REMARKABLE bowling by 20-year-old Mark Davies set Durham on the way to a seven-wicket win against Sussex, which took them level on points with Worcestershire at the top of the Norwich Union League second division yesterday.

Moving the ball into the right-handers on a greenish Riverside pitch, Davies took all his wickets as Sussex slumped to 24 for four before a partial recovery took them to 144 all out.

Davies fashioned his figures of four for 13 from ominous beginnings as his first ball flew well down the leg side for four wides, his second was only marginally better and his third might also have been signalled wide had Murray Goodwin not touched it to the wicketkeeper.

The low catch gave Andrew Pratt the first of his five victims, equalling the Durham one-day league record jointly held by Andy Fothergill and Martin Speight.

Davies bowled six wides in all and conceded only four singles off the bat in his seven overs as his brisk medium pace strangled the Sussex batsmen following his lucky start.

He had a second wicket in his first over when his namesake Mark Davis cut a short ball to backward point, where Paul Collingwood leapt to his left to hold the catch.

Chris Adams hit Danny Law for two fours, of which there were only eight in the innings, then edged a ball of extra bounce to Pratt.

Davies' fourth wicket came when he moved one sharply away from left-hander Umer Rashid and the ball again took the edge on its way to the keeper.

Yesterday's pitch was about 30 yards nearer the Wear than the one so severely criticised by Glamorgan in the last NUL match two weeks ago.

Sussex would not be entirely happy with this one as it offered bounce, turn for the spinners and some lateral movement. But they chose to bat and were forced into a long period of entrenchment after their unfortunate start.

Durham quickly showed that strokeplay was possible and cruised to victory with 11 overs to spare, with Martin Love unbeaten on 75.

His previous one-day best for Durham was 59, so they will be hoping this puts him in good heart for Wednesday's C & G Trophy quarter-final at Blackpool.

He scored his runs off 97 balls and hit 13 fours, five more than in the entire Sussex innings.

As well as being the country's leading first-class run scorer, Sussex opener Richard Montgomerie was second in the NUL list before yesterday on 343.

But there was never any chance of a repeat of his century in last Monday's floodlit match against Essex at Hove as he opted for the anchor role.

He made only seven in the first 14 overs and had 29 singles and only two fours in his 47 before driving a catch to mid-on in the 40th over to give James Brinkley a deserved wicket.

Brinkley was back in the Durham team after his month in Canada ended in disappointment last Tuesday when Scotland lost a play-off against the hosts for the third qualifying place for the World Cup.

There was also a well-deserved wicket for Graeme Bridge on his debut in this competition. He had Bas Zuiderent stumped with a lovely ball which drifted in then turned past the outside edge.

Left-hander Will House swept Bridge for only the fourth four in the 33rd over, but after contributing 30 to a sixth-wicket stand of 58, House swept Michael Gough straight to Martin Speight at deep backward square.

Montgomerie was seventh out, leaving Matthew Prior to plunder three fours in his 25 before he was last out with three balls unused.

There was an early shock for Durham when Nicky Peng left a ball from James Kirtley which nipped back to bowl him, but Danny Law showed strokes could be played as he twice cracked Kirtley to the cover boundary.

He fell for 19, edging lively seamer Billy Taylor to Prior, but Collingwood joined Love in a stand of 103 in 23 overs.

Collingwood hit off-spinner Davis over midwicket for the game's only six, but on 34 he chipped a leg-side catch when only five were needed for victory.

Love quickly completed the task and with Nicky Phillips out for two more weeks it is difficult to see Durham making any changes for Wednesday's big match against Lancashire.