Steve Harmison dragged Durham back from the brink with a superb spell after tea as Hampshire slipped from a position of total dominance at Chester-le-Street.

The visitors collapsed from 93 for no wicket to 134 for six - but they were 223 ahead when they closed on 186 for six.

Hampshire had stretched their first-innings lead of 37 to 130 before Steve Harmison's brother, Ben, made the breakthrough by running out Michael Brown for 43.

Michael Carberry tried to withdraw his bat from the next ball by Callum Thorp and played on for 46 before Harmison senior took the next four wickets.

In a match in which he has struggled with the new ball, for the second successive day he hit his stride after tea, taking his wickets in six fast and accurate overs in the middle of a 14-over spell.

The former England paceman also thought he had Sean Ervine caught behind first ball, but the Zimbabwean left-hander survived to reach 46 and made sure Hampshire did not squander their strong position.

They bowled out Durham for 202 with New Zealander Shane Bond taking the last four wickets to finish with five for 57 in his last match for the county.

He was not brought on until the 23rd over of the day as Dimitri Mascarenhas bowled himself unchanged for 22 overs on a pitch where the bounce favoured the quicker bowlers.

Mascarenhas removed two out-of-form batsmen in Phil Mustard and Neil McKenzie - playing his last game before joining the South African tour party.

Resuming on 59 for two, Durham lost all eight remaining wickets to edged catches and wicketkeeper Nic Pothas bagged six in the innings.

His first of the day came when Michael Di Venuto touched a leg-side ball from Chris Tremlett, and there may also have been a touch of fortune about two others. Both the Durham captain Dale Benkenstein and Steve Harmison looked surprised to be given out.

After Di Venuto fell for 56, no-one else reached 20 until Thorp followed yesterday's five-wicket haul with an unbeaten 29, putting on 32 for the last wicket with Mark Davies.

For the second time in the match Carberry looked very composed and profited from anything on his legs, with Durham rarely looking like parting the opening pair.

In the third over after tea, Ben Harmison ran round from long leg to pick up the ball at deep square and hit the stumps at the non-striker's end with Brown unable to complete the second run.

Harmison senior began his fireworks three overs later when John Crawley edged to first slip. Edges also got rid of Pothas and Greg Lamb, while Michael Lumb was lbw.

But, as Harmison tired, Mascarenhas helped Ervine stop the rot in an unbroken stand of 52 to set up an interesting third day.

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