WHEN play began at 3pm on Saturday with Durham on 206 for five their aim was to gain a second batting point against Worcestershire.

They failed by seven runs, but by close of play at 5.30 they were again left feeling that had a further 90 minutes been available, instead of half an hour, they might have forced a victory.

With Neil Killeen taking four wickets, Worcestershire had slumped to 60 for five and Gareth Batty had just retired hurt after being rapped on the fingers by Marc Symington.

It seemed to sum up Durham's luck that in this meaningless situation they managed to remove Graeme Hick for a duck.

The members who wanted to watch cricket rather than football questioned why there was to be no pitch inspection until 2.30.

The answer was that the hour's torrential rain on Friday evening had turned the Riverside into a tributary of the Wear and the water had inevitably got under the covers.

As Killeen proved, conditions were very favourable for the seamers.

But it was off spinner Batty who took the first wicket with the sixth ball of the day.

Graeme Bridge played back, missed and was bowled, then Mark Davies shouldered arms and lost his off stump to Allan Donald.

Danny Law, who resumed on 33, continued to play very responsibly to reach 50 off 159 balls.

But he was left with only Nicky Hatch for company when Neil Killeen wafted a catch to second slip to give Donald his fifth wicket.

Forgetting the accomplished assistance Hatch gave him in a last-wicket stand of 84 at Kidderminster last season, Law holed out at long-on off Batty for 68.

He had scored 31 of the 37 runs Durham added, but his exit was a disappointment with a bonus point only seven runs away.

Because of his lack of runs, Worcestershire sent in Vikram Solanki to open instead of Phil Weston, but he fell to a beauty from Killeen which nipped away off the pitch and hit his off stump.

Killeen moved one the other way to bowl Anurag Singh and had Hick and Ben Smith caught at second slip by Symington.

Killeen finished with four for 26 in nine overs, the best figures by a Durham bowler in the championship this season.

What a pity they came in what was little more than a practice session in a match cut in half by the weather

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