AN innings of 67 was good enough to continue Michael Gough's late surge into Player of the Year contention against Northamptonshire at the Riverside yesterday.

Other contenders among the batsmen were unable to enhance their chances as Durham crumbled to 129 for eight at the close in their second innings, leading by 133.

Durham have postponed their Player of the Year dinner, usually held in September, but they insist it is not because there are no realistic candidates.

Although work has yet to begin on building the indoor school, they are hoping it will be ready in time to stage the dinner prior to next season.

In a match following a remarkably similar pattern to last week's game at Colchester, Durham led by four on first innings as opposed to trailing by 12, then again made a positive start.

Gough and Gary Pratt put on 64 in the second innings against Essex, and they raced to 60 with superb batting yesterday before the left-hander's harsh dismissal triggered the all-too-familiar collapse. The same thing has happened in all three innings in this match, with Northants slipping from 60 without loss to 65 for four before staging a partial recovery through South African Gerry Brophy.

This was yet another example of Durham suffering at the hands of an EC passport holder, who in this case qualified through Irish grandparents.

Brophy, 26, is playing his third championship match for Northants and made his best score of 61 not out, while the second highest scorer with 44 was Sydney-born Jeff Cook, who qualifies because he has been in the UK since 1993.

Stephen Harmison, who took two early wickets in an impressive opening, finished with a season's-best four for 83, while Neil Killeen bowled a good spell in mid-innings, which produced three wickets. When the visitors resumed on 60 for one, Durham struck with the fifth ball when Rob White shaped to play Mark Davies on the leg side and the ball flew to Gary Pratt at point. Two balls later Harmison had nightwatchman Monty Panesar caught at forward short leg and in his second over of the day a groping David Sales edged to Andrew Pratt.

Cook then dominated a stand of 54 with Brophy before Killeen found some help from uneven bounce at the Lumley End, which may have prompted left-hander Cook to go for his shots.

He had hit eight fours in his 50-ball stay when a ball which kept low also came back off the pitch to hit off and middle. Tony Penberthy was undone by extra bounce as he pushed forward and the ball lobbed off the shoulder of his bat to Gough at gully.

Then Matt Cassar lasted only three balls before edging to Andrew Pratt and at 153 for seven Durham had hopes of a substantial lead.

But wicketkeeer Toby Bailey contributed an enterprising 30 to a stand of 52 with Brophy before he was bowled taking an ill-advised heave at Nicky Phillips. Brophy, who is also a wicketkeeper, quickly lost Carl Greenidge, also bowled by Phillips, but overseas man Matt Inness proved a more than useful No 11.

Four times he drove Phillips to the off-side boundary and it needed the recall of Harmison to shift him for 21 as he sliced a catch to Gough at gully.

Gough opened up with an array of beautifully-timed strokes in the second innings, scoring 31 of Durham's first 38 runs before Pratt joined in with two fours in an over off Greenidge.

But Pratt was adjudged lbw to Cassar by umpire Ian Gould, despite going well across to the off side, then a shooter from Penberthy had Gordon Muchall lbw first ball.

Nicky Peng struck two glorious fours through the covers off Penberthy, only to play forward defensively and be bowled in the same over. In Penberthy's next over Ashley Thorpe felt for a ball leaving him outside off stump and edged to the wicketkeeper.

There seems little point in prolonging the agony for both Thorpe and Marc Symington, so Durham might as well draft in Brad Hodge for next week's visit to Trent Bridge.

Symington made ten before he padded up to Greenidge and saw Gould's finger go up with indecent haste. A feature of Gough's innings was his perfectly-controlled pulling, but he also drove nicely and a misfield by Panesar at mid-on gave him his seventh four and took him to a 73-ball half-century. Gough had to knuckle down in an attempt to keep the ship afloat, but he was sixth out when a ball from Greenidge left him to take the edge on the way to Bailey.

With the light fading, Greenidge struck twice in his next over, yorking Phillips then skidding one through at shine height to bowl Andrew Pratt.

He had taken four for ten in six overs when the umpires took the players off for bad light. They returned 25 minutes later at 6.55 with four overs to be bowled, but before two had been completed they called it a day.

* Durham's National League match against Somerset at the Riverside on Monday will start at noon. The match was originally scheduled for Sunday, which is the reserve day for the C & G Trophy final between Somerset and Yorkshire.

* The final of the Just Sport Trophy between Durham Academy and Blaydon will be at Jesmond on Sunday, (1pm).

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