Despite overnight rain, the sun shone on Day 1 at Emirates Durham ICG for the LVCC match between Durham and Warwickshire with the match evenly poised at the end of day one.
Paul Collingwood won the toss and elected to bat but Durham didn’t get off to the best start when opener Mark Stoneman feathered the second ball of the day to be caught behind off the bowling of Barker.
Jennings and Borthwick looked poised at the crease following Stoneman’s dismissal and played some nice strokes throughout the morning putting on 63 before Borthwick was dismissed in 22nd over after contributing 36 to the Durham tally.
Opener Jennings continued at the crease with Will Smith to have the home-side 93-2 at lunch but Jennings was only at the crease for a further three overs after the break after he mistimed a shot and departed after being caught at fine leg for 33. His wicket broke a 40 run partnership and left the homeside on 98-3.
Smith and Stokes then attacked after Jenning’s dismissal and put on an impressive 65 runs together before Smith edged Patel just shy of his half century on 45.
Stokes carried on at the crease and remained poised whilst wickets continued to tumble around him. Skipper Paul Collingwood just made the one run before being dismissed with Durham 169-5 and it wasn’t long after when next man in Mustard too found himself back to the changerooms after he edged to first slip leaving Durham 170-6.
Stokes then past 50 finding the boundary for the ninth time in his half century, passing 50 for the second time this season in the LV=County Championships.
The Warwickshire bowlers were applying some good pressure after the tea break with a number of inside edges nearing the stumps. The visitors got their breakthrough half an hour after tea when Stokes finally fell to Patel, chopping on to depart for 61 leaving Durham 198-7.
Michael Richardson continued on at the crease with some nice shots before his innings was cut short, dismissed lbw for 26 despite the delivery appearing out of line.
The tail then wagged for Durham when numbers nine and ten Mark Wood and Graham Onions put on an entertaining 43 run partnership before Wood was clean bowled for 22.
The last man in Chris Rushworth then was dismissed caught behind the following delivery to leave Durham all out for 267 with Graham Onions showing he can do it with bat and ball, unbeaten on 22.
Warwickshire then had seven overs late in the day to play out and Durham got their breakthrough courtesy of Graham Onions who snared the wicket of Westwood for 5 in the final over leaving the visitors 31-1 in reply to Durhams 267.