IT was Andrew Caddick, rather than the centrally-contracted Paul Collingwood, who yesterday staked a claim for a place in the England Test squad to be named today.

Caddick has been a regular tormentor of Durham and he removed four batsmen, including Collingwood for four, as Somerset left their hapless visitors on the brink of a big defeat at Taunton.

After scoring only nine in the first innings, Collingwood was lucky to get off the mark yesterday as he was dropped at second slip off Caddick.

But he fell lbw on the back foot a few overs later as Durham reached the close of the third day on 174 for five after being set to make 451 to win when Somerset declared at 310 for five.

Caddick has struggled after missing last season following a back operation, but he found his rhythm in a 19-over spell either side of tea to take four for 63.

At 35 he is unlikely to be in the selectors' thoughts, but he harbours ambitions to get back in the England side and was delighted to remove Collingwood, who will not be available for the totesport League match at Worcester tomorrow if he is in the squad to face New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday.

At 95 for five with 12 overs left, plus the option of an extra half hour, Durham were in danger of a three-day defeat.

But Nicky Peng shrugged off the loss of his early-season form to reach 70 not out as he and Gareth Breese shared an unbroken stand of 79.

After totalling seven in his last five championship innings, Peng was largely untroubled in the evening sunshine and reached a 76-ball 50 with a classy back-foot punch wide of mid-on off Caddick.

But other than the final 45 minutes Durham were again thoroughly outplayed. If the first over sets the tone then Durham's cause was hopeless from the outset yesterday as Shoaib Akhtar loped in and sent the first six balls well wide of off stump at no great pace.

His seventh was also comfortably ignored by Matthew Wood, and it was obvious that the potential match-winner was not going to answer Durham's pressing need for early wickets.

They did strike in the sixth over when Collingwood moved from second slip to short extra cover, about 12 metres from the bat, and Wood drove Neil Killeen straight to him.

This brought in first-innings century-maker James Hildreth, and when he drove Shoaib for four it appeared to fire up the previously lethargic Pakistani and instead of resting, as usual, after four overs, he carried on.

After watching a weak bouncer sail by, 19-year-old Hildreth drove the next ball on the up to the extra cover boundary. It was a stroke of audacity and class, but he was lucky to survive the next ball, inevitably short, as he lobbed it just over short leg's head.

In his next two overs Shoaib came off a short run to Jamie Cox and fed him singles to a deep-set field so he could bowl at the youngster.

But Hildreth cut him fiercely for four then watched two bouncers fly over his head before steering a single over gully when Shoaib went round the wicket.

The charade continued with Shoaib's follow through lengthening so he could eyeball Hildreth, and the low point was reached when a bouncer flew wide of Andrew Pratt for four byes.

Shoaib finally rested after seven overs and didn't return until the penultimate over before the declaration, which cost 13 runs.

Coach Martyn Moxon said: "Shoaib is struggling a bit after not bowling for nearly a month. We will have to ease him back into it gently, but he will play at Worcester on Sunday because we have no-one else.

"Liam Plunkett bowled a bit yesterday but was still feeling some pain in his shins, so he will have to rest for a week, and it will also be a week before Graham Onions is ready.

"We also have a slight worry about Mark Davies, whose shins are a bit sore after all the bowling he has done."

Davies was unable to add to his tally of 23 championship wickets on a day when none of the bowlers looked capable of troubling the batsmen on the still excellent pitch.

Hildreth and Cox followed their stand of 170 in the first innings by putting on 140 in 35 overs, the only chance coming when Cox, on 37, drove Gareth Breese to mid-off. Academy boy Steven Gale, fielding as a substitute, was unable to hang on to the catch.

The fearless Hildreth played plenty of text-book shots but also flat-batted Collingwood for four between the stumps and mid-on.

He had ten fours in his 56-ball half-century, but was less certain against the off-spin of Breese and added only one more boundary in reaching 72 before chipping Breese to wide mid-on.

It was the only wicket of the match for the spinner, who conceded runs at more than four an over and was driven for two sixes yesterday by Cox.

The Tasmanian also hit 11 fours in completing the 50th first-class century of his career off 173 balls. He declared immediately when he was out for 124, well caught by Killeen at long-off off Marcus North.

Durham lost skipper Jon Lewis to the 13th ball of their second innings, which was a big blow after he seemed to have found some form in making 65 the previous day. He was playing back defensively when he edged a good ball from Caddick to wicketkeeper Rob Turner and the same combination accounted for North for 33.

Caddick was generally moving the ball away from the left-hander, who was going for a straight drive when he edged low to Turner's right and the keeper took an excellent catch.

Gordon Muchall appeared to have got over a sticky start and reached 19 before Nixon McLean, bowling at full throttle, beat his backward defensive shot to take out leg stump.

Collingwood was next to go and it became 93 for five when Caddick moved another one away from a left-hander to have Gary Pratt caught at second slip.

Breese again played well and continues to look more of a batsman than a bowler. Their need for a spinner should see Graeme Bridge recalled when fit, but not necessarily at Breese's expense