DURHAM'S division one life ebbed slowly away on the Riverside's final day of the season as a desperate attempt to contrive a victory handed the game to Hampshire.

It was cruel justice that after their experience at Basingstoke, where they lost on a poor pitch, Durham's plight left them little alternative but to set Hampshire a victory target on a run-laden surface.

In their five meetings with Durham this season, everything has gone Hampshire's way and skipper Robin Smith negotiated an excellent deal when it was agreed the target would be 291 in 91 overs.

Despite losing Giles White to the first ball, Hampshire recorded their second championship win, both against Durham, by six wickets with 13.5 overs to spare to leave Durham in danger of finishing bottom.

With only this week's trip to the Oval to come, all hope of escaping relegation will be gone if Somerset avoid defeat by Leicestershire today, as they surely must, and Kent pick up two points from their two remaining games.

One of the counties with whom Durham could exchange places, Warwickshire, are said to be on the trail of Melvyn Betts, while they could be prepared to let Hetton-born all-rounder Graeme Welch return to his native county.

But Durham are unlikely to see it as a desirable swap as a fully-fit Betts brings a bite to their attack which was lacking yesterday, and while they are interested in Welch he could never be seen as better than a fourth seamer in championship cricket.

Betts is one of the nine who are out of contract and negotiations could be affected by the likely shortfall of at least £50,000 per county in the ECB handout as a result of lost revenue from shortened Test matches.

Durham chairman Bill Midgley is confident none of those they wish to keep will leave, partly because the likes of Betts and Michael Gough would be reluctant to tear themselves away from their roots.

Almost two days had been lost to rain when play resumed at 3.30 on Saturday against Hampshire with Durham on 246 for four. Jimmy Daley and Martin Speight completed their first championship half-centuries of the season before the declaration came at 320 for nine.

The ease with which Hampshire reached 69 for none by the close suggested any setting of a target would be in their favour, but Durham were over a barrel.

Hampshire declared at the overnight score, then Durham faced three overs of gentle offerings from Robin Smith and Adrian Aymes, during which Gough managed to miscue an intended pull to mid-on.

At least his exit gave Simon Katich the chance to complete 1,000 runs before Durham declared on 39 for one. But the only time the target looked anything but generous was in the first few overs of Hampshire's chase.

Giles White fell to the first ball, caught off bat and pad by Speight to give Simon Brown his 500th first-class wicket for Durham, having passed 500 in total in the win against Derbyshire at the end of June.

Brown could also have had Jason Laney three times before he passed four as he chipped just short of mid-on, survived a very sharp chance to Gough at gully and offered a more straightforward return catch.

He then began clipping Brown away off his toes and when Steve Harmison replaced the left-armer Laney edged him over the slips for four.

Laney was finally lbw to Brown after making 52 out of a stand of 98 with Will Kendall, who showed the same composure as in making 105 at the Riverside in April last year.

This time he finished on 119 not out and virtually the only times he was troubled were on 60 and 96 by Neil Killeen. First he edged high to the right of second slip, where Paul Collingwood leapt to get a hand on the ball, then he was comprehensively beaten when four short of his eighth first-class hundred, which he reached off 228 balls.

A third wicket stand of 100 ended when Robin Smith was adjudged lbw when well forward to Killeen on 41. But with 91 needed off 35 overs after tea, 20-year-old Lawrence Prittipaul defied Durham's efforts to ruffle him with some short stuff and gave Kendall solid support.

With the runs coming easily, Durham's frustrations were obvious when Killeen conceded four overthrows off his own bowling with a wild shy at the stumps and only 25 were needed when Kendall pulled Katich for successive fours before Prittipaul guided another long hop into Speight's hands at mid-wicket.

Durham have lost three times since they sacked Nick Speak as captain, and now at least they can forget the ridiculous idea of including John Emburey at the Oval. Perhaps they will give Graeme Bridge a belated opportunity instead.