MORE sensational bowling by Chris Rushworth hurried Durham towards victory on the third morning at sunny Taunton.

But they were held up by a pugnacious half-century from Peter Trego, who was still there on 65 when Somerset reached lunch on 168 for eight, 87 ahead.

Durham were also handicapped by the loss of Paul Coughlin, who retired, clutching his side, after breaking down in his third over of the day.

Well as Graham Onions and John Hastings have bowled in this innings, Rushworth has been in a class of his own, proving he no longer needs favourable seam bowling conditions.

After taking three wickets last evening he quickly added three more and at that point had figures of six for 31 and had gone past 200 first-class wickets.

All but a handful of those have come since he broke into the team in the middle of the 2012 season around his 26th birthday.

The Sunderland seamer has continued to fly the flag for the late developers and has taken up where he left off last season, when he took 15 wickets in half a day against Northamptonshire.

As he continued to bowl into the second hour this morning he started to come under fire from Trego, whose attacking instincts ensured that Durham would have to bat again.

He got after Rushworth in his eighth over of the day, hitting three successive fours then pulling a six to leave the bowler with figures of 16-4-68-6 when he made way for Coughlin.

Rushworth struck with the day's ninth ball, which skidded through at shin height to take out Alex Barrow's off stump. On a pitch which has offered good pace and bounce it clearly surprised the batsman.

Six overs later Rushworth struck twice in two balls, nipping one back to pin Jim Allenby lbw for nine before Lewis Gregory drove airily and edged to Scott Borthwick at second slip.

At 71 for seven Somerset were still ten behind but Tim Groenewald helped to add 25 before he drove at Hastings and sliced to Calum MacLeod at gully.

This was just reward for the Australian, who had beaten the bat several times after replacing Onions, who was recalled when Coughlin departed.

By that stage Abdur Rehmann had begun to show his prowess with the bat and he had advanced to 28 at lunch in an unbroken stand 72.