UNUSUALLY for a match this far north, England’s Brains Trust had two representatives at Chester-le-Street yesterday.

Selector James Whittaker and batting coach Graham Thorpe must have known what Phil Mustard did not at the toss – this would be a batsman’s day.

Whittaker saw two late wickets for Graham Onions, but not before Durham were put to the sword.

Unfortunately for the esteemed guests, no one impressed more than Marcus Trescothick.

Trescothick thought it looked a good pitch to bat on, but was glad not to have to make the choice at the toss.

Mustard did, and although he maintains it was a good decision not exploited by his bowlers, with hindsight it was hard to agree.

There were clouds flitting about, and two showers brief enough not to cost any overs, but little to encourage seven bowlers on or above another slow Chester-le-Street pitch Scott Borthwick has been denied last use of.

Winning a County Championship is much easier when you have international-class players not wearing their country’s colours, and mental demons are the only reason Trescothick does not still have Three Lions perched on his head.

Even without the top-level combat to hone his technique, it is questionable if there are any better batsmen on the circuit.

Off the mark with a four stroked off his legs, he reached 24 exclusively in boundaries. Eighty-four of his first 105 runs came that way, the last a six pulled square – repeating an earlier shot off Onions – to bring up three figures.

Damage limitation quickly became Durham’s objective, so Dale Benkenstein’s opening five overs for two runs were welcome.

Trescothick, though, could not be frustrated out so easily, thick-edging on 62 but softly and out of Mustard’s reach. He would be in three figures before giving a proper chance as the extra bounce Callum Thorp found in the next over proved a one-off.

Michael Di Venuto appeared to have claimed the scalp Durham badly needed when Trescothick had 108, but at full stretch moving to his right could not cling on.

Five runs later he edged just in front of the same player at second slip.

The powerful left-hander drove Ian Blackwell for another six, his third over the shorter scoreboard-side boundary, but on 144 Ruel Brathwaite misjudged a steepling leading edge at point before diving forward at the last second to end a record second-wicket partnership for Somerset against Durham on 249.

Arul Suppiah will be sick to see the unbalanced scorecard, his duck sandwiched between two big hundreds.

After watching the first over from the non-striker’s end, he fell second ball to a good catch by Borthwick at third slip.

It cruelly raised Durham hopes dashed by their inability to put the ball in the right place long enough and their bout of dropsy in the field.

Durham University graduate Nick Compton tucked in too, and James Hildreth looked on course for a third century – more so when he was inexplicably dropped – until Onions struck.

Allowed to take a back seat by Trescothick, the grandson of Dennis Compton cover-drove Brathwaite to the boundary to bring up a 115-ball fifty.

Di Venuto anticipated his edge on 75, but could not get far enough across to his right.

His airborne leap was not in celebration of 4,000 first-class runs, but his first Championship century since his Middlesex days.

Compton’s career-best 190 came against Durham and looks under threat this morning after Gordon Muchall dropped him to the last ball of the day, his second aberration.

It was a tough day in the windswept field, but there was no excuse for Muchall allowing Hildreth’s shot through both hands at mid-off.

Rubbing salt into the wound, Borthwick’s three remaining balls in the over went for four, Hildreth reaching his 46-ball fifty with a pulled six.

Onions bowled with good pace, and it was encouraging to see someone returning from injury continue Durham’s habit of late wickets.

Mustard asked Benkenstein and Stokes to continue with the new ball beyond the 80-over mark, and even Onions did not take it immediately, having Hildreth caught behind to his third- ball first.

Nineteen-year-old Alex Barrow’s second innings in Championship cricket was short-lived, the England youth international offering a regulation catch to Muchall at first slip.

It was a rare moment of joy on a tough day but, if Durham can cling to memories of their early struggles against Warwickshire in their last win better than they did their catches, it can be retrieved.