CHRIS Rushworth's record-breaking heroics over the weekend were not enough to give Durham a realistic chance of victory against Middlesex at Chester-le-Street.

They will go into the final day on 134 for five, needing a further 174 with Scott Borthwick going well on 68.

A third successive home defeat would be tough to take for skipper Paul Collingwood as he contemplates whether he can continue to play as well as accepting a coaching role with the England one-day side.

The job has yet to be confirmed, but he is hardly likely to turn down an opportunity to go to the UAE in November, followed by South Africa and the World Twenty20 Championship in India in March.

Collingwood was working hard to revive his side yesterday after they slipped to 14 for two when he was given out lbw for 20. He didn't look happy with the decision but with dissent charges flying around like confetti he couldn't afford to linger.

It was a similar story when Michael Richardson, the other recent “dissent” victim, was given out for 13.

Both probably had less room for complaint, however, than the clearly aggrieved Dawid Malan, whose wicket was the only one Durham took in the first 90 minutes and came from a poor ball well wide of leg stump.

In trying to pull it, the left-hander was adjudged to have nicked it to Richardson.

He made 63 after being dropped first ball and there was another costly miss after Middlesex had slipped from 212 for five to 213 for eight.

Durham needed to polish them off quickly, but on 222 reserve wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter, briefly on the field for Mark Stoneman, shelled an absolute sitter at mid-off.

As in the Malan miss, Graham Onions was the unfortunate bowler with Toby Roland-Jones on four. A further 51 were added before his stand with James Harris was broken, Rushworth taking the last two wickets with the new ball to complete his seventh five-wicket haul of the season.

He finished with five for 49, but the fact that Middlesex totalled 280 reflected a lack of support. Onions took nine wickets in the match, but John Hastings was clearly struggling and debut boy James Weighell remained wicketless.

Collingwood had to turn to the spinners 30 minutes before lunch as Middlesex had recovered from 29 for four to reach 180 for five.

It didn't look promising when Ryan Pringle conceded 19 in his first three overs, Neil Dexter driving him over long-on for six to celebrate his 13th first-class century, in which his second 50 came off 55 balls.

But when the off-spinner went round the wicket Dexter nibbled at one outside off stump and edged behind to depart for 112.

Borthwick came on for the next over and struck with his first ball, a full toss which had John Simpson lbw when he missed an attempted sweep.

Ollie Rayner failed to heed the lesson as he went the same way in the leg-spinner's next over.

It was going Durham's way, but then came that dropped catch and Roland-Jones treated Borthwick's accurate leg-spin with great respect as he conceded only 19 from 13 overs.

He was then at the crease to face the ninth ball of Durham's second innings after Graham Clark bagged a pair, edging the second ball he faced from Roland-Jones to wicketkeeper Simpson.

Three overs later Stoneman fell lbw to Tim Murtagh for 12 as Durham scrambled to tea on 21 for two.

In the first three innings of the match the third wicket fell on 18, seven and 13, but under clear skies conditions were much better for batting yesterday and Collingwood helped to take the score to 58 without too much difficulty.

His exit came as a surprise and both Richardson and Gordon Muchall also seemed to be settling in nicely when they were pinned in front.

Borthwick played several majestic drives and cuts in completing his eighth championship 50 of the season off 95 balls and will need to add substantially today if Durham are to get near their target.