CHRIS Read might be considered a reckless gambler. But his decision to repeat last year’s mistake of putting Durham in at Trent Bridge paid dividends on a truncated first day.

Only five overs were bowled before 4pm because of occasional drizzle and poor light, but as the skies cleared Durham lost three wickets in the first half hour on the resumption.

Then as the clouds rolled over again Dale Benkenstein and Ian Blackwell survived a few scares and another stoppage in an unbroken stand of 43 which took Durham to 79 for three before bad light ended play just before 6pm.

The slide from 16 without loss at the first break started with Kyle Coetzer driving the first ball on the resumption from Charlie Shreck to midoff, where Paul Franks held a low catch.

It became 36 for three when Michael Di Venuto and Will Smith departed in successive overs. With both Shreck and England’s one cap wonder Darren Pattinson generally swinging the ball into him, Di Venuto pushed forward and got a thick edge to one from Pattinson which held its line, the catch carrying low to third slip.

Then Smith edged to wicketkeeper Read to give a second wicket to Shreck, who appears to be back to his best after a lean 2009, in which he took none for 112 during Durham’s visit.

He also posed problems for Blackwell, who appeared too keen to get after him and almost got out to three successive balls. He drove at the first two, edging one just wide of third slip and missing the next, then he all but played on.

That was just before a break for bad light and on the restart Blackwell pulled and cut Franks for two fours. He was on 24 when umpires George Sharp and Jeff Evans decided to go off again, to Benkenstein’s apparent surprise.

Twenty minutes later it was perfectly playable, but the umpires had decided to call it a day.

Nottinghamshire lost by an innings and 102 runs after Read put Durham in last year.

The decision was all the more remarkable because the captain denied his own batsmen the chance to perform without having to face Steve Harmison on the first day.

He was then released from possible Test match duty at Lord’s and arrived at lunchtime on the second day to deliver a withering spell, which appeared to put the frighteners on the Nottinghamshire batsmen for the rest of the match.

Harmison took six for 20 in the second innings and going into the current match Durham skipper Will Smith recalled: “The pitch was quite dead but Steve was a big factor as we skittled them twice.

I was told the new drainage at Trent Bridge had sucked the moisture from the square.”

At least the weather gave Liam Plunkett more time to recover from his side injury after Durham decided to include him at the expense of Luke Evans.

They also brought in Ben Harmison, who will give them batting depth coming in at No 8.

Evans and Scott Borthwick, who was also in the squad, returned to Riverside for the opening Second X1 Championship match against Lancashire, starting today.

SCORECARD

Nottinghamshire v Durham
At Trent Bridge.
Nottinghamshire Won Toss

Durham First Innings Close
M J Di Venuto c S R Patel b Pattinson 15
K J Coetzer c Franks b Shreck 3
W R Smith c Read b Shreck 10
D M Benkenstein not out 20
I D Blackwell not out 24
Extras (b4 lb1 nb2 pens 0) 7
Total 3 wkts (27.2 overs) 79
Fall: 1-16 2-32 3-36
To Bat: L E Plunkett, B A Stokes, P Mustard,
B W Harmison, C Rushworth,S J Harmison.
Bowling: Pattinson 9-2-26-1. Shreck 13.2-5-
36-2. Franks 5-2-12-0.