THE team from the North-East proved yet again yesterday how much they like batting in the South-West as Durham amassed their third highest one-day league total at Taunton.

But they had to suffer a few alarms and a nasty injury before they could secure the victory which kept them in contention for promotion in the totesport League.

Nicky Peng tumbled awkwardly while making an excellent running stop at deep mid-wicket and injured his left shoulder, robbing Durham of their one-day opener at the start of a run of 12 limited overs games. There was a definite dislocation and Peng went for an X-ray to determine the extent of the damage.

On their return to the ground where they scored 453 for nine to pull off last month's astonishing championship win, Durham suffered a 16-over loss of momentum and still made 278 for four.

A shower before Somerset could start their reply gave them a revised target of 236 off 35 overs and at 39 for three after ten they looked sunk.

But there were shades of Scotland last week as the bowling faltered and Somerset were only just off the pace at 98 for three in the 17th over when Peng was hurt.

James Hildreth, the 19-year-old who scored 101 and 72 against Durham last month, was again playing remarkably well. But he fell for 47 when he was unusually indecisive in pushing at a ball from Gareth Breese and edged to Andrew Pratt. Somerset lost momentum on his exit, but regained it when Shoaib Akhtar returned and conceded 23 in two overs, which included a no-ball for bowling two bouncers in an over.

That reduced the target to 65 off seven overs with five wickets left, but Shoaib stayed on and beat the flailing bat of Keith Dutch to remove leg stump and settle fraying nerves.

An excellent piece of fielding by Gary Pratt then ran out left-hander John Francis for 75, but it still wasn't over as it became clear Durham were going to lose six runs for being one over short when time ran out. The 34th and final over began in pouring rain with Somerset needing 21 and the excellent Neil Killeen picked up his third wicket by yorking Nixon McLean.

One ball later the rain drove them off with Somerset on 210 for nine. It was then decided that Durham had won by 16 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method.

Gary Pratt, who scored a 79-ball century in the equivalent game last season, led the way with 67 not out, while Peng made 62, Jon Lewis 41 and Shoaib 32 off 23 balls.

Breese, whose 165 not out settled the championship contest, didn't even get to the crease, just as at Worcester the day after his epic innings.

On that occasion Durham made their record total in the competition of 319 for three, and the only other bigger score than yesterday's was 282 for two against Derbyshire at Durham University in 1993.

They looked on course for another total in excess of 300 when they reached 91 for one after 14 overs, but the next 16 yielded only 59 runs.

The last ten brought 85 as Pratt got to 50 at a run-a-ball, despite hitting only one four, then hit two fours and a superbly-struck six over long-off in the final over.

After being left out of the championship game at Cardiff, Pratt now has a run of 12 one-day games in which to prove his value to the side. Marcus North and Peng launched the innings with a blaze of boundaries off international duo Andrew Caddick and Nixon McLean.

The West Indian finally banged one in and forced North to glove a catch to the wicketkeeper, but then limped off after bowling four overs for 24 runs.

Somerset have suffered even more injuries than Durham, and after losing both Richard Johnson and Keith Parsons in a recent game the fact they employ someone with the title of Injury Prevention Officer has become something of a joke. Caddick, removed after two overs, returned for six more at the end of the innings, when Shoaib kept lofting him just out of fielders' reach and his final indignity was to be violently flat-batted for a straight four by Gordon Muchall. Caddick finished with none for 70 off eight overs.

Peng lost his way against the bowling of seamer Simon Francis and off-spinner Dutch, and having raced to 46 off 43 balls he needed a further 18 to complete his 50.

Just as at Worcester, where he made 65, Peng looked likely to cruise to his first one-day century since scoring three in 2001.

His cover drives, both lofted and on the deck, flew to the boundary and he pulled Francis's third ball for a big six. But after conceding 12 off his first over, Francis began to hit the spot and suddenly bowled a maiden to Peng in the 15th over.

The opener possibly wasn't helped by his captain again coming in at the fall of the first wicket with the score on 44 in the seventh over.

Lewis has done a good job at five or six in the one-day order in the last few seasons, but on such a good pitch and after a flying start there was a case for sending in a more attacking stroke-player at No 3. The runs had really dried up with the score on 107 in the 23rd over when Lewis advanced to drive Francis for a straight six, but in the context of the innings as a whole his 41 off 62 balls was a little pedestrian.

Peng's attempts to sweep or lap Dutch came to nothing and he had failed to add to the seven fours and one six in his first 46 runs when he nibbled at a shortish ball from Francis and was caught behind.

Lewis drove to long-on in the 32nd over, bringing in Shoaib, who had recovered from the virus which laid him low in Cardiff and had a lengthy chat yesterday morning with the new Pakistan coach, Bob Woolmer. Shoaib drove medium pacer Aaron Laraman for six high over long-on and added three fours before lobbing a gentle catch to mid-off.

Muchall played his part in an unbroken stand of 62 with Pratt, contributing 28 off 24 balls, to ensure the target was beyond Somerset.

The revised target after the shower raised the asking rate from 6.2 an over to 6.7, and losing wickets in the second and third overs made the task even steeper.

Matthew Wood drove at Killeen's first ball, wide of off stump, and edged to Andrew Pratt, then Jamie Cox clipped Shoaib low to square leg, where Peng took an excellent catch by his bootlaces.

Michael Burns then edged a drive to Breese, standing deep at slip, to give Mark Davies some scant reward in a five-over spell which cost 47 runs.

Graham Onions also began shakily, but tightened up to earn his first wicket in the competition when Laraman went for a big drive and the edge carried to third man.

Dutch has denied Durham in similar circumstances before, in a NatWest Trophy tie when he played for Middlesex. But there was too much for him to do this time.

Read more about Durham County Cricket Club here.