FOR the second successive match Durham skipper Phil Mustard had cause to regret winning the toss at Worcester this morning.

Not wishing to risk a repeat of last week’s embarrassment, when he put Somerset in and they scored 610 for six, he chose to bat in conditions which looked likely to favour the bowlers.

Durham had reached 20 without loss in the fifth over when rain forced almost an hour’s break and on the resumption they lost both openers with the total on 24.

Michael Di Venuto, who carried his bat for 155 on his Durham debut here in 2007, failed to add to the two fours he hit off the day’s first and fifth balls.

They came off the back foot on either side of the wicket but Australian Damian Wright then began to show why he is division one’s leading wicket-taker this season with 25.

In his fifth over he had Di Venuto well caught low down at second slip by Moeen Ali, the ball moving away from the left-hander as he shaped to play through mid-wicket.

Despite having lost all five of their championship games, Worcestershire also have the injury-prone Alan Richardson in the top three wicket-takers with 23 and he began to trouble Will Smith.

The ex-captain even took a step down the pitch to one delivery, but in the tenth over he pushed forward and edged at comfortable height to Vikram Solanki at first slip.

Smith made 12 and at lunch Durham were 41 for two with Gordon Muchall on 11 and Ben Stokes on five.