Durham recover from Di Venuto loss

Durham 65 for 1 v Warwickshire
Scorecard

Recalled Durham batsmen Mark Stoneman and Gordon Muchall assembled an unbroken partnership of 61 in a seriously truncated first day in the County Championship clash with Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

After a five-hour wait for play to get under way, further showers and bad light caused three stoppages as the struggling champions - on the rebound from a two-day defeat by Kent - reached 65 for 1 in 21 overs.

With Durham starting the game three points ahead of bottom-of-the-table Warwickshire, there was a different edge to last summer when the northerners won both meetings on their way to retaining the Division One crown. Consistently undermined by fitness issues this season, Durham were without Steve Harmison because of an ankle problem and they also left out opening batsman Kyle Coetzer and all-rounder Gareth Breese.

They even managed to pick up another injury during a football kick-about on the outfield, although Callum Thorp, who needed stitches in a cut eyebrow, was not scheduled to take part in the match.

Losing a wicket in the first over was the last thing they would have wanted, but Michael Di Venuto was a victim of early movement after collecting a boundary off Chris Woakes. The England Lions seamer immediately took his revenge with a successful lbw appeal. That brought together two batsmen making their first championship appearances since last August.

Stoneman took 18 balls to get off the mark and Muchall came through a difficult start. Dropped at second slip in Woakes' second over, he survived again when two edges off Andrew Miller failed to carry to the catching cordon.

The initial uncertainty gradually eased as Stoneman, in particular, played some pleasing shots. The left-hander seized his opportunity, having waited more than three weeks since scoring a career-best 118 against Durham MCCU in his only previous first-class innings this season.

Seven fours helped him to an undefeated 31, and when the gloomy weather closed in again at 6pm, the umpires called time for the day with Muchall on 21. By then the injury troubles had spread to Warwickshire with Darren Maddy forced to leave the field after bowling five balls in his third over.