TWO late wickets rekindled Durham's victory hopes in an enthralling contest at Trent Bridge just when they looked like being blown away.

Needing 291 to win, Nottinghamshire raced to 64 before the first wicket fell in the 15th over, then they quickly lost another to finish on 86 for two.

There was one lbw victim each for Paul Collingwood and Pallav Kumar, who were both also among the runs as Durham made 315 in their second innings.

Kumar, visibly growing in confidence, also thought he had the dangerous Kevin Pietersen for the second time in the match when the batsman shouldered arms and the ball brushed something on the way through to Andrew Pratt. But it looked more likely to have been his shirt than his gloves.

Things were looking bleak when Collingwood came on first change with the score on 43 and Jason Gallian took 16 off his first over.

But then Collingwood swung one into left-hander Darren Bicknell to pin him in front and in the next over Russell Warren went the same way.

Kumar generated more life than Neil Killeen and Mark Davies, who looked jaded after their heroic efforts in the first innings.

The man Durham really needed on a pitch offering good bounce, Shoaib Akhtar, was watching from the players' balcony as he recovers from his rib injury.

Collingwood's hopes of filling the vacancy in the England team left by Nasser Hussain's retirement were left in the balance by an innings of 68.

Kent's Robert Key is also re-staking his claims, hitting his fifth century of the season against Surrey yesterday, and Collingwood was clearly disappointed not to go on to three figures.

He played very well and while he was putting on 108 for the fifth wicket with Gary Pratt, who made a season's-best 71, the balance was tilting Durham's way.

Both were removed by Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill, but departed with a reluctance which suggested they weren't happy with umpire Trevor Jesty's decisions.

But Jesty has been more favourable to Durham than usual in this match and could easily have given Pratt out lbw to Paul Franks on 16.

Franks, who otherwise bowled impressively in taking five wickets, briefly lost control when that decision went against him and it was then that the partnership really began to flourish.

Collingwood, who studiously kept out MacGill's good balls and put the bad ones firmly away, had little difficulty with the seamers.

Other than when he knocked out the off stumps of Nicky Peng and Davies, Richard Logan bowled poorly and was even hit for five fours by Kumar in an entertaining cameo at the end of the innings.

Ryan Sidebottom looked listless both in his bowling and in the field, while left-armer Greg Smith faded after a testing spell in the morning.

Collingwood reached 50 off 91 balls by pulling Smith in front of mid-wicket for his seventh four then pulled the next ball squarer for another boundary.

Pratt began to look like the player he was last season when he pulled and off-drove successive balls from Smith for four.

The 100 stand came up in 21 overs, but then Collingwood pushed forward and was given out caught off bat and pad at short leg. He trudged away very reluctantly, but with Gareth Breese settling in with a cover driven four off MacGill, who had him first ball in the first innings, things were still looking good.

Pratt drove Sidebottom through extra cover for four then cut the next ball for his ninth boundary to reach 50 off 68 balls.

But after hitting two more fours he pushed forward and was given out lbw to MacGill, and worse followed when Franks returned and struck twice in his first over.

Andrew Pratt tried to hit the first ball back over his head and miscued, the ball lobbing gently enough for the lethargic Sidebottom to run eight yards to his left at mid-off and hold the catch.

The last ball of the over was a good one and Breese nicked it to the wicketkeeper, leaving Kumar to provide the only brief wag in the tail.

At the start of the day Jon Lewis fell without addition to his overnight 16, adjusting his cut at Franks too late to avoid lobbing a catch to backward point.

Franks and Smith often beat Marcus North and Gordon Muchall, but the Durham duo wasted no opportunities to score and it was a soft dismissal which ended their stand. Muchall fell in much the same way as Lewis, except that he middled the ball straight to Logan.

Franks took his third wicket when North went for 44, playing back and nibbling at one which left him.

Peng played the shot of the day through mid-wicket to reach 19, then inexplicably shouldered arms to the next ball, which barely deviated in taking out his off stump.

At that point it was advantage Nottinghamshire, but the fifth wicket stand ensured that this excellent contest would continue its roller-coaster progress into the final day.