A MEMORABLE first 40 minutes for Chris Rushworth turned into an eminently forgettable morning session for Durham as an old adversary returned to haunt them.

In their early days in first-class cricket Alistair Brown regularly used to plunder runs off them for Surrey and at the age of 40 he is at it again.

Rushworth took his maiden first-class wicket with the first ball of the day and added two more, but he also came under fire from Brown on his way to a run-a-ball half-century.

The strength of the Nottinghamshire team is their stroke-playing depth and from 226 for six, when they led by only eight runs, they raced to 333 for six at lunch.

Skipper Chris Read brought up the 100 partnership from 113 balls when he pulled Steve Harmison viciously for four just after the new ball had been taken.

Harmison could not stem the flow and remained wicketless, despite an impressive opening spell, in which he had nightwatchman Steve Mullaney dropped at third slip.

The culprit was brother Ben, for whom it was a chastening morning. He also got a hand to another chance high to his right offered by Mullaney off Rushworth, and when he came on to bowl he delivered two wides in his first over, either side of being pulled for six by Read.

Things turned rapidly after Mark Wagh drove at the first ball of the day and edged to Michael Di Venuto at second slip to bring jubilant celebrations from Rushworth.

The Sunderland seamer then nipped one in to have Samit Patel lbw and also had Mullaney caught by Di Venuto. But Brown got after him and after conceding only 25 runs in 13 overs yesterday he went for 51 in seven in this morning’s spell.

Brown was on 57 at lunch, with Read on 50.