DURHAM would have been more at home at Blackhall Colliery Welfare than they were in the grounds of Arundel Castle yesterday.

They are still top of the totesport League second division, but hosts Sussex cut the gap to two points with two games hand by cruising to a seven-wicket win with an embarrassing 15.3 overs to spare.

After Dale Benkenstein chose to bat, he was the only one who came to terms with the slowness of the pitch and Durham's general anxiety saw them dismissed for 195.

They played as though they felt they needed 260, when 230 might have sufficed had they bowled well, which they didn't.

Playing his first game for almost three weeks after a heel injury, Liam Plunkett had a nightmare, bowling nine wides in his first three overs, mainly outside left-hander Ian Ward's off stump.

The rested Ashley Noffke wandered round the boundary to take him a drink and offer words of consolation and advice.

But by the time Sussex had reached 52 for one after five overs it was going to take a transformation like the one at Tunbridge Wells three weeks earlier for Durham to win, and miracles rarely happen twice.

Benkenstein must have felt it would be bad for Plunkett's confidence to take him off, but Ward took 18 runs off his fourth over.

It was obvious that the pitch was more suited to bowlers of Benkenstein's and Nathan Astle's pace, and Durham had even left out Gary Pratt to include two spinners, with Graeme Bridge involved.

This meant they had seven bowlers and it was very harsh on Pratt, who had travelled down especially for the game after doing well in his one first team appearance to date in last Monday's totesport win at home to Derbyshire. The selection folly was underlined by the fact that Mark Davies did not get on to bowl.

Neil Killeen tightened up and took the wickets of Matt Prior and Michael Yardy, who was yorked by a slower ball.

But Ward cut Gareth Breese for his 11th four to reach 50 off a mere 28 balls and after skipper Chris Adams joined him at 95 for two it was no more than a gentle stroll to victory.

Whatever the aesthetic qualities of this verdant venue with its lush turf, it obviously doesn't produce pitches on which the ball comes on to the bat. Sussex had had four days to get used to it in their championship match against Nottinghamshire, while Durham had experienced pace and bounce at Northampton.

Nathan Astle edged to the wicketekeeper in the third over and in four totesport innings he has totalled 25 runs.

Durham were always ticking along at around four an over, but they kept losing wickets and the decision to send in Phil Mustard at 129 for four in the 32nd over backfired when he fell for one.

Mustard went in when Gordon Muchall, the only batsman to time the ball from early in his innings, miscued the first ball of James Kirtley's second spell and offered a return catch after making 39.

Mustard appeared a little perplexed by the lack of pace and was unable to score off the remaining five balls of the over. When he got to the other end he tried to sweep off-spinner Mark Davis and skied a catch to deep square leg.

Breese went for a duck in the next over, thrusting at a Kirtley out-swinger and edging a catch which wicketkeeper Prior dived to hold.

Plunkett made a useful 14 before driving to mid-on, and it was only in the 42nd over that Benkenstein was able to put bat to ball with telling effect.

Having hit only one four in reaching 35, he roared past his second 50 in the competition with two sixes and a four off successive balls from seamer Luke Wright.

Bridge made ten off 12 balls before missing a swipe at a straight ball from Wright and Durham managed only three off the final over.

Davies watched Kirtley's fourth ball pass harmlessly by, obviously expecting it to bounce above head height and be ruled a no-ball. The last two balls yorked Davies and Killeen to leave Kirtley with four for 29 and Benkenstein on 57 not out off 65 balls.

To most of the crowd basking in the sunshine the cricket during Durham's innings was no more than a cup of Horlicks, providing pleasant assistance to the lunchtime Pimms for the gradual slide into sleep.

The memory plays tricks, but surely it wasn't like this when the John Player League first burst on the scene 40 years ago. It was all crash, bang, wallop and rapt attention from enthralled audiences, even if they had had a few beers.

Ward's innings woke them from their slumbers. He began by turning the first ball of the innings, from Killeen, to the mid-wicket boundary, prospered largely through the off-side against Plunkett, then milked the spin of Breese and Bridge.

Despite taking four for 17 against Derbyshire last Monday, Benkenstein never got into the attack as it was too late once Adams had driven Bridge for six, four, six, followed by a reverse sweep for four in the 24th over.

With only 19 needed off 20 overs, Breese was recalled with Ward on 92 and once Adams had pushed a single to reach 50 off 41 balls it was obvious he would allow his partner to complete his century.

But in trying to run Astle to third man, Ward was bowled for 93 with 12 needed. Could it be Tunbridge Wells all over again? Sadly not.

Read more about Durham here.