A third consecutive win swept Durham, the champions, back to the top of the table with Stephen Harmison and Graham Onions, candidates for England's Ashes series, extending their wicket-taking aggregate to a remarkable 47 in those matches. The key to an absorbing day was Onions inducing Boyd Rankin, the last man, to play on when Warwickshire were dismissed for 276 in the morning, still needing eight to avoid following on.

Batting a second time against the Durham new ball pair was scarcely less demanding, although Ian Bell, another England candidate made his third consecutive championship half-century on a pitch that Ian Blackwell, the Durham left-arm spinner, exploited with lift and turn as his team won with four overs in hand.

Onions returned seven for 38 in the second innings, just as Harmison had captured five for 44 in the first. With Onions dismissing Bell, Jonathan Trott and Jim Troughton for four runs in 12 balls, Warwickshire's innings declined from 100 for two to 106 for five. It signalled the inevitability of a first championship defeat at the ground, alongside a win and ten draws dating back to a nine-wicket loss to Surrey in September 2007.The bottom line was Onions' match figures of nine for 127 alongside Harmison's overall return of seven for 103, an overall total of 16 for 230.

They contributed most to the landmark of Durham's first championship win at the ground since the county was granted first-class status 17 years ago. It was also a happy return to Edgbaston for Onions, whose career best of eight for 101 was here two years ago.

The tension of the first half hour when the final pair of Botha and Rankin added 12 of the 20 runs required to avoid the follow on gave way to a second innings of contrasting moods. Ironically, Rankin and Botha were at the crease again six hours later defiantly adding singles and consuming overs in Warwickshire's abortive quest for a draw.

Harmison and Onions bowled with familiar hostility in an initial Warwickshire run crawl with conservation of wickets highest on the priority list. Tony Frost, prodding, was still caught at the wicket off Onions and substitute fielder Scott Borthwick, 19, held a lobbed catch from Ian Westwood from bat and pad off Blackwell. Bell and Trott compiled 72 for the third wicket before the crucial spell of the match from Onions prefaced heroics from Neil Carter and Botha but it was too little, too late.

Durham: First Innings 433 (I D Blackwell 158, M D Stoneman 64; C R Woakes 4 for 105)

Second Innings
*W R Smith not out 9
M J Di Venuto not out 13
Extras 0
Total (no wkt, 4 overs) 22

Bowling: Woakes 2-0-6-0; Rankin 2-0-16-0.

Warwickshire: First Innings (overnight 264-9)
*I J Westwood b Onions 8
T Frost c Breese b Benkenstein 56
I R Bell c Di Venuto b Blackwell 79
I J L Trott b Harmison 25
J O Troughton c Muchall b Harmison 16
T R Ambrose c Mustard b Harmison 10
A G Botha not out 29
N M Carter lbw b Blackwell 0
C R Woakes c Thorp b Harmison 24
J S Patel c Breese b Harmison 6
W B Rankin b Onions 7
Extras (b 1, lb 10, w 5) 16
Total (92.1 overs) 276

Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-146, 3-168, 4-197, 5-200, 6-211, 7-212, 8-253, 9-259.

Bowling: Onions 22.1-2-89-2; Harmison 20-6-44-5; Thorp 11-2-25-0; Blackwell 25-7-47-2; Breese 9-2-43-0; Benkenstein 5-1-17-1.

Second Innings
*I J Westwood c sub b Blackwell 8
T Frost c Mustard b Onions 3
I R Bell b Onions 57
I J L Trott c Thorp b Onions 32
J O Troughton lbw b Onions 5
T R Ambrose c Benkenstein b Harmison 9
A G Botha not out 34
N M Carter c Benkenstein b Harmison 23
C R Woakes c Mustard b Onions 1
J S Patel b Onions 2
W B Rankin c Thorp b Onions 2
Extras (lb 1) 1
Total (78 overs) 177

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-28, 3-100, 4-101, 5-106, 6-119, 7-153, 8-157, 9-163.

Bowling: Onions 22-9-38-7; Harmison 17-5-59-2; Thorp 6-1-19-0; Blackwell 25-4-53-1; Breese 8-4-7-0.

Umpires: N L Bainton and R A Kettleborough.