THE bowlers were found wanting on a run-laden Riverside pitch yesterday as Durham's bid for a third successive Benson & Hedges Cup win hit the buffers.

After making 252 for three in their 50 overs, they lost by five wickets to unbeaten Nottinghamshire, who had only themselves to blame for squeezing home with only five balls to spare.

While the bowlers never looked like containing visiting openers Darren Bicknell and Guy Welton, the ease with which Martin Love scored 59 off 47 balls suggested Durham hadn't got enough.

While it may seem harsh to criticise someone who scored 92, there were too many dot balls late in Jimmy Daley's innings, which occupied all but the final over.

He scored 19 while Love was at the crease, then Paul Collingwood showed him how to improvise with 28 not out off 22 balls.

In Daley's defence, he had a B & H record of 106 runs in ten innings until this week, and after being entrusted with the role of anchoring the innings he set up Tuesday's win against Lancashire by making 70.

He played in much the same vein yesterday and had every reason for confidence as he saw the score mounting more rapidly than in the wins at Liverpool and Derby.

But as Riverside pitches continue their evolution into bowlers' graveyards, Durham will have to consider a bolder approach at the top of the innings in one-day games.

Daley and Michael Gough put on 116 at four an over, which would normally be the perfect launching pad. But even though the last 20 overs produced 132 runs, Daley's part in the acceleration ultimately proved insufficient.

Durham won the toss and batted first for the third time this week against a team who had to bring in 18-year-old Nadeem Malik for his senior debut in place of Richard Logan.

Malik, 6ft 5in, opened the bowling and conceded 20 runs in three overs before he was removed, never to return.

Gough drove his fourth ball for a straight four and Daley twice clipped him sweetly to the leg-side boundary in one over.

Although this helped to get Durham off to an excellent start, it also gave an early hint that 250 would be their minimum requirement on such a good pitch.

Daley hit only three more fours in his 153-ball innings, in which his first risk proved his last as he made room to hit Greg Smith's last ball through the off side and was bowled.

The opening stand was only nine short of the first wicket record in this competition for Durham, set by Wayne Larkins and John Glendenen against Combined Universities in 1992.

Unfortunately that was the only occasion in the B & H that Durham have passed 250 and won. They have twice lost to today's visitors Leicestershire after topping that total and once to Nottinghamshire, when they made 268 off 55 overs at Stockton in 1995 and lost by five wickets.

After Malik's removal Gough and Daley found the boundary only three more times between them during their stand, although they pinched some good singles as the urgency of their running increased.

Gough was looking to step it up when he fell for his best one-day score of 45 in the 29th over.

Trying to force the left-arm spin of Usman Afzaal, he waited for the verdict when Gareth Clough claimed a low catch at point and the umpires consulted before giving him out.

Love showed what was needed when he took the aerial route, chipping Afzaal over short mid-wicket for four and followed it with a delightful late cut off the other spinner, Kevin Pietersen.

Then came two more cracking boundaries, driven through mid-on and extra cover off Clough, who was also picked up effortlessly over mid-wicket for six after Love completed a 42-ball half-century.

He fell lbw next ball, but Collingwood kept up Love's momentum and Danny Law scored seven off three balls when he came in for the final over.

Umpires John Hampshire and Alan Whitehead had been a little lenient on wides early in Durham's innings, but Hampshire twice signalled wide in Neil Killeen's opening over and Whitehead spread his arms after James Brinkley's first ball.

It seemed to set the tone for a lacklustre display by the seamers with Bicknell and Welton always scoring at five an over. Bicknell reached 50 off 60 balls and Welton off 59, the latter reaching the target with a six over mid-wicket off Nicky Phillips.

But it was when Durham turned to an all-spin attack with Gough joining Phillips that they finally achieved some measure of control.

The total had reached 131 in the 26th over when left-hander Bicknell tried to turn Phillips to leg and was bowled for 62.

Greg Blewett was fortunate on seven when he lofted Phillips just clear of substitute Gary Pratt at deep mid-on and off the next ball he ran Welton out, with Durham skipper Jon Lewis hitting the stumps from cover.

Welton, celebrating his 23rd birthday, had made 75 in very impressive fashion and but for his misfortune might have passed his best one-day score of 104 not out against Durham in the National League two years ago.

Blewett fell for 21 when he tried to chip Brinkley over mid-wicket and lobbed a catch to Law at mid-on.

Durham's glimmer of hope increased as Collingwood's hit from backward point ran out Ufzaal to make it 175 for four, but Pietersen then helped the experienced Paul Johnson put on 54 in nine overs.

Johnson complained that the ball had become too soft to hit and after he swept Brinkley to Killeen at short fine leg the umpires decided to change it.

As a ball of equivalent age was not available there followed the bizarre sight of Hampshire hitting the new one with a bat several times and rubbing it in the dust.

Although the bowling of Killeen and Brinkley had improved at the death, they could not dislodge Pietersen, the 6ft 5in English-qualified South African.

His flailing bat brought him 35 not out off 37 balls and when the last over arrived with four needed Durham had to turn to Collingwood, whose first ball was smashed back over his head by Chris Read