DURHAM were officially relegated when Surrey declared at 2.25pm yesterday after being on the receiving end of the biggest stand against them in nine years of first-class cricket.

The 359 put on by Surrey's left-handed openers, Mark Butcher and Ian Ward, eclipsed the record partnership of 322 by Brian Lara and Keith Piper at Edgbaston in 1994.

Durham's survival hopes coming into the match were similar to the Millennium Dome's chances of making a profit, but the drop became official when the declaration came at 453 for four.

There were seven balls left before the 130 overs cut-off for bonus points, and the one bowling point Durham gained will do little towards achieving the consolation of retaining seventh place, which would be their highest finish.

Only Simon Katich kept them afloat, making batting look as easy as the Surrey left-handers despite the superior bowling.

The Australian made 77 before being stumped three overs before the close, which Durham reached on 165 for six.

He had repeatedly hit leg-spinner Ian Salisbury from off stump solidly through mid-wicket, but when he left his crease and tried to repeat the stroke from a ball drifting past leg stump he was comfortably out.

It was Katich's eighth championship half-century, and while he favoured the leg side with his perfectly middled strokes, there were also some glorious straight hits off front and back foot.

John Emburey was present at the Oval yesterday, having agreed to Durham's request to play for them in this match should they have any chance of retaining division one status.

He is also looking for a job, and might fancy stepping into Norman Gifford's shoes as Durham coach.

But he has also been quick to express interest in replacing his sacked former team-mate Mike Gatting at Middlesex.

On the evidence of the last two weeks, Durham need someone who can bring quicker results than Emburey achieved in his three years with Northants.

Although they have always been competitive in the top flight until the recent derailment, there can be no doubt that they will need strong leadership to get back among the elite.

When Surrey resumed on 243 yesterday Mark Butcher cut Steve Harmison for six and four in the second over and when Paul Collingwood replaced Harmison he was immediately clipped for two leg-side fours by Ward.

On 129 Butcher survived a half chance to Katich at slip off Nicky Phillips, but it was the only chance he gave on his way to his seven-hour 191, the second highest score of his career.

It was the fifth time he has passed 150 and three of them have been against Durham.

He might have been out going for the single which took him to 150 had Michael Gough's throw from cover hit the stumps.

Instead it brought an overthrow, the backing-up being less than enthusiastic, and in the next over three leg byes brought up the record stand.

Simon Brown and Neil Killeen took tbe new ball with the score on 327 and while the latter could make no impression, Brown beat both batsmen through swing before Ward missed a straight one and was lbw for 144.

Nadeem Shahid, who would not be in the side if Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe were available, emerged to play even better strokes than the left-handers.

But as Surrey looked to press on after lunch Butcher was bowled off his pads trying to work a full-length Harmison ball to leg then Shahid drove Phillips to mid-on.

Adam Hollioake picked up Phillips over mid-wicket for six before top edging a hook to long leg to reward Harmison for his improved accuracy.

He was quickly outshone, however, by Martin Bicknell, who produced a superb late in-swinger to knock back Jon Lewis's off stump.

Gough went perilously close to being out shouldering arms for the third successive match when a ball from Alex Tudor missed his stumps by a whisker.

Otherwise Gough played confidently for his 28 until he was harpooned by a much quicker ball from Pakistani spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, falling lbw as he shaped to play to leg.

Salisbury took the next four wickets, although they owed nothing to the appreciable turn he was finding.

Collingwood and Jimmy Daley were victims of diving catches, by Tudor at mid-on and Ward at cover, and Martin Speight was taken off bat and pad when trying to sweep.

Andrew Pratt reached 15 not out, but one batting point for getting to 200 will be the limit of Durham's expectations as they still ned 139 to avoid the follow-on.

l Chris Hewison, released last year after three seasons with the Durham Academy, is making his first-class debut for Nottinghamshire in their match against Glamorgan at Trent Bridge.

He was drafted in after John Morris suffered a groin strain in pre-match fielding practice and scored 24 batting at number six.

Gateshead-born Hewison, 20, had already been out second ball for the second team half a mile down the road when he was summoned