Michael Di Venuto scored his second century of the season, and fourth in total, against his original county Sussex as Durham reached 264 for two at Chester-le-Street.

While Sussex are now prospering as a one-day side, the four-day gulf which has opened up between the teams was all too evident - with Durham's predecessors as champions beginning the match only two points above the Division One relegation zone.

Although they were out of luck early on, the Sussex attack carried little threat on a placid pitch and might have taken even more hammer from Di Venuto had he seen his fair share of the strike.

Until bad light intervened with three overs left, he had batted all day for 141 not out - but in the afternoon session he faced 76 balls, compared with 135 for his fellow centurion Will Smith.

The captain needed 291 deliveries to reach his first hundred of the season, while Di Venuto got there in 150 balls - cutting and pulling with superb timing.

Smith needed a bit of luck.

He was on 90 when Corey Collymore and Yasir Arafat took the new ball and he edged both for two of his 12 fours - before being beaten by the Pakistani on 99.

A comfortable steer to third-man took him to his hundred but he faced only two more balls before Collymore shot one through at shin height to hit his off stump.

Smith and Di Venuto moved into third place in the highest second-wicket stands in Durham's first-class history, falling 27 short of the 258 put on by Martin Love and Jon Lewis against Nottinghamshire at Riverside in 2001.

Mark Stoneman scored the day's first runs with a lovely drive for four through extra-cover off Arafat but added only one run before edging the Pakistani to first slip, where Yardy held a low catch. The wicket fell in the eighth over, and it was the 89th before the second went down.

Di Venuto had a lucky escape on 10 when he mistimed an attempted pull off Arafat over gully. But in his next over, the Pakistani was cut and pulled for two fours - and the left-hander never looked back.

Left-arm swing bowler Jason Lewry opened up with a testing spell, but the pressure eased when he was replaced by the wayward Luke Wright.

Sussex bowled only 29 overs in the morning session but squeezed in 35 in the afternoon, helped by the introduction of spinners Ollie Rayner and Mike Yardy.

Neither made much impression as Durham added 94 in the session, followed by 84 in 29 overs in the evening.