DURHAM took only 2.75 points from their championship defeat at Taunton on Saturday after being docked a quarter of a point.

Their failure to bowl the required 16 overs an hour merely added to the misery of a six-wicket defeat, which was completed when Richard Johnson smashed Nicky Phillips for a four and three sixes off successive balls.

Needing 195 to win, Somerset were 138 for three when Phillips was asked to bowl Durham's first spin of the match, partly to boost the over-rate. In 5.4 overs he finished with one for 43, which included a maiden, and two minutes after play finished the rain arrived.

Somerset could see it coming, which was why they sent in Johnson when James Bryant edged Phillips to wicketkeeper Andrew Pratt with 24 needed.

Peter Bowler and Johnson took a single each off the next over before Johnson launched the devastating assault which left Durham to ponder whether they might have escaped with a draw had they removed Phillips from the attack.

They had high hopes of victory when play began on schedule, especially when Jamie Cox drove well wide of off stump in the fourth over and was superbly caught by Andrew Pratt of Stephen Harmison.

Somerset were then 82 for three, but Durham needed wickets from Javagal Srinath if they were to win and he was unable to pose the same threat as in the first innings.

There are few bowlers who can get past Peter Bowler when he is in barnacle mode, and the threat of rain seemed of no concern to the 39-year-old opener as he doggedly repelled the threat of Srinath and Harmison. He found an equally determined ally in South African Bryant, who took 20 balls to get off the mark and was almost bowled off his hip by Harmison.

With christian names of James Douglas Campbell, it comes as no surprise that Bryant has Scottish ancestry, making him the latest of several EU-qualified players to inflict pain on Durham.

On 13 he edged Neil Killeen low past Vince Wells' left hand at first slip, but the failure to break the stand left Durham's lack of back-up bowling exposed.

They included Danny Law ahead of Gordon Muchall for his bowling then dare not risk him, turning instead to Wells, whose sixth ball was driven through the covers to bring up Bowler's 50 off 133 balls.

Bryant pulled and off-drove fours in Wells' next over, prompting the introduction of Phillips, and with the game slipping away a fierce Bryant drive went through Harmison at mid-off.

Durham's last hope vanished when Bowler, on 58, was dropped by Nicky Peng at second slip off Killeen.

Bryant contributed 51 off 95 balls to the stand of 89 and was out next ball, bringing in the promoted Johnson to smite 23 of the 24 required off a mere seven balls.

Most of his runs came from huge blows to leg, but the second of his sixes was driven imperiously over extra cover.

The match against Gloucestershire starting at Riverside on Wednesday has already become a top v bottom clash, and while their bowling options are strengthened by Dewald Pretorius, Durham's most pressing need is to double the output of their batsmen.

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