Matt Henry four-for lifts Somerset but Durham still in the fight

Matt Henry took four wickets for Somerset but 20-year-old Mitch Killeen's late strike helped Durham just shade the first day of the Rothesay County Championship match at the Banks Homes Riverside.

Despite Ollie Robinson's 52 and a half-century stand for the last wicket, the home side were dismissed for 277 in their first innings in a match between teams who possess identical records and are currently separated by a handful of bonus points in the Division One table.

Having accounted for three top-order batsmen, Henry returned figures of 4 for 60 but Somerset were 63 for 3 in reply at the close with the wicket of Tom Lammonby falling to Championship debutant Killeen for 24 just seven balls before the close.

The day's cricket began in atrocious fashion for the home side when their captain, Alex Lees, inside-edged Henry's first ball of the game onto his off stump ands departed for a golden duck.

Ben McKinney and Emilio Gay then repaired the home side's innings with a 65-run stand in 20 overs before McKinney was caught behind by James Rew for 30 when he played outside a ball from Josh Davey that was angled in to him from around the wicket.

Gay had already been dropped on 26 at midwicket by Jack Leach off Migael Pretorius when McKinney's wicket fell but the former Northamptonshire batsman could not capitalise on his escape. Instead he was dismissed for 41 a quarter of an hour before lunch when he top edged a pull off Henry to Tom Abell at long leg.

Having seen Lewis Gregory lose the toss, Somerset's bowlers were probably satisfied with a lunch score of 96 for 3. And they would have been ecstatic a few minutes after the resumption when the palpably dangerous David Bedingham shuffled across his stumps, looked to work the ball to leg and was lbw to his fellow South African, Pretorius, for 17.

Robinson responded to that reverse by taking hitting three fine fours in four balls of an over from Craig Overton and all this seemed to set the tone for a session in which quick runs were traded for wickets. Having made 51 runs off 45 deliveries since his lunch and reached his half-century in 61 minutes off 52 balls in all, Robinson was caught by Rew off Henry when he nicked a ball of full length towards first slip, only to see the diving keeper complete a fine catch.

Graham Clark then made 15 in 21 minutes before apparently snicking Josh Davey down the leg side to Rew and his departure left Durham on 185 for 6 in the 50th over. Colin Ackermann was bowled by Overton for 30 and five balls later, Raine was leg before to Pretorius for 25. Tea arrived with Durham on 227 for 8, 131 runs having been scored and five wickets taken in the session's 34 overs.

Five balls into the evening session, Killeen's first innings in Championship cricket ended when he was caught by first slip Lewis Gregory off Henry for a 15-ball nought but Codi Yusuf and Minto then batted as calmly and sensibly as most of the top order to take Durham to their first bonus point of the innings.

And not content with adding the 23 runs necessary for that landmark to be reached, the pair put on exactly 50 before Minto, who made 67 as a nightwatch-opener last week, was caught by Lammonby at square leg off Pretorius for 34. Yusuf was unbeaten on 16 and Pretorius finished with 3 for 63.

Somerset's first innings also began poorly when Gregory was bowled by Minto for 5 when his attempt to let the ball go only diverted it into his stumps but Davey and Lammonby added 42 before Davey was caught at slip off Yusuf for 24 and Lammonby was caught behind off Killeen for 18