IT IS never good for team morale when catches go begging, but when the man receiving the let-off happens to be Michael Di Venuto - the most in-form batsman in the country - then little wonder heads went down as Kent's did in Durham on Friday.

With honours virtually even after the first innings - Durham secured a narrow seven-run advantage - Kent skipper Rob Key must have hoped his bowlers would make the best of overcast conditions by making early inroads into the home top-order.

But a sloppy, leg-side bye conceded from the first ball of the innings from Yasir Arafat set the tone for the first 20-odd overs of the Durham reply which, mercifully for Kent supporters, ended briefly with a stoppage for rain just before 2.30pm.

The unscheduled interval gave Kent much-needed time to reflect on a poor morning's work, firstly with the bat and then in the field.

Fresh from smashing an unbeaten 204 in the first innings Aussie Di Venuto made the most of such an early let off to take his season's run tally to 531 and inflict further misery on Kent's shell-shocked attack.

The left-hander from Tasmania was on 28 when he followed and nicked an Andrew Hall leg-cutter in the 16th over of Durham's second innings. He had even taken one step toward the dressing room expecting the appeals to go up, but inexplicably former England keeper Geraint Jones downed the regulation chance having made a late snatch at the ball just slightly to the left of his body.

That, together with two other missed opportunities, proved costly as Di Venuto joined forces with Paul Collingwood to wrestle the initiative away from Kent.

Collingwood marched in on a pair after Will Smith (21) fell leg-before to Hall having played around his left pad for the second time in the game. The England all-rounder should have joined Smith back in the hutch very quickly, but he too enjoyed a charmed existence.

He edged his first ball from Hall for four to third man through the vacant third slip position, bisecting Martin van Jaarsveld and Ryan McLaren then, in the next over from Arafat, he nicked another between van Jaarsveld and Matt Walker at second and third slip respectively.

There was carnage there after as Kent insisted on serving up a selection of wide long-hops or half-volleys.

In the run up to lunch Collingwood charged to 50 from 36 balls with seven fours and a six while Di Venuto needed 68 balls to reach the milestone, 44 of his runs coming in boundaries.

The carnage continued after the lunch interval with the introduction of Robbie Joseph who, if he continues to perform like this, will bowl himself out of the side.

His opening 18 balls cost 32 as the first six overs after the break went for an astonishing 61 runs leaving Key scratching his head and grateful for the 90 minute break for rain.

The stoppage paid dividends for the visitors who bowled better line and length after the resumption on a pitch freshened up by the sprinkling of rain.

Di Venuto (58) padded up to his third ball back from Hall to go leg before then, in the next over, Collingwood (58), in trying an ambitious back foot-force against Arafat, steered the ball onto his middle stump via the closed face of his bat.

Hall struck again in removing the off and middle stumps of Kyle Coetzer (3) after beating the Scotsman for pace to make it 150 for four after three wickets fell in as many overs.

The collapse should have continued with the score on 164 when home skipper Dale Benkenstein, when on 10, fenced at Arafat only for the usually reliable Martin van Jaarsveld to down a simple chance at second slip.

Nine runs on and Arafat was celebrating when Phil Mustard went back and played late on an in-ducker to be trapped leg before, but the van Jaarsveld miss proved costly and the Mustard dismissal was to be Kent's last of the day

Benkenstein grew in stature as did Garry Park, who came in on a pair and needed 30 minutes and 24 balls to get underway before nicking one through the slips for his opening four.

Come the close the sixth-wicket partners had added 133 and both had half-centuries as they moved the home score in to 304 for five and an overall lead of 311.

The reality is, Kent will need to bowl, catch and bat much better on the final day if they are to avoid a defeat and get a positive result out of the game.

Earlier on day three, Kent just about posted their fifth batting bonus point in reaching exactly 400, but lost their last four wickets inside 13 overs in doing so.

Arafat went without addition to his overnight 17 to the fourth ball of the day when he played inside a Steve Harmison leg-cutter that pegged back off stump.

In the next over and only three balls later, Ryan McLaren followed suit against a Liam Plunkett in-ducker that rattled his off stump and sent him packing for only a single.

Hall hit a lusty 42 before toe-ending an attempted hook against Plunkett to Harmison running in from the ropes at long leg.

Kent reached their milestone when last man Joseph had more success with the hook shot in hitting Plunkett for six over squarer leg as he moved to seven but, without addition to the score, James Tredwell (25) gloved a leg-side flick against Harmison to see Mustard pull off another athletic catch behind the stumps.

Any hopes of Kent securing a first innings lead had gone and pretty soon Di Venuto, Collingwood, Benkenstein and Park had left their dreams of victory pretty much in tatters as well.

SCORECARD

Durham first innings

M J Di Venuto not out 204
W R Smith lbw b Arafat 13
P D Collingwood b Arafat 0
K J Coetzer b Tredwell 74
D M Benkenstein c McLaren b Tredwell 2
P Mustard b McLaren 23
G T Park lbw b McLaren 0
L E Plunkett c Jones b Tredwell 35
G Onions c&b Tredwell 4
S J Harmison c Jones b McLaren 5
Extras 42

Total 407 all out after 86.5 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-46, 2-46, 3-227, 4-243, 5-286, 6-290, 7-296, 8-359, 9-367.

Bowling: Yasir Arafat 17-2-85-2, Joseph 8-0-62-0, McLaren 19.5-0-91-4, Hall 10-0-48-0, Tredwell 27-2-88-4, Stevens 5-1-15-0.

Kent first innings

R W T Key lbw b Onions 169
J L Denly c Mustard b Harmison 17
M van Jaarsveld lbw b Plunkett 10
M J Walker c Mustard c Plunkett 72
D I Stevens b Plunkett 10
G O Jones b Harmison 1
A J Hall c Harmison b Plunkett 42
Yasir Arafat b Harmison 17
R McLaren b Plunkett 1
J C Tredwell c Mustard b Harmison 25
R H Joseph not out 7
Extras 28

Total 400 all out after 113.3 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-45, 2-74, 3-247, 4-282, 5-283, 6-318, 7-362, 8-363, 9-385.

Bowling: Onions 23-1-92-1, Harmison 24.3-3-75-4, Plunkett 32-5-105-5, Collingwood 14-3-27-0, Breese 14-0-55-0, Benkenstein 6-1-22-0.

Durham second innings

W R Smith lbw b Hall 21
M J Di Venuto lbw b Hall 58
P D Collingwood b Arafat 58
K J Coetzer b Hall 3
D M Benkenstein not out 66
P Mustard lbw b Arafat 3
G T Park not out 57
Extras 36

Total 304 for five

Fall of wicket: 1-49, 2-144, 3-148, 4-150, 5-173,

Bowling: Yasir Arafat 18-3-77-2, Hall 16-3-61-3, McLaren 10-2-33-0, Joseph 6-0-51-0, Tredwell 13-1-47-0, Stevens 7-3-19-0.