[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Division Two

vs Durham

Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street

Day One

Morning: The Pears won a delayed toss and put Durham in to bat on a chilly Thursday with clouds above and rain in the air. And yet for the second weekend in a row, the opposition's openers scored freely in an opening partnership that wasn't broken until the lesser-spotted Adam Finch was rewarded for a tight spell by having Michael Jones caught behind for 25. Nevertheless, despite a few more testing deliveries and close shouts from the young man, it was the only wicket to fall in a session that Durham concluded on 79-1.

Afternoon: In his first Championship match for eleven months, Finch continued to be the pick of the bowlers after the break, snaffling his second wicket when he dived down the pitch to grab a leading edge from Scott Borthwick, seeing him off caught and bowled for 13. More toil followed, but having delivered an admirably disciplined performance all day, Ben Gibbon earned his reward with a ball that jagged in to remove the middle stump of Alex Lees for 70, then had Ollie Robinson caught behind on the drive for 15. Tea came with the hosts 207-4; a more even session, but still advantage to Durham.

Evening: Not for the first time, a combination of lax bowling and aggressive batting drifted the innings out of Worcestershire's grasp for above an hour at teatime. A short rain delay at quarter to six, just as the new ball was due, proved a lifeline; no sooner had play restarted than Gibbon was again in the wickets, David Bedingham playing across the line to the left-armer and perishing LBW for 118. With the final ball of the same over, the young man then had Jonathan Bushnell caught at backward point for a five-ball duck, and in the following over Graham Clark edged Joe Leach behind to leave Durham seven down with their three hundred only just up. But there was to be no further breakthrough as the home side closed on 363-7; to what extent the pitch is to blame for Worcestershire's struggles remains to be seen, but having won the toss and put Durham in, the score at Thursday's end is far from ideal. Much work to be done on the morrow.