In the National League, they were promoted with two weeks to spare, and won their last five matches - yet finished two points behind Sussex Sharks, who had a similar run.

Durham's Australian left-handed opener, Mike Hussey, who had not yet been selected for Australia's Test team, then made an undefeated 165 off 290 balls on the first day.

Former England Under-19 batsman Gordon Muchall helped Hussey add 166 for the third-wicket partnership, before being run out for 82, and Durham finished day one on 325 for 3.

For the Sharks, Johannes van der Wath top scored with 80 and shared a 110-run partnership with Robin Martin-Jenkins to pull Sussex out from 60 for 5 to a final total of 182 for 7 in 45 overs.

In reply the Dynamos slumped to 9 for 2 off 7.3 overs, losing both openers for ducks before rain came and finished the match 15 balls before Duckworth-Lewis could be applied.

In reply, England Test bowler Steve Harmisontook three for 45, including Michael Di Venuto lbw with his third ball and Hassan Adnan caught at first slip.

On day two, however, Liam Plunkett made 74 and Mark Davies 62, batting at 8 and 10 respectively, and lifted Durham to 298 all out and a lead of 46 runs - while Caddick got one more wicket, ending with six for 106.

Still, Blackwell's efforts helped set Durham a target of 243, but the Jamaican-born all-rounder Gareth Breese saw off the challenge of Caddick, who took yet another six-for - this time for 98 - to end with match figures of 12 for 104.

Unfortunately, he was the only bowler to take wickets, and Michael Hussey (51), Dale Benkenstein (51) and the aforementioned Breese (79 not out) saw Durham reach the target to preserve their 100%-record in the Championship.

With a 62-run deficit on first innings, Yorkshire lost their first seven wickets for 128 runs, but Anthony McGrath hit 133 not out - his second century of the season thus far, following his 165 not out against Leicestershire a week earlier.

He was supported by Chris Silverwood, who hit 80 off 66 balls before eventually being bowled by Michael Lewis, who removed the five last batsmen to end with figures of five for 80.

This was confirmed with the innings closing at 267 all out - Ben Smith making 123, while Ashley Noffke took four wickets - and Durham chose not to chase a victory, declaring on 180 for 2 with Paul Collingwood on 103 not out when stumps were drawn on the final day.

Batting first, Durham - still without their English and Australian internationals - made 73 for 4 into a final total of 334, Northamptonshire bowler Damien Wright trailing off after three early wickets, and the seventh-wicket partnership of Ashley Noffke and Phil Mustard could add 135.

In reply, Ian Ward hit 93 off 75 balls, Chris Adams took 58 off 49, and Liam Plunkett was plundered for 46 off his four overs - including nine wides.

Nevertheless, the Phantoms recorded a victory with fourteen balls to spare against a Durham team lacking batsmen Paul Collingwood and Michael Hussey.

Economical bowling from Dale Benkenstein, who took two for 17, made that possible, but he scored at a strike rate 22 points below the required, hitting 18 off 17 balls, while as Charl Willoughby and Jeremy Snape took wickets and refused to give him runs Gareth Breese hit 16 not out off 8 balls, and Gordon Muchall 38 not out off 30, but they couldn't carry Durham all the way, and they finished four runs short of victory.

After winning the toss, Durham made 167 against Lancashire's bowling - James Anderson and Dominic Cork took two each, Glen Chapple and Gary Keedy three.

Chapple then took four for 18, as Durham were bowled out for an even lower second-innings score of 135 - leaving them losers by an innings and 228 runs, though they retained their lead in the County Championship.

A brief spurt of wickets, initiated by di Venuto departing for 203, saw Durham lose four men for six runs to go to 360 for 6, but Travis Friend and Graeme Welch made 135 in a seventh-wicket partnership as Derbyshire set a target of 330.

After Durham had batted out 36 of their 66 overs, scoring 93 runs and losing two wickets to spinner Ant Botha, play was stopped and the match declared a draw due to poor weather conditions.

A Championship draw with Yorkshire followed - where a total of 16 wickets fell - to leave Durham six points ahead of second-placed Lancashire at the end of the month, but the Lancastrians had a game in hand.

August ended with a win over Scottish Saltires, though, and Durham were second in the National League - ten points behind the Sharks, but with two games in hand.

Andy Flower stood tall, however, spending six and a half hours at the crease to end with 132 not out - and his eighth-wicket partnership of 25 saw Essex cut the target to 10.

David Masters then completed a six-wicket-haul on the third day as Durham lost their last seven wickets for 55 runs to end with a first-innings total of 315.

Having won the toss, Durham's opening batsman Gavin Hamilton recorded 22 off 51 balls, while Somerset's 18-year-old Robert Woodman bowling two maiden overs.

Batting first, Durham made 227 for 7, Gordon Muchall top-scoring with 79 and Gareth Breese upping the scoring-rate with two sixes in an unbeaten 47 off 39 balls near the end.

In Durham's first innings, where Hunter got his five-for, nine batsmen reached double figures, yet only two passed 30 and no one made it to fifty, as Dale Benkenstein top-scored with 49.

Australian opener Jimmy Maher recorded his second successive single-figure score in his first match for Durham, as the hosts made it 59 for 3, but centuries from Paul Collingwood and Dale Benkenstein sent them back in the lead.

Michael Carberry, who came in with the score 27 for 4, made 63 with ten fours, but no other batsman passed 30, and Neil Killeen and Gareth Breese shared the last five wickets as Kent posted 140.

Northamptonshire set about making quick runs, and lost seven wickets in the process, Callum Thorp taking three for ten as the visitors declared after having made 101 in 21 overs.