AFTER Yorkshire had earlier virtually made certain of avoiding relegation, it was opponents Durham who yesterday attempted their own Houdini act on the third day of the final Championship match of the season at Headingley.

Nottinghamshire's capitulation at Trent Bridge to Sussex, who took the Championship crown off the current holders, meant that Durham would finish half-a-point above Notts if they could steal five batting bonus points off Yorkshire and then go on to draw the game.

An unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 220 between captain Dale Benkenstein and Ottis Gibson helped them to achieve their first objective at 1.50pm and seven minutes later they were helped towards the second by rain which washed out play for the remainder of the day.

Durham were then 411-6 off 105 overs, still 117 away from avoiding the followon, and they stand every chance of saving the match today on the last day of the season.

As long as Yorkshire don't lose, either, they will jump above both Durham and Notts in the table and finish in sixth place.

It was Deon Kruis late on Thursday evening who gave them the second bowling bonus point which guarantees their safety, provided they don't lose, and Yorkshire were yesterday doubly grateful to him because they failed to dislodge Durham's determined seventh-wicket pair who batted from the start of the third day until the rain came.

Benkenstein survived a sharp chance to Anthony McGrath off Mark Lawson early in the day but for most of the time neither the spinners nor the pacemen looked like doing much damage.

Benkenstein was first to his 50, quickly followed by Gibson and, after going in to lunch on 99, Benkenstein reached his third century of the season off 140 balls with ten fours.

There was a huge cheer from the visiting dressingroom when Gibson clouted Adil Rashid over mid-wicket to bring up the 400 and even greater celebrations when the popular allrounder completed his first century for Durham from 159 deliveries with nine fours and three sixes.

Gibson's previous highest score in Championship cricket came nine years' ago when he made 97 for Glamorgan against Leicestershire and his only other century was in 1995 when he struck 101no for the West Indies off Somerset's attack.

The rain could be seen by Durham as a divine intervention and, when it came, Benkenstein was 116 not out off 160 balls with 12 boundaries and Gibson had 104 from 172 balls.