FOR the second successive four-day game Durham timed their victory charge to perfection yesterday, with Michael Di Venuto leading the way.

He reached his century with the single which levelled the scores and Phil Mustard completed the five-wicket win against Worcestershire 20 minutes before the rain arrived at Riverside.

They got home with four overs remaining in their previous game at Edgbaston and have made up for the frustration of having to settle for draws in their first three games.

Durham had been told they had until lunchtime yesterday to score the 115 runs they needed to reach their target of 179, but they scorched to victory at 12.14 and the rain arrived ahead of schedule.

The champions extended their lead at the top to 18 points over Nottinghamshire, who were thwarted by rain at Trent Bridge.

“The target was to get there by lunch, but it’s just as well we did it more quickly,” said Di Venuto after his third championship hundred of the season.

“When I was batting with Ian Blackwell he told me I could get to three figures, but I said we should just get the job done. Then he got out and things just fell my way.

“We are playing some terrific cricket at the moment.

The first two days in this match cancelled each other out when it was hot and humid and the ball was swinging.

But it was a good pitch and Worcestershire would be disappointed with their second- innings total.”

Durham resumed on 64 for one, with Di Venuto on 43, and it was skipper Will Smith who first signalled the intent to get on with it. In the third over he hooked Chris Whelan for six, just clearing the fielder at long leg.

The captain fell for 16 when he edged Whelan to second slip, where Daryl Mitchell juggled the ball and Ben Smith completed the catch.

Kabir Ali bowled only two overs and conceded only four runs with the ball swinging as it did when he took six for 68 in the first innings.

But because of various niggles he was replaced by Matt Mason, whose first ball was pulled by Di Venuto straight to long leg, where Alexei Kervezee dropped the straightforward chance, the run gained from the stroke taking Di Venuto to 50 off 77 balls.

Gordon Muchall hit successive balls from Whelan before departing for 14 when he edged Mason to Mitchell.

Durham had scored 58 off ten overs when Worcestershire’s acting captain, Gareth Batty, brought himself on and let out a cry of anguish when his short leg fielder failed to get to what he thought was a bat-pad chance.

The batsman, Dale Benkenstein, responded by sweeping the next ball for six and followed up with a four in front of mid-wicket as he scored 17 off 11 balls.

He then edged Mason to the wicketkeeper before Blackwell showed his lack of comfort in one-day situations. He scored three off eight balls then went for a big drive and skied a catch to extra cover.

Only 24 were needed at that point, and the visitors made it easy for Durham by replacing Mason with Moeen Ali’s leftarm spin, which yielded 17 runs in two overs.

Durham scored the 155 runs off only 20 overs to secure a fourth successive win for only the second time. They also won their first four games under Mike Hussey in the promotion season of 2005.

Durham, who won the title with six wins last season, now have a week off before resuming against Yorkshire at Headingley next Friday, when they will have Graham Onions or Steve Harmison, or possibly both, back in the side.

Scoreboard

Durham v Worcestershire At Riverside

Overnight: Worcestershire 193 (A A Noffke 50; L E Plunkett 6-63) and179 (A N Kervezee 66; L E Plunkett 5-56). Durham 194 (P Mustard 63 no;Kabir Ali 6-68) and 64-1.

Durham Second Innings

M J Di Venuto not out .......................100

W R Smith c Smith b Whelan ................16

G J Muchall c Mitchell b Mason ............14

D M Benkenstein c Knappett b Mason ..17

I D Blackwell c Wheeldon b Mason ....... 3

P Mustard not out .............................. 2

Extras (b2 lb6 nb4 pens 0) ..........12

Total 5 wkts (41 overs)........179

Fall: 1-47 2-90 3-115 4-137 5-155

Did Not Bat: L E Plunkett, C D Thorp, M E Claydon, M Davies.

Total Bonus Pts: Durham 3 Worcestershire 3

Kabir Ali 6-0-23-0. Mason 11-2-35-3. Noffke 7-2-11-1. Batty 10-1-48-0. Whelan 5-0-37-1.

M M Ali 2-0-17-0.

Durham (17pts) beat Worcestershire (3pts) by 5 wkts.