Durham on top as wickets tumble

The day began with Durham winning the toss and deciding to bat, a decision that looked suspect when they lost Gary Pratt in the third over, as he nicked a short one from Kevin Dean straight to Graeme Welch with just one on the board. Dean struck again in his third over, trapping Jonathan Lewis lbw for six.

Gordon Muchall came in and struck two successive fours off Mohammad Ali, and together with Nicky Peng looked to be leading a recovery. The pair put on 52 for the third wicket before Tom Lungley removed Peng leg before for 21. Four balls later Welch clean bowled Muchall for 29 and Durham were again in trouble at 60 for four.

That became 76 for six, as first Lungley had Marc Symington caught in the slips for eight, then Andrew Pratt edged Welch to Karl Krikken for one. Nicky Phillips and Graeme Bridge set about a salvage operation but, just as Phillips was looking dangerous, he was run out for 22.

Mark Davies was afforded a chance when Andrew Gait but down a sharp one at backward point off Dean, and took advantage to put on 69 with Bridge before succumbing for 33. Dean's next over saw the end of Bridge's resistance, as he departed one short of his half-century. Ali came back to wrap up the innings, inducing an edge from Steve Harmison to Krikken first ball.

Having skittled Durham cheaply, Derbyshire were looking to build a big first innings lead, but their reply got off to the worst possible start, Neil Killeen trapping Steve Stubbings lbw in the first over to send him packing without troubling the scorers.

Gait faced 29 balls without getting off the mark before being clean bowled by Killeen. At the other end Di Venuto was showing the visitors how it should be done, leaping all over anything short or wide and despatching it ruthlessly to the boundary, but he continued to see partners come and go.

Killeen took his third wicket when Chris Bassano edged through to Andrew Pratt behind the stumps for one, while Dominic Hewson was run out for four. Lungley scored two before nicking a Davies delivery to Pratt, and Krikken added just one before becoming the second Derbyshire player run out.

When Davies clean bowled Welch for a duck, the onus was on Di Venuto, who had brought up his half-century with some exquisite stroke play. Ali then became the third visiting batsman run out, again without scoring, and at 76 for eight, the pressure was on Di Venuto to at least get his team close to Durham's first innings total.

Sadly, the Australian clipped a leg-side ball from Symington straight to Lewis for 57. Di Venuto apart, the top nine batsmen of Derbyshire had combined for just eight runs, so last pair Kevin Dean and Lian Wharton did not have much to live up to.

They managed an entertaining 20 between them before Wharton holed out to Gary Pratt for 13, leaving Dean unbeaten on eight and Derbyshire 95 behind on first innings, all out for 96.

Durham's openers came out for the second time in the day and led the hosts to 63 without loss at the close, Lewis on 31 and Gary Pratt 23.

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