Durham left out skipper Nick Speak yesterday but there was no improvement in their one-day batting.

Everything revolved again around Simon Katich and Paul Collingwood, who both made half centuries before runs dried up in the Norwich Union National League game against Essex at the Riverside.

Durham made 188 for 8 in their 43 overs and after a second shower reduced Essex's target to 167 in 33 overs, they arrived at the final over needing 12 with one wicket left.

But one legitimate ball later, they had won as Neil Killeen's figures went from four for 20 in six excellent overs to four for 32 in 6.1. Two full tosses were smashed over and passed square leg for six and four by Danny Law, and as the first was also a no ball it added two more to the total.

Killeen had bowled superbly in his previous two overs to take three wickets and tip the balance Durham's way, but it took only two stray balls to undo his hard work.

Durham said Speak was "rested" but the timing maybe significant with relegation from Division One of the championship now almost certain. Vice captain Jon Lewis took over as he occasionally did last season when he was in the running for the captaincy until Speak secured his future with back-to-back centuries in July.

With Katich's availability next season uncertain, Lewis is in pole position to take over should Durham decide to have a change.

Durham are next to bottom of Division Two, one place higher than last season, and with little to play for they opted for youth yesterday.

It was to know avail as Nicky Peng made seven, Ryan Robinson, three, Marc Symington one and the bowling of the latter two did little to enhance their claims for new contracts. Symington should be seen as a genuine all-rounder and he was entitled to feel insulted that he was sent in below Nicky Phillips. With only two overs left he was unlucky to be run out going back for a second run.

Andrew Pratt was also run out and in both cases the batsmen looked closer to being in than did Dominic Cork when ajudged not out on 19 by Peter Willey last Wednesday.

The umpires yesterday were Bob White - one of those who should have been pensioned off at 60 - and Barry Duddleston. Their first curious decision was to take the players off for the lightest of showers when Durham were 110 for two off 24 overs.

Most umpires in such situations this season have reduced the tea interval but these two decided to knock two overs off each side's allocation.

From the first ball on the resumption Katich reached his fifth half century in his last six innings in this competition.

He had faced only 59 balls and hit seven fours and was playing so well it came as big surprise when he played back to Ricky Anderson on 63 and got an inside edge into his leg stump.

With 573 runs he now needs 94 from three games to beat Dean Jones's record for Durham of 656 runs in a season in the one-day league.

The first record to go should be John Morris's total of 1496 runs for Durham in this competition as Collingwood is now only 28 behind.

His 50 off 67 balls was his fifth National League half century of the season and provided a vivid contrast with Michael Gough's innings of 18. Gough played several sumptuous strokes, but too many were hit firmly to fielders whereas Collingwood's greater experience has taught him to work the gaps.

He reached his 50 with his fifth four edged to third man off the first ball of Ashley Cowan's second spell. The next ball rattled off stumps with Collingwood playing back to a good length delivery and Durham did not manage another boundary in the remaining 8.4 overs.

Robinson was bowled leg stump trying to sweep a ball from left-arm spinner Paul Grayson which should have been driven through mid-on. There were enough overs left for Robinson to make his mark as he did in his blistering 68 in the Benson and Hedges Cup tie against Derbyshire in April.

But with injury intervening it has been one of the disappointments of the season that he has been unable to build on that.

With Cowan improving enormously on the three dreadful overs he bowled at the start the innings faded away with Lewis left on 21 not out.

l Durham will prepare for tomorrow's floodlit match against Hampshire at the Riverside, which starts at 4.10, by playing a Sunderland FC All-Stars XI in a 25-overs side match tonight (6 pm) Admission is £5 and Sunderland manager Peter Reid is expected to feature in a team also including star strikers Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn.