RIVERSIDE

(Day one of four; Durham won toss)

Durham 144-3 (M.Stoneman 58no, D Benkenstein 58no) v Surrey

Lunch

Only 3.1 overs were possible before the eastward-tracking rain arrived, but it allowed Surrey to be gifted a prized wicket - that of Michael Di Venuto. The Australian left-hander had faced only one ball, and flicked it to long leg for a single, when his young partner, Mark Stoneman, played into the off-side and called him for a single. But the ball was close to the follow-through of the bowler, Pedro Collins, who found no difficulty in making a direct hit from close range with Di Venuto well short.

Surrey's celebrations were understandable: Di Venuto had started last season, his first with Durham, with 155 at Worcester and 204 in his first home knock. For Durham, it slightly took the gloss of their pleasure in announcing the signing, for Twenty20 games, of the South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock.

The home side raised a few eyebrows with their decision to bat first on a green-tinged pitch. Evidently they trusted the evidence of last season's first two home games, in each of totals of around 400 were made by both sides in the first innings. This, though, has been a much damper and greener April.

Tea

After rain had taken three and a half hours out of the day, Surrey gained more reward, and this time they did not have to rely on gifts. Against Collins, Kyle Coetzer edged low to third slip where Jimmy Ormond took a fine low catch, and then Collins followed up by trapping Neil McKenzie leg-before. The South African batsman, who had impressed in Sunday's Friends Provident Trophy match, was again looking looking like making himself a fixture, but fell a little to the off side as Collins' full length inswing defeated him.

Thirteen for three was little short of parlous for a Durham selection that was bowler-heavy, requiring Phil Mustard and Paul Wiseman to come in next. But Stoneman hung on to tea with his captain, Dale Benkenstein. Both players were troubled by the impressive Carl Jordan, who looked quick, though the surprising pace of the pitch also allowed strokes to be played. A sequence of boundaries got the home side going again and brought up the fifty.

Close

With the pitch beginning to flatten, and the bowlers tiring, the partnership of Stoneman and Benkenstein began to take on an increasingly secure look. Stoneman was first to his fifty, albeit it had taken him 137 balls, but he was going at almost exactly the same pace as his captain.

A cover driven four by Benkenstein, the stroke most deliberately lined up and executed, was a fitting way in which to bring up the 100 partnership. Towards the end, the introduction of Saqlain Mushtaq's spin, and the return of Collins, made no impact at all, as the batting partners got to the close with their stand worth 131. Phil Mustard, next man in at a lofty No.6, could take his pads off with some relief.

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