IF Durham had won this game they would have reached rare and rarefied heights - top of the Sunday League. They battled hard, with Jonathan Lewis and Paul Collingwood putting on 104 for the fifth wicket in only 14 overs, but two wickets in three balls by Alamgir Sheriyar turned the game against them.

The key to Worcestershire's win - which propels them high up the table from second bottom - was the steadiness of two former England bowlers. Phil Newport went for only 18 in his eight overs and got sufficient movement with the new ball to get the key wickets of Michael Roseberry and David Boon, both thinning attempted steers into Steve Rhodes's gloves.

Richard Illingworth also collected two victims in his first spell before damaging a finger trying to hold a fierce return catch from Lewis. The injury may have accounted for his failure to hold a skier in the deep off Collingwood for he briefly left the field for treatment.

He returned to bowl Lewis, whose 62 came off only 55 balls, but Collingwood battled on to his own half-century in 51 balls before Sheriyar got him caught low down at mid-on, and the last five Durham wickets went down in 12 deliveries.

Durham do not lack lusty hitters and at the start of their innings Michael Foster pulled Tom Moody for a six which put spectators in danger as the ball bounced around their ears. John Morris also hit a brisk 41, including a six off his toes off Moody.

Worcestershire captain Moody, only a week back from Australian one-day duty in Sharjah, was still in limited-overs mode, hitting 80 off 89 balls before he was stumped down the leg side by Martin Speight off a wide.