DURHAM are resigned to being without Martin Love until late July, but seeking a replacement is out of the question.

Although the rules allow a deputy for an overseas player who is on international duty, they do not allow one for an injured player.

"We might be able to bring someone in if we were writing Martin off for the rest of the season," said skipper Jon Lewis.

"But unlike last season we have a lot of cricket in September and we don't want to draw a line under him."

Love dislocated and fractured the little finger on his right hand when trying to take a slip catch on Thursday and had an operation yesterday.

Durham are down to three specialist batsmen in their match against Worcestershire, in which play began at 2.45 yesterday and lasted for 40 minutes before the rain returned.

They will have Michael Gough and Nicky Peng joining the squad for tomorrow's National League match against Graeme Hick's men at the Riverside, while Jimmy Daley is also fit again.

Paul Collingwood's best hope is to return in the C & G Trophy fourth round match against Gloucestershire at Bristol on Wednesday, with Lewis saying: "It's a big game for us and obviously we want him to play.

"He can run in straight lines, but it will be a question of whether his knee allows him to twist and turn.

"These 50-over games are hard work and you need to be fully fit.

"He's doing as much as he can, but the weather isn't helping."

Of the bowlers returning after injury, Stephen Harmison could play for Ashington this weekend and Simon Brown is lined up for two games with a Cumbrian club who telephoned to ask if anyone was available to deputise for their professional.

But Lewis stressed that they cannot expect to come straight back into the first team as he has been particularly pleased with Nicky Hatch and Mark Davies.

"We won't discard them just because senior players are fit," he said. "Nicky is now bowling as well as I have seen him perform in two years.

"He bowled really well at Lord's. He was the one bowler in the match who looked like taking wickets on a pitch which never changed all match.

"It didn't even turn on the final day, and what made it worse for the bowlers was that it was quite an abrasive surface and after 12 overs the ball looked as though it had been chewed by a dog.

"For the Worcestershire match we have gone down to the far end of the square to protect the middle for the one-day international, and we usually find there's better bounce and more carry there.

"It makes for interesting cricket and given three full days we could have had a good game."

As it is, with good weather forecast for today, it is difficult to see where the match can go as Durham are on 206 for five, 44 runs behind.

They can bat on for bonus points or declare in the hope that Worcestershire set them a target, but it is unlikely that Hick would want to risk losing.

In the first over yesterday Andrew Pratt drove Allan Donald through extra cover for four to move on to 67, but was then starved of the strike as Danny Law picked up four singles.

Donald, not exactly steaming in, finally decided to exploit the bounce and in his fifth over of the day Pratt shaped to cut him but succeeded only in steering a catch straight to third man.

Graeme Bridge faced only one ball before the rain returned, with Law unbeaten on 37.

Scoreboard

Durham v Worcestershire

At Riverside.

Overnight: Worcestershire 250 (D A Leatherdale 63, G J Batty 56; N G Hatch 4-61). Durham 195-4 (A Pratt 63 no).

Durham First Innings Close

A A Pratt c Ali b Donald 67

D R Law not out 37

G D Bridge not out 0

Extras (b5 lb1 w2 nb8 pens 0) 16

Total 5 wkts (71.3 overs) 206

Fall: 1-0 2-34 3-83 4-91 5-205

To Bat: M L Love, A M Davies, N Killeen, N G Hatch.

Bonus Pts: Durham 3 Worcestershire 2

Bowling: Donald 18.3-2-46-3. Sheriyar 19-6-46-1. Kabir Ali 21-6-55-0. Leatherdale 3-0-16-0. Batty 10-2-37-1.

Umpires: I J Gould and T E Jesty

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