IF confirmation were needed that a third title in four years for Durham just wasn't meant to be it came with the astonishing lack of luck in yesterday's first two sessions.

Rarely can the ball have beaten the bat or flown off the edge to the boundary with such frequency as Durham failed to take a Worcestershire wicket in the morning and captured only two in the afternoon.

Not that the fortune enjoyed by Vikram Solanki should detract from the quality of his hundred, but the tea interval brought a dramatic change as the visitors capitulated from 255 for three to 288 all out.

The last five wickets went down for five runs, but it was too late to resurrect Durham's challenge, even though they put themselves in a winning position in this match by reaching 51 without loss to lead by 27 runs.

Worcestershire needed to reach 300, and the third batting point, to make absolutely sure of division one safety. Not that Hampshire have any chance of escape after being kept in the field interminably by Warwickshire.

Despite amassing 493, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul making 171, the leaders batted so slowly that they picked up only three of the five batting points and are not yet beyond Durham's reach.

They will be, however, once they have secured the draw, although they still need to look over their shoulder at Lancashire, who made a spirited reply to Somerset's 380 at Taunton.

On the day of a bizarre announcement that his central contract would not be renewed, Paul Collingwood suddenly took two wickets in three balls in the first over after tea to spark Worcestershire's collapse.

He was on to use up the six overs until the new ball was due, and when it was taken the thin edges which had previously proved so elusive suddenly came thick and fast.

Callum Thorp took four for two in 14 balls courtesy of three edged catches and an lbw, while the unlucky Graham Onions had Richard Jones caught behind.

But it took a sensational catch by the irrepressible Dale Benkenstein to ignite dispirited Durham. Not for the first time this season, he defied his 37 years by leaping like a young buck to pluck a one-handed catch out of the air at mid-wicket.

It got rid of disbelieving Dutchman Alexei Kervezee for 43 and two balls later left-hander Matt Pardoe sliced Collingwood to gully, where Will Smith held a good waist-high catch to his left.

Solanki and Gareth Andrew added 28 before Onions almost took off Andrew's head in the first over with the new ball.

It continued to bounce steeply, forcing Solanki to fend Thorp to second slip and the rest quickly followed.

In the morning Durham kept four slips and two gullies for most of the session, but the breakthrough just wouldn't come. The frustration finally ended when left-hander James Cameron tried to paddle Ian Blackwell round the corner and was bowled for 74.

He had put on 138 with Solanki, who had 11 fours in his 72-ball half-century but showed unusual restraint in adding only 42 during the afternoon session.

Durham had bowled 67 overs before Scott Borthwick was introduced, to ironic cheers from the members, and Solanki edged him for four.

In the leg-spinner's second over he was driven for six over extra cover to take Solanki to 99, but when the batsman went down the pitch to the next ball he was deceived by a googly.

Unfortunately, extra bounce also defeated Mustard and Solanki survived the stumping chance before turning the next ball just out of short leg's reach to complete his hundred off 186 balls.

He has always been a class act and this was his third championship hundred of the season out of a total of only five by the team, who have been kept afloat by Alan Richardson's 70 wickets.

He opened up with six maidens when Durham batted again with 18 overs to face.

It was a reversal of the first innings as Smith scored the first 25 runs, all off Kemar Roach, before Michael Di Venuto sliced the West Indian just out of gully's reach to get off the mark.

Smith closed on 29 and needs 30 more runs today to reach 1,000 for the season.

SCORECARD

Durham v Worcestershire
At Emirates Durham ICG.
Overnight: Durham 264 (W R Smith 66).
Worcestershire 21-1.

Worcestershire First Innings
J G Cameron b Blackwell 74
V S Solanki c Di Venuto b Thorp 124
M M Ali c Mustard b Benkenstein 17
A N Kervezee c Benkenstein b Collingwood 43
M G Pardoe c W R Smith b Collingwood 0
G M Andrew c Collingwood b Thorp 9
B J Scott c Mustard b Onions 1
R A Jones lbw b Thorp 0
K A Roach c Mustard b Thorp 2
A Richardson not out 0
Extras (b4 lb7 pens 0) 11
Total (85.3 overs) 288
Fall: 1-14 2-152 3-176 4-255 5-255 6-
283 7-286 8-286 9-288
Bonus Pts: Durham 5 Worcestershire 5
Bowling: Onions 20-7-50-2. Thorp 23.3-6-
52-4. Claydon 11-2-35-0. Collingwood 8-2-
31-2. Blackwell 10-2-49-1. Benkenstein 6-
2-12-1. Borthwick 7-0-48-0.

Durham Second Innings Close
W R Smith not out 29
M J Di Venuto not out 14
Extras (b8 pens 0) 8
Total 0 wkts (18 overs) 51
To Bat: M D Stoneman, P D Collingwood, D
M Benkenstein, I D Blackwell,
P Mustard, S G Borthwick, C D Thorp, M E
Claydon, G Onions
Bonus Pts: Durham 5 Worcestershire 5
Bowling: Roach 6-2-29-0. Richardson 9-7-
4-0. Andrew 3-1-10-0.