JUBILANT Durham fans cared not a jot that they were witnessing yet another totesport shambles at Riverside yesterday as Durham duly confirmed their promotion double.

By the time a Somerset side used to piling up runs at Taunton had subsided to 53 for seven their own slender hope of promotion had vanished, as had any chance of an exciting contest.

It didn't matter as this was party time for Durham, helped by having England's open-top bus and the replica Ashes urn on the ground.

Paul Collingwood left the field to a marvellous reception after hitting two sixes in his 21 and there was further evidence that Gary Pratt has become a cult figure.

On the day when a Sunday newspaper quoted him as saying he was too drunk to feel any awkwardness about visiting 10 Downing Street last Tuesday, Pratt helped to steer Durham home for the second successive Sunday.

Thanks to a last-wicket stand of 46, Somerset finally totalled 140 before being all out in the 44th over and Durham sealed a five-wicket win with 14.2 overs to spare.

As the champagne spraying began afterwards, Collingwood took his first sip and said: "I feel as if I'm just topping up."

He added: "Winning promotion in both forms of the game is massive for this club. I'm very proud of the guys - they can all give themselves a pat on the back after performing so well.

"This has to be the club's best season. We have had some great players, but there has never been a better team here than this one."

Following his maiden one-day century at Headingley last week, Gordon Muchall opened the innings and staked a claim to continue the role next season by making 40.

Neil Killeen's bowling figures of 9-1-15-3 were rapturously received on a day of celebration when a crowd of 3,000 was about four times as many as turned up for the last rites in the championship on Saturday.

After the refreshing change of seeing 478 runs scored in Durham's win at Headingley, it was back to the usual Riverside one-day fare.

Barring the visit of Scotland, the last five totesport matches at the ground have produced a top score of 147 for the team batting first and that was when Durham recovered from 70 for nine against Warwickshire.

Derbyshire were all out for 82 and Leicestershire for 113, while yesterday's innings was remarkably similar to Kent's last week, when the visitors were 52 for six and also totalled 140.

Somerset were put in by Collingwood, and it was a sign of things to come when Matthew Wood drove Killeen in the air just out of mid-off's reach in the first over.

Used to the ball coming on to the bat much better, Somerset offered five simple catches in the arc from mid-on to extra cover.

It began with left-hander John Francis driving Killeen to mid-on in the third over and the bowler continued to prove his white-ball expertise as he nipped one back to bowl the dangerous James Hildreth for a duck.

He also forced Matthew Wood to drag the ball into his stumps, while Brad Williams moved one away off the pitch to have Arul Suppiah caught behind.

Coming in at 32 for four, Somerset captain Ian Blackwell gave himself no time to adjust to the lack of pace as he tried to turn Williams through mid-wicket and lobbed a leading edge to mid-on.

Two wickets fell to Collingwood on 53 before, as usual, the softening of the ball made things easier for the batsmen after 20 overs.

Wes Durston and Gareth Andrew put on 39 before Durston played the ball square on the leg side and Andrew set off for a run.

Realising the country's most famous fielder was closing in on the ball, Durston sent his partner back but he failed to beat Pratt's throw.

That brought in Richard Johnson on the ground where he bludgeoned a 63-ball championship century last season, but he went without scoring, tamely driving Dale Benkenstein to Pratt at extra cover.

With 15 overs left, last man Simon Francis then survived comfortably enough while Durston continued his impressive innings to reach 46 before hoisting Collingwood to long-on.

Despite Johnson's away swing, Muchall and Jimmy Maher made a positive start to Durham's innings and put on 35 before Maher fell for 15 in the seventh over.

Aiming to turn Johnson over mid-wicket he lofted a leading edge straight back over the bowler and Durston ran round from deep mid-off to hold the catch.

Collingwood drove Johnson over extra cover for six and pulled Simon Francis for another one before an attempted repeat in Andrew's first over resulted in a skied catch to deep mid-wicket.

Muchall was caught off bat and pad in off-spinner Durston's first over, but at 97 for three Durham were well on their way.

Durston wasn't finished as he turned one sharply to have Pratt caught behind for 29, then brilliantly caught Benkenstein at first slip off Blackwell's left-arm spin.

At 120 for five the jitters might have set in, but Gareth Breese never fails against Somerset and his unbeaten 14 completed the task.

Durham now have to wait a week before their final match of the season at Edgbaston next week, when victory would see them clinch the totesport second division title if Sussex lost to Yorkshire at Headingley.

Read more about Durham here.