IT wasn't so much what a difference a day makes as what a gulf between 20-over and 50-over cricket as Durham won a high-scoring thriller at Leicester yesterday.

Following their T20 slump the previous evening an opening stand of 184 laid the platform for a total of 340 for six in their opening Royal London Cup tie.

With ten overs left Leicestershire were four ahead of Durham at the same stage on 253 for five, but they had just lost Kevin O'Brien for 89 and they finished 11 short on 329 for nine.

O'Brien holed out off left-armer Jamie Harrison, who justified his inclusion by opening up with two maidens and finishing with four for 40.

The Foxes were still in the hunt when the gamble of leaving Scott Borthwick on for his tenth over backfired with Tom Wells taking 18 off it to reduce the target to 40 off four.

But Chris Rushworth then conceded only five and when Harrison returned the previous night's man of the match, Sunderland's Ben Raine, emulated two Durham batsmen in getting out attempting a reverse paddle.

It was as good as over when Rushworth pinned Wells lbw for 31 with a yorker and after their excellent bowling at the start and finish it was strange that the new ball pair both had an over unused, while Paul Collingwood bowled only five overs.

Durham's third highest one-day total was launched by Phil Mustard hitting four sixes in his 88 off 70 balls in an opening stand of 184. Skipper Mark Stoneman made 93 and Borthwick 63, but in perfect batting conditions Durham lost momentum.

They were indebted to Calum MacLeod, preferred to Michael Richardson, showing his one-day prowess as he and Keaton Jennings took 47off the last four overs.

Mustard had begun cautiously, making eight off 20 balls before hitting Raine for two fours and when Wells came on for the 11th over he went for 25 in two.

Mustard hit off-spinner Jigar Naik for his first six over backward square leg in the 15th over and four overs later a reverse sweep for four off the same bowler was followed by a six over long-on.

Having faced more balls, Stoneman was always ahead until Mustard passed him in the 60s when he swept Neil Dexter's medium pace for four then hammered the next high over the rope at mid-wicket.

Left-arm medium pacer Rob Taylor took four wickets, starting when Mustard flat-batted a catch to deep mid-on in the 28th over.

Taylor then accepted a return catch from Stoneman after twice finding Borthwick's edge. The first brought four runs, the second was dropped by wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien with Borthwick on 21.

After batting at No 9 in the T20, the longer format allowed Borthwick to revert to his usual position and his orthodox strokeplay brought 63 off 53 balls before he followed Graham Clark in being bowled through a reverse paddle.

Two more wickets fell before the late bonus, with 16 coming off the last over.

Neil Dexter took 16 balls to get off the mark for the Foxes and the pressure told when Mark Pettini played across a ball from Rushworth and was bowled.

Kevin O'Brien was off the mark with a pulled six two balls later, but Dexter lost patience and went down the pitch, only to edge Harrison for Mustard to take an excellent diving catch.

At 26 for two Australian one-day international Mark Cosgrove emerged to give Durham a fright as he hit Usman Arshad for three successive fours to launch a stand of 115 in 16 overs with O'Brien.

Cosgrove finally got carried away when he had already hit four, six, two in a Borthwick over. In going for a second six over the off-side he skied to Collingwood at deep cover and was gone for 63.

Niall O'Brien then made 43 before holing out at long-off to give Ryan Pringle the first of his two wickets and when his brother followed four overs later the rest were left with just too much to do.