Plunkett lays Durham platform

Career-best bowling by Liam Plunkett was in danger of going to waste for LV= County Championship leaders Durham when they slumped to one for three at the Riverside against Division One’s bottom club, Worcestershire.

However, the recovered to finish on 40 for three after the visitors were dismissed for 193, with Plunkett taking 6-63.

With the ball swinging in the heavy conditions, Durham lost two wickets in successive balls to Kabir Ali without a run on the board, Michael Di Venuto bowled by a thick inside edge before Will Smith lost his off stump.

Gordon Muchall pushed forward and edged Matt Mason to reserve wicketkeeper Josh Knappett, but Dale Benkenstein and Kyle Coetzer saw Durham to the close without further mishap.

Liam Plunkett ran through Worcestershire's middle and lower order - before Durham lost three quick wickets early in their reply

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A groin injury meant Plunkett missed the three successive wins which took Durham to the top of the table, but he and Mark Davies were welcomed back in the absence of Graham Onions and Steve Harmison on England Lions duty.

That was more than cancelled out by the visitors, who are without three of their top six batsmen - Vikram Solanki, Stephen Moore and Steven Davies - for the same reason.

The fact that Ben Smith was Worcestershire’s only experienced batsman would have contributed to the decision to put Durham in, but Daryl Mitchell and 19-year-old Holland international Alexei Kervezee survived the new-ball spell from Callum Thorp and Mitch Claydon.

It was Davies who made the breakthrough on his first appearance of the season after an ankle operation, finding Kervezee’s outside edge with his ninth ball to have him caught at second slip by Di Venuto.

After a wayward opening, Plunkett was gifted his first wicket by a loose shot from Mitchell, who edged behind, but he earned the last five wickets of the innings in a lengthy afternoon spell, beating his previous best of 6-74 at home to Hampshire in 2004.

The key wickets were those of Gareth Batty and Ashley Noffke, who put on 57 after coming together at 80 for five.

Batty had his off stump knocked out by a superb delivery, and Noffke departed for 50 when he skied an attempted hook to wicketkeeper Phil Mustard.

The last four wickets went down for six runs as Kabir fended a low catch to gully after making 28, Chris Whelan was bowled off stump and Mason edged to third slip.