Gordon Muchall's first half-century of the season helped Durham to recover from a mini-collapse before bad light ended play for the second successive day of their LV County Championship clash with Lancashire at Chester-le-Street.

After slipping from 49 without loss to 58 for three, Durham had reached 198 for four in reply to 367 when the evening's second interruption proved terminal.

During a brief resumption Muchall and Scott Styris added 39 in 5.1 overs, during which a straight drive by Muchall off Jimmy Anderson gave him his seventh four and took him to 50 off 85 balls.

He remained unbeaten on 65 with Styris on 37 after playing Muttiah Muralitharan with confidence on a day when Tom Smith was the most successful Lancashire bowler, finishing with two for 20.

Durham reached 14 from four overs before lunch and although Anderson came straight into the attack afterwards Michael Di Venuto began to play very fluently.

Smith's opening over was not a good one but in trying to pull the sixth ball Di Venuto skied a catch to mid-wicket to fall for 32.

Smith improved and in his next over he had Will Smith lbw for 16, then Kyle Coetzer edged a forcing back-foot shot off Anderson to Luke Sutton.

Dale Benkenstein fell in very similar fashion, this time off Glen Chapple, after looking very comfortable in making 35 off 51 balls.

In the morning, Lancashire lost their remaining four wickets for 77 runs, with Mark Davies taking the last three wickets to complete his first four-wicket haul for two years.