Durham keep their heads above Trent water

UNLESS Nottinghamshire suffered one of their hara-kiri days it was always going to be tough for Durham after losing the toss at Trent Bridge yesterday.

They stayed afloat, however, through a good final hour in which they took the last four wickets for 13 runs then replied to 320 by reaching 34 for one in ten overs.

Following his century against Yorkshire, Mark Stoneman made a superb start, racing to 30 after six overs, only to fall lbw to first change bowler Ajmal Shahzad with 11 balls left.

Stoneman began by square driving Stuart Broad's first ball for four, clipping the second to the square leg boundary and working the fifth through mid-wicket for a third four.

Broad left the field after conceding 20 off three overs and the runs dried up with the promoted Will Smith surviving on three.

The Nottinghamshire stroke-players just keep on coming and although they occasionally commit collective suicide they have been given some middle order solidity by James Taylor.

Watched by selector Geoof Miller, the 5ft 4in ex-Leicestershire batsman enhanced his claim to fill Kevin Pietersen's vacant slot in the England team by making 97. But he was not entirely convincing and was certainly not in the class of Saturday's executioner, Joe Root.

Taylor was beaten several times early in his innings by Mark Wood and became surprisingly jittery in the 90s, twice failing to connect with attempted cuts off Ben Stokes, then almost running himself out.

He finally propped forward and was caught behind off surprise selection Gareth Breese, giving the off-spinner his first championship wicket since September, 2008.

In his tenth season with Durham, Breese, 37, has made only four four-day appearances in the last five years and none at all in the last two.

The retirement of Ian Blackwell has left Durham short in the spin department and, although selected here, Scott Borthwick is nursing a finger injury suffered on Saturday.

As expected, Wood came in for Callum Thorp, while Keaton Jennings made way for Breese.

On a pitch offering pace and bounce, Wood bowled achieved good carry and took two wickets, and he can expect to play in a second successive match for the first time at the Oval next week, when Graham Onions will be on England Lions duty against New Zealand.

Quite why the selectors need to see more of Onions in this type of game is a mystery, especially as he will already be tired following Durham's crazy early season workload.

The bowlers would have appreciated another day's rest, but after a full day in the field on Saturday they had to steel themselves for another one.

On a bright morning with a cold wind blowing there was little prospect of swing and Durham did well to take four wickets.

The all-rounder celebrates catching Chris Reid

But when Stokes was guilty of his second drop of the day at third slip - both off Onions - shortly after lunch it proved costly. Former Lancashire player Steven Mullaney was on six and went on to contribute a cavalier 80 to a stand of 111 with Taylor.

He hit 12 fours and drove two successive balls from Breese for six, then Broad also cleared the rope twice in hitting 46 off 49 balls after offering a half chance to the slips on one.

Stokes' other miss came off the day's fifth ball with Australian left-hander Ed Cowan on four. Driving impressively, he went on to score 40 of the first 44 runs.

Onions swung one in to have a strokeless Alex Hales lbw and finally snared Cowan when a sliced drive was well held by Smith at gully.

Stokes took the other two morning wickets, pinning left-hander Michael Lumb lbw with a ball of yorker length before Samit Patel went for his shots and paid the price in the last over before the break. He slapped a long hop to Borthwick at backward point.

Mullaney looked equally likely to surrender, but he rode his luck until he was caught at second slip by Breese off the first ball of Wood's second spell.

Stokes finally hung on to one when Chris Read also edged Wood to depart for two and at 223 for six Durham could be well satisfied.

But Taylor and Broad put on 84 at five an over before departing to successive balls. Broad was aiming for mid-wicket off the back foot when he edged Stokes to second slip and Chris Rushworth took the last two with the new ball.

He had what looked a very good shout for lbw turned down with Mullaney on 28 - one of several which left umpire Steve Garratt unmoved. But he gave out a shocked Shahzad caught behind before last man Luke Fletcher lofted a catch to mid-on.

SCORECARD

Nottinghamshire v Durham
At Trent Bridge.
Nottinghamshire First Innings
E J Cowan c W R Smith b Onions ........40
A D Hales lbw b Onions ........................ 2
M J Lumb lbw b Stokes ........................ 9
J W Taylor c Mustard b Breese .............97
S R Patel c Borthwick b Stokes ............17
S J Mullaney c Breese b Wood .............80
C M Read c Stokes b Wood .................. 2
S C Broad c Breese b Stokes ...............46
G P Swann not out ............................... 8
A Shahzad c Mustard b Rushworth ...... 2
L J Fletcher c Wood b Rushworth ......... 2
Extras (b6 lb7 nb2) ..................15
Total (83.5 overs) ...................320
Fall: 1-33 2-44 3-74 4-98 5-209 6-223 7-307
8-307 9-316
Bowling: Onions 17-3-63-2. Rushworth
15.5-2-62-2. Breese 16-2-66-1. Wood 16-
5-58-2. Stokes 19-3-58-3.
Durham First Innings Close
M D Stoneman lbw b Shahzad .............30
W R Smith not out ................................ 3
C Rushworth not out ............................ 0
Extras (lb1) ................................1
Total 1 wkt (10 overs) ..............34
Fall: 1-34
To Bat: D M Benkenstein, B A Stokes, P D
Collingwood, P Mustard, S G Borthwick, G
R Breese, G Onions, M A Wood.
Bowling: Broad 3-1-20-0. Fletcher 5-3-12-
0. Shahzad 2-1-1-1.