Stoneman plays vital hand for Durham

On a day when 17 wickets fell at Chester-le-Street, Mark Stoneman passed 50 for the seventh time in his last 10 County Championship innings for Durham against Warwickshire.

Stoneman rose majestically above a dismal team effort to score 83 out of 127 before he was seventh out and Durham closed on 152 for 8 in their second innings, leading by 210.

Play began half an hour late following rain and there was some uneven bounce, but there were not enough gremlins in the pitch to explain the day's two collapses.

Warwickshire went from 59 for 1 to 116 for 7 before a stand of 72 between Jeetan Patel and Keith Barker helped them to 209.

Durham led by 58 and when Keaton Jennings helped Stoneman put on 49 for the first wicket they were in command. But Patel took two wickets to begin their slide and there were two for Rikki Clarke and three for Boyd Rankin, while Ben Stokes was run out when he was sent back by Stoneman and slipped mid-pitch.

Stokes had achieved a season's best with both bat and ball as he followed his first-innings 61 by taking 4 for 49. He grabbed the last two with balls which skidded through to hit the stumps, including Patel for a run-a-ball 53.

Warwickshire generally went for their shots and several batsmen got out carelessly, starting when Varun Chopra who spoilt a good innings of 35 by steering a catch to third slip. That was the first of three wickets for Chris Rushworth and there were two for Mark Wood on a day when Graham Onions was not at his best.

Skipper Jim Troughton was dropped second ball by Paul Collingwood at first slip but after making 21 he wafted wide of off stump in the last over before lunch and was caught behind to give Stokes his first wicket.

Patel began Durham's second-innings slide with his third ball, which left-hander Jennings edged to slip. Patel also had Will Smith caught off bat and pad as three wickets went down for eight runs.

Even Collingwood could not stop the rot as he padded up to a straight one from Clarke and Phil Mustard cut straight to gully in the same over to bag a pair.

Stoneman completed his 70-ball half-century with a straight drive for his seventh four off Rankin and faced 116 balls before he chopped a Rankin delivery into his stumps. Michael Richardson was unbeaten on 26 at the close.