SCOTT Borthwick took his season's first-class average to 123.3 by steering Durham to their second win in two games this afternoon. Now he heads to Lord's on Saturday to play a Middlesex team against whom he scored 216 and 176 last season.

Durham need only a draw and two bonus points to leapfrog leaders Sussex, who also won their first two games but were beaten by six wickets at Chester-le-Street and now have a week off.

Borthwick, just turned 24 but playing like a seasoned pro, progressed from his overnight 26 to remain unbeaten on 97.

There were no especially big shots. He merely worked the ball skilfully into gaps all around the wicket and scampered every single available, especially in a decisive stand of 83 with the equally alert Calum MacLeod.

When MacLeod was out ten minutes before lunch Paul Collingwood went in and made light of collecting the 57 runs still needed, making an unbeaten 35 off 44 balls.

Borthwick said: “The captain asked me if I wanted to get my century when I was on 89 and we needed 11, but I said there was no point in messing around. I'm just happy to get a good win.

“It was the sort of pitch where you never really felt in. We knew we didn't need to score quickly but felt if we could get through the first hour it would get a bit easier.

“I was also there at the end when we won at Taunton. It's a good feeling – you feel like you've earned a beer.”

Although Oliver Robinson beat Borthwick three times in one over, the left-hander responded by hitting him for three fours in his next.

“It was that sort of pitch,” he said. “You could play and miss a few times, but you just have to get back in your box and wait for scoring opportunities.

“It's nice to score ugly runs, but I feel in good rhythm and I'm looking forward to Lord's.”

Collingwood was also pleased with MacLeod, who he has helped to coach for Scotland.

“Everybody knew him as a T20 player when he came here,” he said. “But he showed a lot of patience and skill in his defence after we lost an early wicket today. At that point we really needed a partnership.”

When Michael Richardson lost his leg stump to Ajmal Shahzad in the day's fourth over the contest was still in the balance.

MacLeod took 25 balls to get off the mark, but succeeded in seeing off the dangerous Shahzad and opened his account by driving Matt Hobden to the cover boundary.

On seven he edged Hobden past Ed Joyce's left ear at first slip and went on to make 26 before attempting an upper cut, which flew straight to third man.

That meant Shahzad took all four wickets to fall, and after his four in the first innings he now has 22 in three games.

Robinson, the other Yorkshire cast-off, saw his dream debut hit the buffers, finishing with none for 76 after Borthwick hit two fours off the first two balls of his 15th over to complete the task.