Durham 45 for 1 trail Somerset 224 (de Bruyn 76, Harmison 5-84) by 179 runs
Scorecard

	Steve Harmison collected five wickets to put Durham in charge at Taunton © Getty Images Enlarge

The first playing day of this crucial match between Nos. 2 and 3 in the Division One table - neither of whom have won the Championship before - went rather in favour of the visitors. Somerset, who controversially omitted the experienced Andy Caddick from their side, put in a poor batting display on a placid pitch, with the exception of their South African, Zander de Bruyn. Steve Harmison, with 5 for 84, was Durham's leading performer although he was not quite at his fearsome best.

There was little sign of the earlier rain as the match began a day late. The outfield was quick and the wicket appeared to be sound, so Somerset opted to bat on winning the toss. Justin Langer, lbw to the first ball of his team's last match at Trent Bridge, nearly managed it again; Harmison unleashed a ferocious appeal, but without success, the ball probably pitching just outside leg stump. Langer did not give much impression of permanency, struggling against Callum Thorp, who also came close to winning an lbw appeal, and playing and missing at times. When Marcus Trescothick gloved a ball from Harmison just over the keeper for four, it did appear that the batsmen were seriously in need of practice after so much rain.

Harmison bowled some good deliveries, but was quite expensive. Perhaps his best ball was one to Langer, who was very quick on the pull: a short, faster delivery had Langer turning his face away, committed to the pull but far too late with it, and popping the ball up to the vacant short-leg area. For a while the batsmen seemed to have charmed lives: Langer was almost run-out going for a quick single to the dynamic Will Smith in the covers; he was dropped by the keeper off Thorp on 27; and Trescothick, with 10 but less of the strike, played a curious swat that just cleared extra cover. It couldn't last for ever, and in the end Langer, on 31, aimed a diagonal off-side swat at a ball from Thorp and edged the ball on to his stumps.

Trescothick soon followed. A mistimed hook off Harmison just cleared fine leg for six, but he slashed at the next ball outside off stump and was brilliantly held at second slip by Thorp. The No. 3, de Bruyn, also a former Test player, looked more secure than either of the openers and played a busy innings, working the ball well through the field and hitting some very impressive boundaries that pierced the inner ring perfectly. It was one of these, through extra cover, that brought up his 50 off 75 balls.

By then he lost James Hildreth, who looked out of touch in scoring 19 before being bowled by Harmison off the inside edge. Wes Durston also made 19 before he heaved wildly at offspinner Paul Wiseman and was bowled, while Ian Blackwell (10) prodded outside off stump to be caught at the wicket off the other Harmison, Ben. He was the fifth batsman to depart after doing the hard work and getting in, four of them for scores between 10 and 19.

de Bruyn, however, looked a class above the rest, and so well was he playing that a century looked to be his for the taking. But he unwisely called for a third leg-bye, a serious error, and was run out for 76 by a good throw from Ben Harmison at fine leg. His innings deserved a better - and later - ending than this.

After tea the woes continued, as the tail collapsed around Peter Trego, who looked like being stranded again. There was one spectacular moment as Wisemen unwisely bowled a leg-side half-volley to the last man Charl Willoughby, who clattered it into the stands, thus equalling his first-class career average in one blow. But Trego, moving back to hit out at Harmsion, was bowled for 23, and the innings was over for a disappointing 224.

Michael Di Venuto turned the first ball of Durham's innings, from Willoughby, past square leg for two, but they soon lost Mark Stoneman, though, who got into an unaccountable tangle playing a straight ball from the same bowler and was caught at slip for 1.

After this it was bread-and-butter cricket until bad light brought an early close, with Di Venuto and Smith playing quietly, while the Somerset seamers bowled well without troubling the batsmen unduly. The home side will know that they have lost ground to make up tomorrow.