AS Durham were left more firmly rooted to the bottom of the table yesterday, Mark Davies became the first bowler to take 50 championship wickets in a season for the county for four years.

To add to the overall woes, however, he then departed with a side strain which might prevent him from challenging Simon Brown's record of 69 in 1996.

Durham expect to know today whether or not the injury is serious.

Brown was the last to 50, accomplishing the feat for the seventh time in nine seasons in 2000.

Davies reached his half-century by taking the first two wickets in Derbyshire's second innings at Riverside, but no-one else could make much impression as the visitors built on a first innings lead of 104.

They reached 297 for five to lead by 401 with Australian Jon Moss riding his early luck to make 132 not out.

Initially he seemed to have learnt nothing from his second ball exit in the first innings as he drove airily several times without making contact.

On 23 he edged Andy Blignaut just wide of gully, on 44 he drove Graeme Bridge just over Graham Onions at mid-on and on 64 he went down the pitch and inside edged Gareth Breese just past leg stump.

But he played impressively from that point, driving Bridge over long-off for six to reach his hundred off 142 balls. He hit 15 fours and swept Bridge in front of square for another six before the close.

Derbyshire and Somerset are the teams immediately above Durham, and with Somerset doing well at Scarborough defeat in this match will leave Durham well adrift.

After resuming on 64 for seven they were all out for 91 in the morning with skipper Jon Lewis carrying his bat for 35.

Only Lewis and Wayne Larkins have previously batted through a Durham innings, but they both had sufficient support to make centuries, while 35 proved to be the lowest score ever made by anyone carrying his bat against Derbyshire.

Lewis had added one to his overnight 19 when he survived a sharp chance to gully off Graeme Welch, and he had advanced to 27 when last man Graham Onions went in.

He then pulled Moss for his first four and clipped the next ball off his toes to the mid-wicket boundary, but before he could add any more Onions was bowled by Mo Sheikh. At 31, Sheikh is on a match-by-match contract with Derbyshire after being released by Warwickshire, where in seven seasons he had a career-best of four for 36 until yesterday.

He also had Davies caught at slip as he finished with four for nine in 11 overs, the sort of figures which, from a bowler of his type, cannot be good for the game.

Put him on a flat track on a sunny day - the preferred conditions for first-class cricket - and he would pose far fewer problems than Onions. But it was a different matter in these conditions.

Onions is a very promising paceman, but this pitch is more suited to trundlers like Sheikh. Although swing caused most of the problems in Wednesday's sultry heat, the pitch lacks pace and there is some coarse grass in it.

Pitch inspector David Hughes was present yesterday, but as Derbyshire piled up runs in the afternoon it became increasingly unlikely that he would be finding fault.

For the second time in the match Davies made the breakthrough in the 14th over, moving one away from Andrew Gait to give Andrew Pratt his sixth catch of the match.

Left-hander Steve Stubbings became Davies' 50th victim when he was lbw to one which kept low, but the game changed at 51 for two after 24 overs.

Hassan Adnan had obviously decided to go for his shots and he took two fours and a three off a Paul Collingwood over which also included a no-ball.

Although Adnan fell for 29 when he shaped to turn Andy Blignaut to mid-wicket and edged to Collingwood at second slip, the shackles were off and Moss put on 64 in 13 overs with James Bryant.

Smart fielding by Collingwood at mid-wicket ran out Bryant for 30, but immediately after just clearing mid-on Moss cut Bridge for his eighth four to reach 50 off 81 balls.

At 183 for four at tea Derbyshire were almost out of sight, and when Davies returned on the resumption Moss clipped him off his toes behind square for four then pulled another boundary.

Davies retired shortly afterwards and the only success in the evening came when Bridge defeated a Steve Selwood drive to have him lbw.

Luke Sutton then contributed 45 to an unbroken stand of 93 with Moss.

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