MARCUS Trescothick made Phil Mustard pay for asking him to bat this morning, as Somerset compiled 259-2 at Chester-le-Street.

The former England captain hit a typically dominant 144 as the Cidermen dominated the second session as they had the first.

He was dropped on 108, after what appeared to be a "Herschelle Gibbs moment" by first slip Michael Di Venuto.

The Australian appeared to have taken the catch cleanly but, as Gibbs famously did in the 1999 World Cup against his country, appeared to instantly throw the ball up in celebration, and failed to catch it again. If that was his mistake, it always looked likely to be a costly one, with the former England opener in top form.

Even when they did get the 35-year-old into the pavilion, it was only a very temporary reprieve. Trescothick and Nick Compton were off the field at a rate of knots wshen rain fell 20 minutes into the session. But Durham's players are made of sterner stuff, and had not even ambled into the dry by the time it had stopped. The umpires quickly called the cowardly batsmen out again.

It was the second rain delay of the match, but no overs were lost.

It did little to disrupt Trescothick, as he proved by pulling Graham Onions for six square to the shorter boundary, on the scoreboard side of the ground.

Nick Compton continued to take a backseat, but he too provided the occasional highlight, pulling Onions for four with a tracer bullet of a shot as the mini shower began and unveiling a lovely cover drive - his sixth boundary - to bring up a 115-ball fifty.

Ruel Brathwaite was poor in the first two sessions, and Durham will hope he continues the other trend of his season, improving later in the day. Trescothick pulled him for four to move to 99, and brought up three figures in the grand manner, pulling just behind square for six. Eighty-four of his first 105 runs came in boundaries.

His third and final six was driven off Ian Blackwell.

Phil Mustard tried seven bowlers in the session and it was the last of them, Scott Borthwick, who made the breakthrough from his tenth delivery.

Brathwaite looked to have misjudged the catch when Trescothick steepled the ball looking to hit over the top. But he dived forward from point at the last second to pouch it. Trescothick had made 144, all but four of them in a 249-run stand with Compton.

The right-hander had appeared lucky not to be given lbw on 71, perhaps saved because he had started to come down the pitch. He had 75 when he drove just veyond the reach of Di Venuto, moving right in anticipation from first slip.

Compton went in for his tea six short of his own century. England Lions captain James Hildreth was with him on five not out.

For a full report and pictures from the first day, read The Journal on Wednesday.