THE dying embers of Durham's title bid were fanned by Graham Onions yesterday before being doused, but not extinguished, by Robin Martin-Jenkins.

He followed his unbeaten 77 off 57 balls by claiming the vital wicket of Michael Di Venuto before Mark Stoneman and Kyle Coetzer stoked the flames again as Durham replied to Sussex's 291 with 115 for one at Riverside.

Their unbroken stand of 79 was hugely encouraging, especially as they defied two world-class spinners in Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq.

Stoneman again showed that he can play nicely through mid-wicket, but the pick of the nine fours which took him to his second championship 50 off 74 balls was the last one, swept to fine leg off Mushtaq.

Coetzer was also alert to scoring opportunities, pulling both spinners to the mid-wicket boundary, and the two academy products have given Durham the platform to reach their target of a minimum of 400 today.

As they would expect to pick up three bowling points, Sussex needed the security of three batting points for reaching 300 to be sure of staying ahead of Durham.

Onions' three-wicket burst after lunch reduced the visitors to 187 for six, at which point Martin-Jenkins and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan decided to meet fire with fire.

They added 69 in nine overs before the Pakistani was controversially given out after his lanky partner had already sped to a 34-ball half-century.

Two more Pakistanis, Saqlain and Mushtaq, surrendered tamely by skying attempted pulls off Ottis Gibson, and Martin-Jenkins was left stranded after last man Jason Lewry was run out.

The double-barrelled Durham graduate showed scant regard for Lewry's batting ability by going back for the suicidal second with only nine runs needed for what could be a crucial point.

Although the weather may still play a part in next week's final matches, it is unlikely to be much different for Durham at Canterbury than for Sussex at Hove against relegated Worcestershire.

So it was a last throw of the dice for Dale Benkenstein when he picked an extra seamer in Onions at the expense of Ben Harmison and put Sussex in.

Choosing to bat last against a team with two top-class spinners might seem reckless, but he was gambling on his four seamers bowling out the visitors for fewer than 250.

With recent Riverside pitches flattening out, Durham still have the chance to build a substantial lead, although it receded when Di Venuto, having made 28 in an opening stand of 36, followed a poor leg-side ball and gloved it to the wicketkeeper. As he had survived an appeal for something similar earlier in the over, it was a disappointing dismissal.

The reigning champions were never likely to fold as meekly as Worcestershire when Benkenstein inserted them in the last Riverside match, and Sussex got off to a cracking start as Chris Nash hit three fours off Gibson in the third over.

But Gibson struck twice with the score on 41 to become the first bowler to take 70 championship wickets in a season for Durham.

Richard Montgomerie played across a full-length ball to be lbw, then Gibson found extra bounce and the ball lobbed to gully off left-hander Michael Yardy's gloves.

Durham could really have soared into the ascendancy in the next over had either of two half chances offered by Nash been accepted.

An attempted pull off Onions reached Paul Wiseman at mid-on on the half volley, then an edge flew fast and low to Phil Mustard's right. Few wicketkeepers would have reacted quickly enough to reach it, but Mustard got there, only for the ball to drop out when he hit the ground.

Mark Davies and Liam Plunkett bowled accurate spells, but Murray Goodwin settled in comfortably after twice being beaten on the inside by Gibson and Nash battened down to reach 49 off 107 balls at lunch.

He failed to add as he went half forward and was lbw to Onions in the second over after the break, ending a stand of 74.

In his next over Onions had Chris Adams caught at first slip by Gordon Muchall, then after Goodwin took three fours in an over off him to reach 50 off 96 balls, Onions struck again.

Fresh from his century against Yorkshire last week, wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd was aiming to mid-on when he was lbw for two.

Goodwin had reached 66 without any hint of difficulty when Davies nipped one back to have him lbw and he could have had Rana Naved in the same over. His attempted cut resulted in a fast edge to first slip, where Muchall was unable to hang on.

The Pakistani plundered four fours in his 27 before indicating a short ball from Plunkett had brushed his arm on the way to Mustard. He made no attempt to disguise his displeasure with Mike Harris's belated raised finger.

Martin-Jenkins continued to time the ball superbly and deserved more responsible support from the tail, with even Lewry blazing away with gay abandon.

Perhaps he fancied his chances of making swift inroads into Durham's batting, but the one wicket Sussex took owed more to luck than good bowling