DURHAM'S slide towards defeat began in off-spinner Ollie Rayner's third over, when he dived to his left to hold a return catch from a Mark Stoneman drive.

It signalled a decline from 55 without loss to 120 for four at tea, with the other three victims all falling lbw – a decision Durham had failed to extract from the umpires in the Middlesex innings.

Rayner was awarded two of them and has seven wickets in the match. More are likely to follow and Durham will have been spun to defeat for the second successive match.

The ninth half-century opening stand of the season in the championship ended with Stoneman's exit for 25 and two more wickets went down with the total on 82.

Rayner had Keaton Jennings lbw for 45 and Scott Borthwick was also pinned in front by a shooter from James Franklin before Jack Burnham took on Rayner.

After spoiling his first appearance at Lord's by getting himself run out for nought in the first innings, the youngster refused to let Rayner tie him down.

He swept him for four to get off the mark, then pulled another boundary and added three more his way to 25 at tea.

Michael Richardson tried to dig in and had to prise himself from the crease when he played back defensively to Rayner and became the third lbw victim. He made two and Paul Collingwood was on ten at tea.