Kyle Hogg struck twice and Sajid Mahmood once before the close as Durham wobbled in pursuit of 181 to win their County Championship match against Lancashire.

A Durham win would extend their lead at the top of Division One to 23 points but they made a shaky start in the closing stages of day two.

Hogg trapped Michael Di Venuto (seven) and Gordon Muchall (eight) lbw to leave the score at 23-2 in the seventh over of the second innings.

Mahmood then had night-watchman Graham Onions caught at third slip by Steven Croft as Durham closed on 27-3, needing 154 more to win.

Day two was not quite as action-packed as Monday’s first day, when 20 wickets fell, but 13 still went down.

The Red Rose county will go into day three with plenty of hope after Hogg’s efforts.

Opener Paul Horton hit 64 from 100 balls before Luke Procter batted expertly with the lower order to record only his second Championship fifty, a well-made 52.

But Onions and Steve Harmison shared six wickets. Onions finished with 4-74 to bowl Lancashire out for 282.

Horton and Stephen Moore had shared 58 for the first wicket before Horton and Karl Brown (37) added 54.

Brown was one of four wickets to fall during the middle session of the day, in which Harmison was impressive.

Onions had Moore (14) caught at cover by Scott Borthwick before bowling both Gareth Cross (eight) and Mahmood (eight) off inside edges after tea to leave the score at 220-7.

Borthwick also got Hogg caught at short-leg but Procter swept, deflected and flicked his way to his 103-ball half-century.

Pakistani tail-ender Junaid Khan helped to nudge the lead above 150 with a straight six off the leg-spin of Borthwick before Procter was also bowled off an inside edge by Thorp, who had earlier trapped Horton in front.

Onions wrapped up the innings when he bowled Junaid (16) with the second new ball.

Will Smith and Paul Collingwood will resume at the start of day three.