LIAM Plunkett ploughed a lone furrow for Durham yesterday, becoming the county's leading wicket-taker this season on a day when Northamptonshire ambushed the promotion bandwagon.

Already looking a certainty for this winter's England Academy, Plunkett took the first four wickets and added another late in the day to take his season's tally to 49, two more than Mark Davies.

But with Usman Afzaal making his third century in successive games and Riki Wessels his top score for the county of 107, Northants raced to maximum batting points by reaching 414 for seven.

On a flat pitch and with poor weather forecast, the odds are still heavily in favour of a draw, which would be enough for Durham to clinch promotion.

If they lose and pick up fewer than seven points they will be left to pray that Northants don't earn maximum points again in their final match at home to Yorkshire next week.

Given the forecast, it was an obvious option for Northants to declare when they reached 400 in the 94th over to give themselves half an hour's bowling at Durham and deny them any chance of the third bowling point. But they were probably swayed by deteriorating light and a halt was called with 6.4 of the day's allocation left.

Plunkett rattled the stumps for the third time two overs before the close to complete his first five-wicket haul since the first match of the season. With the first two lbw, all his victims were right-handers falling to balls nipping back into them from the Lumley End and it was a just reward as he was the only bowler to threaten.

Afzaal, the visitors' only left-hander, played in three Tests when the Australians were last here four years ago but after fading out of the England frame he left Nottinghamshire at the end of last season.

The languid square drive with which he reached 50 yesterday in Paul Collingwood's first over was one of several reminders of the left-hander's class, but it was the discipline of his innings which suggested he is finally realising his potential.

He almost played on against Neil Killeen straight after tea, when he was on 93, and shortly afterwards edged the same bowler for his 14th four to complete his century.

Otherwise his only false stroke was on 61, when he almost dragged a Collingwood delivery into his stumps.

The only player involved in England's Ashes celebrations to be required for action yesterday, it was probably a major effort for Collingwood to spin the coin.

Whether he was alert enough to feel any disappointment in losing the toss isn't known - the management withheld him from interviews - but he would probably have preferred to put his feet up and watch his openers pile up runs on the flat pitch.

As it was he had to watch all his bowlers struggle, barring Plunkett, especially when Wessels moved into overdrive after tea.

It was the third century of the season for the wicketkeeping son of Northants' coach Kepler Wessels and it helped to ensure that they did not miss stomach-bug victim Martin Love. His place was taken by Andrew White, from Northern Ireland, who missed the boat when the first two wickets both fell on 63.

There were two Whites and a Wright in the visiting line-up, and while they are hardly Walcott, Weekes and Worrell, the opener Rob White played with quite a flourish.

He was on five when he pulled Plunkett for six and on 33 he repeated the stroke off Killeen, going on to reach 84 off 99 balls at lunch.

White hasn't made a championship hundred since recording the highest maiden first-class century, 277, against Gloucestershire three years ago, and he failed to add to his score after lunch.

Plunkett took out his middle stump with the fifth ball and also bowled David Sales for 13, which included a straight six off Killeen.

Durham opted for the same line-up which almost lost to Derbyshire, and in his fourth championship match Callum Thorp was left still seeking his first wicket.

The fifth-wicket pair put on 185 in 43 overs before Collingwood snared Afzaal. In his first spell after lunch the captain had none for 31 in six overs and the score had moved on to 352 for four before he returned. In his second over Afzaal top-edged a slower ball to Brad Williams at mid-on, then the Australian had Wessels caught by Phil Mustard. Damian Wright ensured maximum batting points before being bowled making room to hit Plunkett, who must be favourite for the bowler's award at Durham's Player of the Year dinner on Monday night.