An electricity failure meant that neither the scoreboards nor the public address system was working for most of the morning session, and that perhaps typified a home team suffering from a lack of power. In the end Durham emerged with a draw, but it was their poorest home performance in recent times. Dale Benkenstein, their captain, said that they backed themselves to win every home game, but had bowled on the first day “as if it was a warm-up game”.

He blamed a number of factors, including the rain which removed the game's first four sessions, and also the “very disappointing” loss to Kent in the Friends Provident Trophy semi-final, when just a step away from returning to Lord's.

He felt that his side had done well to make up for their bad start. And yet, yesterday's play started with a poor over from Graham Onions from which Marcus Trescothwick and Neil Edwards took three boundaries between them and 14 runs in all.

Trescothwick raced on to 50 - out of 69 - before falling leg-before to Paul Wiseman's off spin, and the steady march towards a declaration continued.

Again, there was some good bowling from Stephen Harmison - to Durham's relief, still not reclaimed by England - but Somerset were still able to set the sort of target that Justin Langer, their captain, clearly had in mind. It was 285 in 52 overs, which some Somerset supporters thought too risky. But it was a chase that Durham ruled out.

That negative view proved justified when Steffan Jones, Somerset's most competitive bowler if not their most dangerous, got a good ball to move away from the left-handed Mark Stoneman and send an edge to the wicketkeeper. Then, against Charl Willoughby, the left-armer, Will Smith was aiming for mid-wicket, but the ball went across him so rapidly that he edged to second slip.

At eight for two Durham were desperately dependent on their two batting champions, Michael Di Venuto and Benkenstein. At first cautious, then growing in certainty, the two had added 32 by tea and afterwards went on confidently to reach 100. But the loss of Benkenstein for 50, playing on as he cut, and Di Venuto for 44, to a lifting and turning ball from Ian Blackwell, set Durham nerves jangling again.

A further half-hour in which Phil Mustard played with remarkable restraint - 24 balls for one run - gained Somerset no more wickets. But were they not a tad defeatist when they decided, at 5.30pm, that they could not get another six wickets in 10 overs?

Somerset: First Innings 352 for 8 dec (Z de Bruyn 120, P D Trego 68, J C Hildreth 54; S J Harmison 4 for 72)

Second Innings (overnight 16-0)

M E Trescothick lbw b Wiseman 50
N J Edwards c Di Venuto b Thorp 24
P D Trego c Di Venuto b Thorp 30
J C Hildreth c Di Venuto b S J Harmison 46
I D Blackwell c Onions b Wiseman 30
C Kieswetter not out 1
Extras (b 5, lb 6, w 1) 12

Total (5 wkts dec, 50.5 overs) 193

Fall of wickets: 1-69, 2-77, 3-122, 4-190, 5-193.

Bowling: S J Harmison 16.5-1-49-1; Onions 9-1-38-0; Wiseman 8-1-24-2; Thorp 7-1-33-2; Plunkett 10-0-38-0.

Durham: First Innings 261 (M D Stoneman 53, L E Plunkett 52)

Second Innings

M D Stoneman c Kieswetter b Jones 1
M J Di Venuto c Edwards b Blackwell 44
W R Smith c Trescothick b Willoughby 3
*D M Benkenstein b Trego 50
B W Harmison not out 9
P Mustard not out 1
Extras (lb 5) 5

Total (4 wkts, 43 overs) 113

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-8, 3-103, 4-103.

Bowling: Willoughby 6-2-8-1; Jones 10-3-24-1; Blackwell 16-7-33-1; Thomas 5-3-12-0; Trego 6-1-31-1.

Umpires: N G B Cook and J W Lloyds.