DURHAM coach Martyn Moxon is hoping conditions will favour his seamers when Glamorgan start their second innings needing 201 to win at Sophia Gardens today.

"It's evenly balanced and we are disappointed not to have had a bowl today," he said after a 4pm abandonment yesterday.

"Conditions were very suitable for seam bowling this morning and we would have fancied our chances of taking a few wickets

"Hopefully we can bowl as well as on the first evening, when we were superb."

Play began at 11.30 yesterday following an early-morning storm and last pair Mark Davies and Neil Killeen added four runs before Davies was lbw to Darren Thomas off the first ball of the fifth over.

Durham were all out for 242, Thomas finishing with three for 15 to complete the first ten-wicket match haul of his ten-year career.

After a disappointing season last year, he claims that his new-ball partner, Queenslander Michael Kasprovicz, has shown him a new way to grip the seam and he is swinging the ball for the first time for years.

Glamorgan openers Steve James and David Hemp went out to bat, but immediately accepted the umpires' offer to retire because of bad light.

Rain soon followed and although it stopped in early afternoon, another heavy shower just prior to a 4pm pitch inspection put paid to any hope of the ground drying sufficiently.

Durham are bringing down all-rounder Marc Symington and reserve wicketkeeper Phil Mustard for tomorrow's National League match against Glamorgan.

Mustard is needed as cover for Andrew Pratt, who has severely bruised ribs after being hit by paceman Simon Jones while batting.

"Jones has pace, for sure," said Moxon. "He's a strong boy with a strong action and looks a good prospect.

"There was some good bowling, but a couple of our dismissals were disappointing.

"We have to avoid these horrendous half hours we keep having during good spells of bowling.

"Batsmen have to work hard to get through it.

"They have to concentrate on surviving and learn that if they can do that they can score runs on this sort of wicket, as Paul Collingwood and Gordon Muchall showed.

"But we also have to remember that three of our top six are only 19 or 20. Jon Lewis and I are not ones for chopping and changing and we like to give people a reasonable chance to establish themselves."

The scan on Danny Law's back has not shown up any problem and after playing as a batsman in the second team this week he hopes to start bowling soon.

But the championship match against Gloucestershire, starting at the Riverside next Friday, will come too soon for him.

It will also be the end of the week before Jimmy Daley picks up a bat following his broken finger, while Simon Brown and Stephen Harmison are a couple of weeks from full fitness.

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