DURHAM were plunged back into a relegation battle when they capitulated at home to Warwickshire this week, losing by an innings and 188 runs.

Following on 301 behind after being dismissed for 171, they suffered an astonishing collapse from 75 for two to 113 all out, as off-spinner Jeetan Patel took five for nine in 22 balls.

For the second successive week, Paul Collingwood chose to bowl first, only for the opposition to score more than 400.

After putting Yorkshire in at sunny Headingley, this time he had what seemed a more straightforward decision after the first morning was washed out. But his bowlers let him down, as Warwickshire amassed 472, with Sam Hain scoring an unbeaten 109 two days before his 19th birthday.

Durham now face a run of one-day games before a crucial relegation clash against Lancashire at Old Trafford, starting on August 15.

Had Lancashire not lost by one wicket to Nottinghamshire at Liverpool, Durham would have slipped below them into next-to-the-bottom place.

Coach Jon Lewis said: “Last week, we showed guts and determination to earn a draw after following on at Headingley.

You don’t lose that sort of character in a week, but it has probably been papering over the cracks.

“This is a kick up the backside and we need to see a reaction.”

Durham’s one-day captain Mark Stoneman received a penalty under the ECB’s discipline code for showing dissent when given out lbw on 86 to Yorkshire off-spinner Adam Lyth at Headingley. The three penalty points will remain on his record for two years.

He claimed afterwards he had edged the ball, but he got much clearer edges against Warwickshire, being caught behind and at third slip for five and nought.

The other notable failures came from numbers five, six and seven in the order, as Gordon Muchall scored 20 and nought, Collingwood nought and four, and Phil Mustard two and nought.

Scott Borthwick followed his 46 in the first innings with a duck, while Keaton Jennings and Michael Richardson provided 35 overs of resistance in the second innings after coming together on four for two.

While Graham Onions took one for 121 on his comeback from a two-month lay-off with back trouble, the one player to emerge in real credit was John Hastings.

The Australian took his first five-wicket haul for Durham, finishing with five for 94, and top-scored with 51 in the first innings.

He will probably be rested for Sunday’s 50-over game at home to Sri Lanka A, but Onions could play again.

“We need to keep Graham bowling,” said Lewis. “But it’s not just about him, we also have to consider whether he fits into our one-day plans.

“We had no worries about his fitness and he has come though the match OK, but he has known better form.

“We have eight games in that before we go to Old Trafford.

Then we have four championship games in September.”

After the loss of the first session on Sunday, then more rain on Monday, Durham effectively lost the match in two and a half days on a blameless pitch.

They had little answer to the left-arm swing bowling of Keith Barker, who took six for 46 and had Stoneman and Borthwick caught at third slip for ducks in his first two overs in the second innings.

His follow through also created foot marks for Patel to exploit and he spun the ball quite sharply in his lethal spell.

He had Richardson caught at short leg for 30 and two balls later Muchall fell lbw for the fourth successive innings.

Then Jennings played on for 37 against Boyd Rankin and three wickets had gone down on 75.

Collingwood, who fell second ball in the first innings when he edged Barker to second slip, scored four in one blow off Patel before Rankin also pinned him lbw.

For the second time in the day Mustard edged a drive to the slips then Hastings drove Patel to long on and Chris Rushworth was bowled first ball. That made it 91 for nine and when Mark Wood was bowled by Rankin for 18 Warwickshire had sealed their first win at Chester-le-Street since 1997. Durham will hope they don’t go to Edgbaston for the last match needing to beat them to survive.