WHEN Durham were dismissed for 67 at Lord’s in 1996 a swift return to the Minor Counties Championship seemed more likely than an appearance at headquarters as county champions.

The unknown David Follett took eight for 22 on that occasion before stumbling through what was otherwise such an undistinguished career that he could be considered lucky even to have set foot on the hallowed turf.

Durham had no opportunity to return last season, their Pro40 match against Middlesex being held at Uxbridge, but as four-day title-holders they set out impressively yesterday to prove last season’s success was no Follett-like flash in the pan.

Asked to bat in murky conditions by the MCC captain, Robert Key, Durham reached 244 for four on a day when 24 overs were lost to the weather.

When Key sounded off about the Riverside pitch last season in front of the Sky cameras a Durham fan listening nearby shouted to his mate: “Ow, Geordie, I’m just away down the market for some sour grapes.”

In his role as Kent captain, Key had been similarly critical of the Stockton pitch four years ago, so it might be assumed he knows a flat track when he sees one. Perhaps he thought the ball would swing when he generously asked Durham to bat, but there was little sign of movement from Kabir Ali or Sajid Mahmood in the first hour.

Then came the first of the two morning interruptions, which may have blunted the motivation of the England aspirants in the MCC team.

But it returned as the skies slowly cleared in mid-afternoon and a rise in temperature prompted some swing, sparking Durham’s slide from 104 without loss to 141 for four.

That was when Ian Blackwell walked in for his Durham debut and promptly cut and drove the young Warwickshire seamer, Chris Woakes, for three successive fours.

Blackwell raced past the new captain, Will Smith, who survived a few scares in taking 25 balls to get off the mark. He was still there at the close, however, on 43, with Blackwell on 63.

He swept Yorkshire legspinner Adil Rashid, brought on very late in the day, for his tenth four to complete a 44- ball half-century.

The season’s traditional curtain-raiser is usually blighted by the weather and with rain forecast today this game is more likely to drift into an extended practice session rather than a cut-and-thrust contest.

With the England selectors present, however, the combatants still have to try to impress and there were some lively spells from the bowlers, even if no-one hit the right spot regularly enough in the morning to create sustained pressure.

Yorkshire’s Tim Bresnan, a late replacement for Middlesex’s Steve Finn, was the pick of the four seamers rotated by Key.

He had Michael Di Venuto caught at second slip by Ian Bell for 53, and four overs later he moved one off the pitch to trim Mark Stoneman’s off bail.

Stoneman survived a chance to first slip off Bresnan on 20, but generally looked composed and assured in reaching 49.

Gordon Muchall was given a chance to nail down a middle order spot ahead of Gareth Breese. But after having to settle largely for second team cricket last season, he made only five before he was squared up by a ball from Woakes and edged it to wicketkeeper James Foster.

A top-edged pull off Mahmood saw Dale Benkenstein caught at square leg for 12, but with two swashbuckling left-handers in Blackwell and Phil Mustard at six and seven Durham will always have the opportunity for swift recovery.

Although a few Durham fans made the trip, the morning weather restricted the crowd to around 200, with Durham’s chief executive, David Harker, among them.

He said: “It was good to see the sign outside Lord’s on arrival saying MCC v Champions.

We’ve had a lot of goodwill from the other counties, but that could evaporate now they see us as a threat.

It might suddenly become harder to get practice facilities away from home.”

There was plenty of early goodwill from the bowlers to Di Venuto.

They should know by now how strongly he cuts, but he had plenty of opportunity to play the stroke, as when his eighth four took him to 50 off 67 balls.

It took a good ball from Bresnan to make the breakthrough and for a while the burly all-rounder threatened more trouble. But in the evening sunshine Blackwell survived a couple of topedged pulls to underline what an asset he could be to Durham.

Scoreboard

MCC v Durham
At Lord’s. MCC Won Toss
Durham First Innings Close
M J Di Venuto c Bell b Bresnan 53
M D Stoneman b Bresnan 49
W R Smith not out 43
G J Muchall c Foster b Woakes 5
D Benkenstein c Kabir Ali b Mahmood 12
I D Blackwell not out 63
Extras (b2 lb12 w3 nb2 pens 0) 19
Total 4 wkts (72 overs) 244
Fall: 1-104 2-113 3-128 4-141
To Bat: P Mustard, G Onions, L E Plunkett,
M E Claydon, C D Thorp.
Bowling: Kabir Ali 18-2-65-0. Mahmood 13-
3-49-1. Bresnan 21-5-44-2. Woakes 14-2-44-
1. A U Rashid 6-0-28-0.