DURHAM made a stodgy start in extremely difficult conditions after winning the toss against Worcestershire.

In the final round of matches this season, the Riversiders have a 15-point gap to make up to County Championship leaders Warwickshire.

At lunch they were 83-2.

The worst may be yet to come, but the high winds were playing havoc, blowing off the heavy bails on more than one occasion. Sensibly, both umpires decided to go without hats, saving them the indignity of chasing after them, as some fielders had to.

Not until the sixth over did they find the boundary, Di Venuto playing a cross-batted shot off Alan Richardson. Bowling from the Lumley End, the wind was naturally moving the ball away from the right-handers.

The 36-year-old Durham University graduate used it well, his opening six-over spell costing seven runs. He seemed convinced he had Will Smith caught behind from one such delivery. The former captain stood his ground and Trevor Jesty kept his hand by his side.

Smith had one at the time, despite the appeal coming from the final ball of the tenth over.

Di Venuto broke the shackles in the 15th over. A full blooded cut went for four, and he followed it with two pulls, one for two, the second a boundary.

Gareth Andrew and Richard Jones kept up the pressure, starting with maidens after replacing the new-ball pair of Richardson and West Indian Kemar Roach.

Andrew's third over was a wicket maiden, pinning Di Venuto lbw as he went half forward. The Tasmanian had scored 33 of Durham's 41 runs at that point.

Smith finally found the rope in the 19th over, going for a big pull off Jones and seeing it sail over the slips for four. The 50 came up in the next over.

New batsman Mark Stoneman was unsurprisingly more fluent, a lovely cover drive for four taking him into double figures while Smith was still on eight not out.

Smith accelerated late in the session, clipping Jones off his legs for four, then cutting him to the boundary in the same over.

Stoneman survived a confident lbw appeal on 12 when he shouldered arms to Richardson, switched to the Finchale End, and the ball struck his pads.

It was a short stay of execution. He was lbw for 15 again not playing a shot to Richardson, the second such appeal in the over. It seemed a little high, but Jeff Evans gave the decision.

Meanwhile, at Taunton, second-placed Lancashire have picked up a bowling point for their third wicket. They have closed the gap to Warwickshire to two points.

For a full report of the opening day's play at Chester-le-Street, read tomorrow's Journal.