Durham acquired first-class status a little matter of 101 years after Kent and their progress towards the summit of county cricket has been sluggish, to put it kindly. Today, though, they could well become champions for the first time. They require a further five wickets to beat the most traditional of clubs, who will then be relegated to the second division, something they have not experienced.

Events at Trent Bridge and Taunton were relayed with regularity. The mathematics are that if Kent are beaten, as seems likely, Nottinghamshire fail to defeat Hampshire, as appears probable, and Somerset are, almost certainly, defeated by Lancashire, Durham will be champions. A side whose balance has been achieved through signings from overseas and cricketers nurtured in the North East has, by common consent, played the best cricket this season and hence deserve to succeed.

Two Durham cricketers excelled in particular yesterday. The highest praise that can be accorded Callum Thorp, who took the five Kent wickets to fall, is that he bowled almost as quickly, and certainly with as much hostility, as Stephen Harmison, no less. Earlier in the day, Gareth Breese, who has featured more in the one-day game than in first-class cricket this season, struck his first century of the summer.

He and Phil Mustard added 148 in 42 overs, the highest partnership for Durham’s seventh wicket against Kent. Breese finished unbeaten with 121, including 13 fours and a six, untroubled by seam and spin alike. Mustard’s contribution was 83, with 12 fours and a six. This passage of play, coupled with Thorp’s initial spell of 15 overs, was altogether too much for opponents who appeared tired and dispirited and aware that relegation, not one-day trophies, would be their lot for this season.

Thorp, bowling from the Pavilion End on a pitch that was playing better than at any time in the match, had Robert Key caught for a duck at mid-off from a leading edge as he aimed to drive the first ball he faced through mid-wicket. Joe Denly was held in Thorp’s follow-through and Martin van Jaarsveld caught at short cover. That was 17 for three and there was to be no immediate recovery.

Geraint Jones was leg-before playing across a ball that kept low and, when Darren Stevens edged a ball to first slip that lifted and left him — perhaps the best Thorp bowled in this one spell — Kent were 58 for five. There followed a useful unbeaten partnership of 101 between Justin Kemp, whose 49 not out included six fours and a six, strongly driven through his powerful forearms, and Ryan McLaren and yet, given they are 116 runs in arrears, something valiant will be required today to prevent Durham winning by an innings, let alone by nightfall.

Kent’s inability to win a one-day trophy this season after excelling in that form of cricket would appear to have had a debilitating effect on their first-class performances. As it is, there will be changes at Canterbury on and off the field. The ECB fined Key £1,250 yesterday for his “muppets” outburst over the Riverside pitch in the match between Durham and Kent this season; any criticism today will have to be reserved for his own players.

Scoreboard

Kent: First Innings 225 (R W T Key 58; S J Harmison 4 for 89)

Second Innings
J L Denly c and b Thorp 9
*R W T Key c Chanderpaul b Thorp 0
†G O Jones lbw b Thorp 26
M van Jaarsveld c Benkenstein b Thorp 1
D I Stevens c Breese b Thorp 18
J M Kemp not out 49
R McLaren not out 45
Extras (lb 8, w 1, nb 2) 11
Total (5 wkts, 44 overs) 159

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-11, 3-17, 4-57, 5-58.

Bowling: S J Harmison 14-2-40-0; Thorp 15-4-61-5; Davies 5-1-9-0; B W Harmison 5-1-21-0; Wiseman 5-0-20-0.

Durham: First Innings (overnight 289-6)
G R Breese not out 121
†P Mustard c Stevens b Tredwell 83
P J Wiseman c sub b Joseph 34
C D Thorp not out 8
Extras (b 4, lb 5, w 2, nb 22) 33
Total (8 wkts dec, 136 overs) 500

S J Harmison did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-92, 2-141, 3-155, 4-215, 5-280, 6-280, 7-428, 8-486.

Bowling: Arafat 26-7-79-0; Joseph 24-5-104-2; Tredwell 35-4-134-2; McLaren 18-1-73-2; Van Jaarsveld 4-2-8-0; Saggers 26-5-82-2; Stevens 1-0-1-0; Denly 2-0-10-0.

Umpires: N L Bainton and G Sharp.