SOME excellent Somerset bowling has put Durham in big trouble on day three of their County Championship match at Taunton.
The players came off for lunch with the Riversiders on 220-9 - still 111 short of avoiding the follow-on.
Somerset are now the only team who can win this game, and Durham may be regretting their decision to drop Scott Borthwick, which has lengthened their tail.
They still ought to have had enough to prosper on a Taunton pitch less bowler-friendly than it looks, but with the ball offering to swing more than at any time in this match, Somerset's bowlers took full advantage.
With Durham resuming on 150-2, they kept things extremely tight early on. Just 15 runs came from the first nine overs, although Dale Benkenstein broke the shackles in Charl Willoughby's fifth over.
If the South African had until then been miserly, Steve Kirby was adding his trademark aggression to the mix. Four times in the next over he troubled Will Smith, 70 not out, most notably when one reared off the shoulder of his bat through the vacant fourth slip area.
The former captain did not last much longer, lbw playing back to the recently introduced Murali Kartik for four.
Benkenstein went to Alfonso Thomas in the same fashion next over, after one kept low and moved into him. He had made seven.
There was a fraught feeling about Durham's batting, Phil Mustard off the mark with a drive which squeezed past gully and Ian Blackwell made to get a move on as he ran a single into midwicket to open his account.
A cover drive more clubbed than elegant but still impressive from Mustard brought up the 200 in the 66th over, but it was the last cause for celebration Durham would have for some time
A brilliant Arul Suppiah catch at gully accounted for the driving Mustard, who made ten, before three wickets feel with the score on 208.
Blackwell totally misjudged the bounce of a Thomas delivery, and lost his leg stump attempting a pull on 16. Callum Thorp was lbw on the backfoot to the next ball, bowled by Kartik, for two.
When Mitchell Claydon hung his bat out to Thomas, Marcus Trescothick took a neat catch at second slip.
With the last pair of Graham Onions and Stephen Harmison at the crease, Durham needed another 123 just to avoid the follow-on. Both are better batsmen than they perhaps realise, but it was still a tough ask.
Onions started positively, coming down the track to the first ball of the partnership to hit Kartik over his head for four, and the pair were both six not out at the end of the session.
Thomas' figures for the session were 8-3-30-4.
See tomorrow's Sunday Sun for a full report of the third day's play at Taunton.
