DURHAM’S hopes of building an impregnable lead in good batting conditions were stymied by heavy cloud cover this morning.

With the ball jagging around, batting proved a perilous pastime and after resuming on 16 without loss, 88 ahead, Durham slipped to 62 for four before excellent batting by Scott Borthwick revived them.

He was on 45 out of 96 for four at lunch after mixing watchful defence with crisp drives and cuts.

The signs were ominous from the second over when Keaton Jennings edged Glen Chapple just wide of second slip for four. And in Chapple’s next over Mark Stoneman got a leading edge which flew between the bowler and mid on.

Stoneman had made 14 of the 26 runs when a ball from Kyle Hogg left him sharply off the pitch and the edge was brilliantly caught one-handed low to his right by Paul Horton at first slip.

A similar ball from Chapple had Jennings caught at second slip by Ashwell Prince for 12 then Michael Richardson drove the next ball to the cover boundary before edging just short of first slip.

He added only five runs before Tom Smith nipped one in to have him lbw and two balls later Ben Stokes shaped to turn a ball wide of leg stump to mid-wicket and got a leading edge straight back to the bowler.

Paul Collingwood played a few attacking shots which went straight to fielders, but was happy to survive the last ten overs of the morning in reaching eight not out.