RAIN held up Yorkshire's victory push at Chester-le-Street today where Durham were on 94 for five and still 11 runs away from avoiding the innings defeat.

It began about an hour before the scheduled start of the third day and was a huge frustration for Yorkshire who will take 17 points from the match if they win to go back to the top of the PPP healthcare Championship table.

Although Yorkshire had to work hard for their first innings lead of 105 yesterday, Durham then slumped to 35 for four in the face of some fierce bowling from Darren Gough and Gavin Hamilton and they were relieved to lose only one more wicket by the close.

There was a champagne moment for Gough when he dismissed opener Jon Lewis to pick up his 600th victim in first class cricket, 373 of them for Yorkshire.

Gough claimed three of the five Durham wickets to fall and was raring to get back into the action today.

"I really got my run-up working right last night and was bowling as quick as at any time this season," he said.

The only two real disappointments yesterday were that neither Michael Vaughan nor Darren Lehmann could go on to complete their centuries after doing the bulk of the work in taking Yorkshire's final score to 294.

Vaughan was surprisingly bowled for 94 to bring a maiden wicket for Ian Hunter who later had Lehmann caught behind for 79 as the paceman captured the last three wickets in a five-ball burst.

Starting the second day on 52, Vaughan quickly moved Yorkshire off their overnight 105 for one with a salvo of three boundaries in Steve Harmison's first over but he lost Richard Blakey at 138 when the wicketkeeper hung out his bat at Melvyn Betts.

With Lehmann settling in nicely, Vaughan went on his unruffled way until he aimed to hit Hunter to leg but the ball came off his pad and flattened his off-stump. He had received 149 deliveries, struck 14 fours and had left England with little option but to call him up for the first Test against the West Indies next week.

Once James Middlebrook was out for 22, Lehmann had no-one to support him and his unusually patient innings, which contained only six boundaries, finished when he touched an intended drive at a legside ball from Hunter.

Durham showed little fighting spirit as Lewis was caught behind in Gough's first over and Australian Simon Katich shouldered arms at the England man to have his off stump sent spinning out of the ground.

Daley cut Hamilton low to backward point where Vaughan calmly swooped on the catch and there was a further misjudgment when Paul Collingwood offered no stroke at Hamilton and was lbw.

Gough returned to have Nick Speak lbw for his season's best score of 32 as Durham succumbed further to relentless pressure.

picture: MAGIC MILESTONE: Yorkshire's Darren Gough in full flow at the Riverside against Durham on his way towards 600 first class wickets