CANTERBURY

(Day four of four: Durham won toss)

Durham moved to the top of the LV county championship table - and in pole position to win their first-ever title - inside 75 minutes of play on Saturday morning. Thanks to a late burst of wickets from their season's hero Steve Harmison, Durham wrapped up victory over Kent by an innings and 71 runs.

Harmison took three wickets in four balls to finish off the Kent innings for 204 after Callum Thorp had added two more scalps to the five he had taken on Friday evening. Thorp finished with career-best figures of seven for 88. Harmison took three for 58 to take his haul for the season to 60 at 22.4 each.

The result gave Durham a maximum 22 points and lifted them eight points clear of Nottinghamshire, who were meanwhile condemned to what looked likely to be a forlorn run chase against Hampshire at Trent Bridge. Notts were left a target of 442 at almost six runs an over and unless they made the runs Durham would be crowned champions by the afternoon.The prize is £100,000.

Kent's hopes of escaping with a draw were slim and inside four overs they had lost the wicket of Justin Kemp for 54, brilliantly caught by Dale Benkenstein, the Durham captain, diving low at backward point.

Although Ryan McLaren stood firm, he had only the tail for support and a Durham victory was effectively assured. In the event the last four wickets fell for seven runs in four overs.

As a result, Kent were relegated by one point. Only two weeks ago, they were in with a mathematical chance of winning the title themselves but then they crashed to defeats against Lancashire before this thrashing by Durham.

Durham 500-8 dec (G. R. Breese 121 not out, M.J. Di Venuto 90, P. Mustard 83, W.R. Smith 81) v Kent 159-5 (C.D. Thorp 5-61) and 225 (R.W.T. Key 58, S.J. Harmison 4-89)