DURHAM have added all-rounder Marc Symington to their squad for the four-day match against Gloucestershire starting at the Riverside today.

With injuries and modest form in the second team giving them little room for manoeuvre, they will otherwise stick with the 12 who were on duty at Cardiff.

Since his debut at Derby in 1998, Symington's only championship appearance was at home to Yorkshire two years ago.

But he had recorded his best first-class figures of four for 27 against Sri Lanka two weeks ago and has been bowling quite well in the seconds.

He could come in for Ian Hunter, who was out very quickly to loose strokes in both innings at Cardiff and mixed the occasional very good ball with a lot of wayward ones.

The other choice to be made is at the top of the order between Gary Pratt and Michael Gough, but despite his lack of runs Durham are inclined to persevere with Pratt.

"He has been looking very good in the nets, and like the rest of us he just needs to spend some time in the middle," said skipper Jon Lewis.

"He has been out lbw a few times so he has been working on his technique because he sometimes plants his front foot a bit early.

"We would never prefer someone just because he's a left-hander, but it is a bonus to have a right and left-handed combination. Our bowlers don't like having to keep changing the channels they bowl, and I'm sure it's the same for the opposition."

After losing all three games and gleaning only two batting points, Durham are seven points adrift at the bottom of division two, four places and 23 points behind their visitors.

Both their matches against Gloucestershire were spoilt by the weather last season, with Durham having the better of the Riverside encounter before rain allowed only ten overs' play on the final day.

"We have been pretty busy this week with results not being what we would have wished," said Lewis. "We needed to get down to some hard work and have been at the ground most of the time.

"The batsmen need to spend time at the crease and get the basics right. We will have that sort of game plan in mind."

Lewis was twice removed by his namesake in the equivalent match last year before the Gloucestershire bowler broke down after five matches and missed the rest of the season.

The attack was hampered by the absence of both Lewis and left-armer Mike Smith, who made his comeback in the Benson & Hedges Cup quarter-final defeat by Worcestershire this week.

With Australian all-rounder Ian Harvey ruled out by a broken finger, Gloucestershire will be keen to have Smith in action at the Riverside, if he is considered fit enough for a four-day game.

They strengthened their batting during the winter by signing former New Zealand Test batsman Craig Spearman - yet another player who qualifies through an English grandparent - and they also acquired left-arm spinner Ian Fisher from Yorkshire.

Durham (from): J J B Lewis (capt), G Pratt, M L Love, P D Collingwood, N Peng, G J Muchall, A Pratt, G D Bridge, I D Hunter, A M Davies, N Killeen, M A Gough, M Symington.

Gloucestershire (from): M W Alleyne (capt), K J Barnett, C M Spearman, C G Taylor, M G N Windows, T H C Hancock, R C Russell, M C J Ball, J M M Averis, I D Fisher, J Lewis, A M Smith.

l Yorkshire will equal their worst start to a Championship season in 12 years if Hampshire pull off a repeat performance at Headingley over the next four days.

The title-holders last lost their first three matches in 1990 and it became four defeats in a row when Hampshire beat them by five wickets at Headingley in late May.

Since lifting the Championship, Yorkshire have plunged to five consecutive defeats and the last time they did that was in 1889 when they went on to lose seven on the trot.

Yorkshire had something else to worry them yesterday when captain Darren Lehmann reported a sore knee following Wednesday's thrashing by Essex in the Benson and Hedges Cup.

Lehmann will probably shrug off the injury but he will not make up his mind for sure until shortly before the toss.

Former Harrogate and Scarborough batsman, Vic Craven, now with Bradford League club Pudsey Congs, has been called up as possible cover if Lehmann misses out.

Yorkshire were able to include Michael Vaughan and Matthew Hoggard after England's late decision to allow their players take part in the current round of county matches, but Hoggard needs to bowl much better than he did against Essex when he was hammered by England captain Nasser Hussain.

The assault was so vicious that one wonders if Hussain has temporarily lost faith in Hoggard and there must be a question mark over his inclusion in the squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Yorkshire (from): Wood, Vaughan, White, Lumb, Lehmann, McGrath, Blakey, Fellows, Silverwood, Sidebottom, Hoggard, Dawson, Kirby, Craven