets fell to Middlebrook's off spin, starting with a lunge from Andrew Pratt which allowed Foster to stump him.It was one of the better pieces of work from England's second choice wicketkeeper, who brought off some very athletic takes and missed some routine ones.

Ian Hunter was caught off bat and pad, Nicky Phillips looked bemused to be adjudged lbw, and Stephen Harmison went second ball, edging to slip. It was his seventh duck in 14 championship innings.

Gough's concentration never wavered during his 201-ball stay, in which he hit ten fours, and after lunch he re-emerged to dominate a stand of 78 with Gary Pratt.

It was their sixth half-century partnership in the five games Lewis has missed, but they have yet to get beyond 79.

Pratt fell for 28 when he got underneath a pull off John Stephenson to give Dakin a comfortable catch at long leg.

Gough had scored fluently through mid-wicket to reach 46 off 68 balls, but in Stephenson's next over he pushed firmly forward and the bowler knocked the ball up with his oustretched right hand before clutching the catch at the third attempt.

The sight of 37-year-old Stephenson prancing in does not convince onlookers that the English game is moving forward, but he had taken three for none in seven balls when Gordon Muchall padded up to an in-swinger which hit him on the back leg and was palpably lbw.

Muchall's second ball duck left him with 72 runs from eight championship innings since returning from England Under 19 duty - further proof that playing boys' cricket is no good for someone of proven first-class pedigree