Michael Di Venuto hit a career-best 254 not out for Durham against Sussex at Chester-le-Street today before an interruption for bad light prompted a declaration on 473 for four in the LV County Championship Division One clash.

On a day when the start was delayed by rain until 12.20pm, the sun came out after an early tea and Sussex reached 119 for one in 38 overs, skipper Mike Yardy continuing his good form with 54 not out.

Although Steve Harmison bowled with good pace and reasonable accuracy, he was not helped by the placid pitch.

He rested after seven overs but came back for five more at the end, and in trying to evade a ball which was not particularly short, Ed Joyce was struck on the right elbow and retired hurt on 32.

Di Venuto's score was the second highest for Durham in first-class cricket. It was one more than Mike Hussey made on his debut at Leicester in 2005, and 19 short of Martin Love's 273 against Hampshire at Riverside in 2003. The Tasmanian's previous best was 230 for Derbyshire against Northamptonshire at Derby in 2002.

The only chance he gave was on 180, when Ollie Rayner dropped a sharp chance at first slip off Luke Wright.

When Durham resumed on 264 for two, Gordon Muchall out-scored Di Venuto for the first five overs, only to depart for 14.

It continued a disappointing run which has seen him total 146 runs in 10 innings since his unbeaten century at Hove.

Muchall played back defensively and edged Yasir Arafat to wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd and is now vulnerable with Shivnarine Chanderpaul expected to arrive next week.

Dale Benkenstein got off the mark with a hooked six off Corey Collymore in the last over before lunch, when Durham were 295 for three with Di Venuto on 149.

They then had 17 overs to score 55 runs if they were to achieve the fourth batting point, but they got there with six overs to spare.

Treating anything short with his usual severity, Di Venuto completed his fourth fifty off 48 balls to reach 200 off 310 deliveries. In total he faced 368 balls and hit 35 fours and a six.

He completed his innings by pulling Yardy's left-arm spin to long leg for four then ran the same bowler delicately to the third man boundary.

Benkenstein contributed 69 to a stand of 173 before he fell to a top-edged pull off Chris Nash's occasional off-spin.

With the pitch offering little in the way of pace or movement off the seam, the swing of Callum Thorp posed the greatest threat to the Sussex batsmen.

Coming on first first change, he had Nash lbw in his first over, playing slightly across the line after driving the previous ball to the cover boundary.

Thorp also beat both Yardy and Joyce several times in an 11-over spell, but Yardy completed a 102-ball half-century by edging his ninth four wide of third slip off Harmison.