DURHAM swept back to the top of the Norwich Union League second division last night when they delighted a crowd of almost 5,000 with a 17-run win against Hampshire under the Riverside floodlights.

It was a crucial victory against the third-placed visitors and with four games left Durham are now in the driving seat for promotion.

A third-wicket stand of 166 in 28 overs between Martin Love and Paul Collingwood set up Durham's third successive total of over 250 in this competition.

They made 259 for six and for the first time in Durham's four floodlit games the team batting second were unable to knock off the runs.

Hampshire were 188 for six with seven overs left when rain arrived, giving Durham victory under the Duckworth/Lewis method.

But when the visitors were 61 without loss after eight overs it looked like being a repeat of Worcester two weeks ago, when Durham's 274 for eight was not enough.

After four wayward overs from Stephen Harmison, things looked grim when Nicky Hatch also sent down a couple of wides. But he then settled into an immaculate line and nipped one back just enough to have Jason Laney lbw for a dashing 38.

A result is possible under the D/L method when the side batting second has completed ten overs, and had the expected rain arrived at that stage Hampshire would have won easily.

The fall of Neil Johnson in the 12th over evened things up, the Zimbabwean driving at James Brinkley and edging to Andrew Pratt.

Brinkley also removed Lawrence Prittipaul to bring in Robin Smith, who was just getting into his stride when a male streaker staggered on and dived headlong into the stumps. Three overs later the timber at the other end was disturbed as Collingwood brought one back to bowl Smith, and the last real threat had gone.

Durham's third-wicket pair scored at roughly a run-a-ball and Love's 89 was his highest one-day score for Durham, while Collingwood fell two short of his best when he was out for 84.

While the Australian caressed the ball into space, Collingwood played the bolder strokes with everything from lofted straight drives to sweeps so fine they only just evaded the wicketkeeper.

In his eighth innings of the season this was Collingwood's first 50 in a competition in which he made seven half-centuries last year.

Love's only previous NUL 50 was the 75 not out he made in the win against Sussex, when he and Collingwood put on 103.

After Durham chose to bat the carnival atmosphere was quickly subdued as Pratt and Nicky Peng both fell within the first eight overs.

Peng drove the first ball of the match, from Johnson, through cover point for four. But in Johnson's next over Pratt top-edged a catch to point.

With the heavy atmosphere assisting swing Dimitri Mascarenhas accounted for Peng for 13 when an inside edge on to the pad flew back for a return catch.

Given the opportunity to build their innings, Love and Collingwood judged it perfectly, the only blemish coming when Collingwood was dropped on 29 by John Francis.

At 195 for two with ten overs left Durham had an outside chance of beating their record league one-day total of 281. But the return of Mascarenhas brought Love's downfall as he clipped a catch to backward square leg and in the next over Collingwood drove Hamblin to Johnson at mid-off.

There was controversy when Jon Lewis, after making 22 off 17 balls, pulled Johnson to Giles White at deep backward square leg. The fans in front of the pavilion thought White's foot touched the rope as he took the catch, and harshly booed his every touch thereafter.

Danny Law made 28 in 26 balls before he was also caught by White in the last over, then the public enemy anchored Hampshire's reply with a steady 50.

But by the time he was joined by his captain at 85 for three in 16th over darkness was closing in and Hatch and Brinkley had Hampshire in a stranglehold.