DURHAM skipper Paul Collingwood must be wishing he could lose the toss. For the second successive game he put the opposition in yesterday and had cause to regret it.

Following Yorkshire’s 270 opening stand at sun-baked Headingley last week, there was at least the excuse of heavy cloud cover after the morning session was washed out at Chester-le-Street.

But although there was some early swing for Chris Rushworth and the returning Graham Onions, Warwickshire reached 229 for two before losing three late wickets to close on 256 for five.

It is well known that Jonathan Trott has been troubled of late, but whatever intention Durham had of trying to prey on his demons they made a hash of it as he made a classy 76.

He was allowed an easy start, scoring 11 off the first eight balls he faced, and rumours that he is vulnerable to the short ball were not seriously tested until he had reached tea on 24.

The 6ft 6in John Hastings, clearly the best man for the job, was then brought back and unleashed the expected barrage.

But Trott looked unflappable, even playing a couple of well-controlled hooks, while several bouncers passed harmlessly over his head.

Clearly intent on playing positively, he reached 50 off 66 balls as he and Will Porterfield took advantage of pleasant evening conditions to stretch their stand to 131 in 32 overs.

Porterfield has been a one-day thorn for Durham but has rarely made runs against them in the championship and enjoyed a fair amount of good fortune yesterday.

On 19 he edged Mark Wood just short of first slip, but Lady Luck really smiled on him when facing Hastings straight after reaching an 81-ball 50 with a clip to midwicket for his tenth four.

A leading edge off the next ball lobbed just over mid-on then in Hastings’ next over two edges flew wide of the slips to the vacant third man boundary and an attempted pull was bottom-edged and bounced over the stumps.

While Onions returned after his two-month absence, it was another player reappearing after injury, Ian Westwood, who initially prospered.

The diminutive left-hander has been out with a broken finger but looked in good touch in making 40 before he edged Collingwood to Gordon Muchall at slip.

The visitors’ acting captain, Varun Chopra, was first out, chopping an attempted cut off Hastings into his stumps to depart for 21.

Warwickshire had scored a lot of runs through the off side off the back foot when, with the score on 91 for one, Collingwood brought himself on and removed Westwood with the first ball of his third over.

Trott took six runs off the remaining five balls before Onions and Wood were recalled. Any attempted bouncers were ill-directed, however, and Trott drove two successive balls from Onions through extra cover for four as the last seven overs before tea yielded 41 runs.

Porterfield was on 90 when Scott Borthwick was introduced in the 62nd over and in attempting to pull the third ball the batsman skied it vertically, for Phil Mustard to run forward and hold the catch.

Trott departed four overs before the close as Hastings finally got his just rewards.

The first ball of his spell was pitched up wide of off stump and in trying to run it behind square Trott chopped it straight to Muchall at gully.

With one ball of the day’s 71-over allocation left, Hastings yorked nightwatchman Chris Wright, but the visitors still have some useful men to come.

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