DURHAM won the county championship in the wettest of their 17 seasons in first-class cricket, so the omens might not have been good when they began the defence in sublime weather.

With barely a cloud in the sky, new skipper Will Smith could have had no hesitation in batting when Yorkshire captain Anthony McGrath called wrongly at Riverside. As in their two warm-up games, however, Durham needed new signing Ian Blackwell to revive them after a stuttering start.

The former Somerset player went in at 82 for four and made 95, while the other hard-hitting left-hander, Phil Mustard, remained unbeaten on 62 as Durham closed on 303 for seven.

As in his century against MCC at Lord's, Blackwell advanced with surprising haste, courtesy of his ability to hit boundaries, of which there were nine in his 71-ball half-century.

Durham included Gordon Muchall at the expense of Gareth Breese, who scored a century in the title-clinching win at Canterbury last September.

Muchall was down to bat at No 4 and found himself at the crease in the 17th over with both openers back in the hutch. But luck still refused to go his way as for the fourth time in four innings this season he fell to an edged catch.

Muchall was out for 13, caught by wicketkeeper Gerard Brophy off a ball from lofty seamer Steve Patterson which bounced a little more steeply.

That was a straightforward catch for Brophy, but he dived a long way to his left to hold a low chance offered by Mark Stoneman.

Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan initially bowled too short, feeding Michael Di Venuto’s strength, but when Bresnan pitched one up Stoneman drove at it and was out for two.

Di Venuto scored 36 of the first 41 runs but then skied an attempted pull off Bresnan to Hoggard at mid-on.

Once Muchall departed, it was left to the captain and his predecessor, Dale Benkenstein, to attempt repair the damage after coming together at 69 for three. But straight after lunch Smith went for 21 when he pushed forward and edged Hoggard to Brophy, making it 82 for four.

Benkenstein became Brophy's fourth victim when the wicketkeeper flung himself to his right to hold a one-handed catch when the ex-skipper edged a drive at Hoggard.

Benkenstein was gone for 17, leaving Mustard to survive a sticky start before the partnership really began to flourish. They had put on 107 when Blackwell fell in the first over of the new ball. Hoggard swung one sharply into the left-hander, who edged it to give wicketkeeper Gerard Brophy his fifth catch.

Liam Plunkett became Bresnan's third victim when he fended to fourth slip, but Callum Thorp kept Mustard lively company in an unbroken stand of 46.