Durham close in on win over Lancahire

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Old Trafford:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY THREE: Lancashire 181 & 226, Durham 237 & 58-2
Lancashire 3pts, Durham 4pts
Match scorecard

Spinner Ian Blackwell took 4-102 to add to his first-innings figures of 5-78

Durham will require a further 113 runs with eight second-innings wickets in hand for victory over Lancashire on the final day at Old Trafford.

Chasing 171 to win, the visitors closed on 58-2, with opener Michael di Venuto still there on 34.

Earlier, Shivnarine Chanderpaul (67) and Mark Chilton (50) helped Lancashire move from 22-2 to 226 all out.

Spinners Ian Blackwell (4-102) and Scott Borthwick (2-32) shared six of the eight Lancashire wickets to fall.

Chilton built a third-wicket partnership of 56 with nightwatchman Gary Keedy and, after both men fell lbw, Steven Croft (28) added 47 with Chanderpaul.

The West Indian was bowled trying to cut Blackwell off the final ball of the afternoon session to signal the start of Lancashire's demise, with their final five wickets falling for 32 runs.

A back spasm denied Lancashire the services of paceman Sajid Mahmood and, on a pitch that saw 18 wickets fall on day two, they turned to the left-arm spin of Keedy after just five overs.

He bowled Michael Stoneman and had Gordon Muchall caught at first slip, but Durham still look likely to inflict a first defeat in 21 Championship matches on their hosts.