YORKSHIRE workhorse Steve Patterson took the first day honours at Emirates Riverside as the young colt under the selectors' gaze, Scott Borthwick, stumbled at the first hurdle.

With a place in the first Test against Pakistan beckoning, he ran himself out for two, sparking Durham's subsidence from 56 for one to 172 all out.

Alex Lees led Yorkshire's response with an innings of 71 before losing his off stump to Chris Rushworth three overs from the close.

Two balls later Patterson failed to fulfil his role as nightwatchman when Rushworth also rattled his timber, taking all the wickets as Yorkshire closed on 129 for four.

Like Rushworth, Patterson lacks the pace to excite national selectors. But his relentless accuracy always commands respect, at the very least, and yesterday he earned a career-best six for 56.

Although his last two wickets were gifts, he was rewarded for his excellence in a 14-over spell broken by lunch, during which he recovered from conceding 18 in his first three overs to take four for 44.

Without him the depleted Yorkshire attack would have struggled to justify the decision to dispense with the toss.

After the recent rain there was just enough assistance in the pitch to keep the seamers interested, but Tim Bresnan posed few problems and Thirsk School product Ben Coad was wicketless on his first-class debut.

Josh Shaw, recalled from his loan to Gloucestershire, took two wickets and would have had Durham in a worse pickle had the edge he induced from Jack Burnham, on four, not been dropped at first slip by Alex Lees.

Burnham made 49 before, declining to show any faith in last man Graham Onions, he had a reckless slog to give Patterson his sixth wicket.

It was an ungainly end to a reassuring innings following Burnham's loss of form since his century at the Oval.

Borthwick spurned his chance to impress selector James Whitaker when he pushed Patterson to Andrew Gale's right at mid-off, waited a fatal second then tried to scamper what always looked a risky single. After veering past the bowler, his dive for the crease failed to beat Gale's direct hit following a diving stop.

It was a warning Durham failed to heed as Burnham and Michael Richardson might also have been run out by Gale had he hit the stumps.

Keaton Jennings contributed 20 to an opening stand of 49 before offering no stroke and losing his off stump to Shaw's seventh ball.

There had been an early half hour interruption for drizzle, but as the skies cleared Mark Stoneman prospered to reach 45 at lunch.

He had not added, however, when Patterson moved one in from round the wicket to have him lbw.

Paul Collingwood looked anxious to get after Patterson, but after driving one four through the covers he went for a wider one and sliced it to backward point.

Excellent balls earned the next two wickets, Richardson edging one which lifted and left him before Ryan Pringle groped forward and lost his off stump.

When Bresnan replaced Patterson he also found extra bounce to have Usman Arshad caught behind.

Barry McCarthy helped Burnham to add 26 before being caught and bowled, via bat and pad, by Shaw.

Rushworth handed Patterson his fifth wicket by tamely lofting a catch to cover before matching his skill and accuracy in a nine-over opening spell, removing Adam Lyth and Kane Williamson after beating Lees twice in his first over.

Lyth edged a drive at an away swinger and Williamson fell for ten when Jennings moved to his left to hold a very sharp catch at gully.

Gary Ballance settled in comfortably to reach 35 at the close, but Rushworth's late strikes kept Durham in the game.