DURHAM have a first innings lead but they lost six wickets before passing Lancashire’s total of 84 and are 114 for eight at tea.

Durham were 60 for six and Sajid Mahmood had taken three for ten until Dale Benkenstein and Scott Borthwick suddenly took 14 runs off his seventh over.

Batting suddenly looked a little easier after 16 wickets had fallen in 53 overs and the seventh-wicket pair added 37. But then Borthwick and Callum Thorp fell to successive balls.

With conditions favouring the seam bowlers batsmen have been tempted into rash strokes but the ever reliable Benkenstein has shown how to survive in reaching 34.

In humid conditions this morning Thorp swung the ball and took three of the first four wickets before going on to finish with six for 20.

Durham lost both openers with only eight on the board before Gordon Muchall restored some sanity with an innings of 28. But this really is not a very good advert for outground cricket.