DURHAM took only their three bowling points from a two-day defeat by Lancashire at Blackpool and go into Tuesday's home match against Sussex trailing the new leaders by 16.5 points.

The best efforts of skipper Dale Benkenstein and the remarkable Ottis Gibson were not enough to save them from a seven-wicket defeat on a disappointing Stanley Park pitch.

A pitch panel was convened, but while Benkenstein was making 77 only one wicket went down in 31 overs after the fall of 25 in four sessions.

As temperatures cooled the ball swung less, reinforcing the impression that the batsmen's inability to cope with movement through the air was more blameworthy than the uneven bounce in reducing the match to a shambles.

Durham coach Geoff Cook said: "We have no problems with the pitch. It was in the bowlers' favour but we fought really hard and we were in control two or three times in the game.

"It was a tough match for the younger players but they have to be put into that position and learn from it."

Gibson followed his eight for 68 in the first innings by making 33 then striking with the fourth ball when Lancashire began their pursuit of a target of 169.

When Liam Plunkett had Steven Croft brilliantly caught by Ben Harmison at third slip in the fourth over the hosts were seven for two.

But while the young batsmen on both sides had been unable to cope, experience again shone through as Australian Stuart Law, 39 next month, blocked Gibson's better balls and dispatched the others to the boundary.

Law put on 37 with Mark Chilton before the captain gloved a leg-side catch off Plunkett to Phil Mustard, but that merely brought in another class performer in VVS Laxman.

Law had made 30 out of 59 when he survived a difficult chance to Harmison off Plunkett, and with Mark Davies's better balls beating the bat when he was given a chance at the danger end, the game gradually slipped away from Durham. Law finished on 82 and Laxman on 55.

Sajid Mahmood played a big part as he followed his 41 runs with four wickets, including three in seven balls as Durham folded once Benkenstein was out.

Lancashire's ninth-wicket pair of Mahmood and Luke Sutton added a further 46 in the morning, stretching their stand to a very damaging 69 before Gibson took the last two wickets in two balls.

Mahmood departed when he tried to turn a ball of almost yorker length to leg and it swung to have him lbw. The next swung in to splatter left-hander Gary Keedy's stumps.

At 38, Gibson began the season with best figures of seven for 55 in South Africa 12 years ago, but he has beaten that three times this season.

Yesterday's eight for 68 were the second best figures of his career after his ten for 47 against Hampshire, which started a remarkable run which had brought him 44 wickets in nine innings.

The one he added in the evening took his season's tally to 68 in the championship, one short of Simon Brown's Durham record for a season, set in 1996.

With Sutton unbeaten on 66, Lancashire would be happy to reach 183 from the ruins of 13 for four, but it didn't say much for Durham's support bowling.

Plunkett bowled too short in the morning and when Davies replaced him he beat the bat three times in his first over by pitching the ball up and swinging it away.

The ball was swinging lavishly, in fact, while the sun was still shining and when Durham batted again it was ill-advised of Mark Stoneman to shoulder arms in the third over, falling lbw to Mahmood.

Three overs later a big swinger from Glen Chapple had Michael Di Venuto lbw for eight and something similar quickly rearranged Harmison's furniture.

At 17 for three 45 minutes from lunch the scores were level and the game looked destined to be over within five sessions.

But after Benkenstein had put on 30 with Kyle Coetzer, he was unlucky to lose his partner, who was adjudged lbw as Blackpool's Steven Croft took two wickets in two balls with his medium pace swingers.

There was little argument with Gordon Muchall's first-ball exit, but the ball which removed Coetzer looked to have a good chance of passing over the stumps. It was Barry Dudleston's fourth dubious decision - two to each side - in a match which didn't need any help from the umpires to move it along.

After Muchall's two innings in the win against Worcestershire produced 130 runs for once out, his pair here has set back his claim to a permanent spot at five or six.

At 47 for five Mustard and Benkenstein took 11 in an over off Croft and advanced the score to 76 at lunch, by which time the sun had given way to a chilly breeze.

When Oliver Newby opened up at the non-danger end after the break he conceded 24 runs in two overs, including a six hooked over fine leg by Mustard.

He drove the same bowler to the cover boundary to bring up the 100 and only the third 50 stand of the match, which was followed by another one after Mustard played on to a ball from Chapple which barely left the ground.

Benkenstein middled most of his shots, off front and back foot through the off-side, but it was a sliced drive off Chapple through gully for his ninth four which took him to 50 off 79 balls.

The danger seemed to have receded when Chapple rested after taking one wicket in seven overs. He had taken seven successive wickets from the pavilion end in his post-lunch spell on the first day, and when Mahmood took over yesterday he began by bowling too short to Benkenstein, who cut and pulled him for fours.

But Mahmood suddenly improved and a ball which lifted and left Benkenstein took the edge on the way to Sutton.

Plunkett went first ball when he pushed forward and lost his leg stump, then there was one final defiant blow from Gibson as he smashed Croft for six over wide long-on before departing tamely, hitting straight to mid-on.

The innings ended in the next over when Paul Wiseman edged Croft to Sutton and Durham just hadn't made enough.