SO Sam Robson can bat after all. The man who totalled 14 runs in four innings against Durham in 2013 kept them at bay for all but five minutes of the day to make 178.

Middlesex closed on 329 for four with Adam Voges making 57 as he continues to tune up for Australia's bid to retain the Ashes.

The only clear chance Robson gave was on 172, when Scott Borthwick was unable to hang on to a sharp chance at second slip off Paul Coughlin.

But four overs later the batsman played back to another good ball and a repeat offering was gratefully accepted. That gave Coughlin two of the four wickets after returning in place of Graham Onions, who has a minor knee injury.

The fact that Durham had won their first two games when batting second might have influenced Paul Collingwood when putting Middlesex in. He might even think the best chance of victory is in a fourth innings run chase, but there was little in the conditions to suggest bowlers would prosper.

It was almost as cold in London at 11am as it had been at Chester-le-Street earlier in the week, so there was little sign of swing. And, as Robson proved, the pitch is full of runs.

Calum MacLeod, branded a chucker in his days as a Warwickshire medium pacer, had his first bowl for Durham when he sent down three tidy overs of off spin just before the new ball was taken.

One of seven bowlers used, he almost had Voges with his second ball, which was chopped down at the feet of Collingwood at slip.

There was a brief spell after tea when the captain left the slip area vacant and moved across to leg slip with John Hastings bowling. It almost worked as Robson, on 132, turned one off his hip at catchable height just out Collingwood's reach.

Otherwise bat continued to dominate and it was something of a surprise when Chris Rushworth had Voges lbw when well forward in the seventh over with the new ball.

That gave Durham their first point, but they will have only 14 overs on the second day to take two more wickets for a second bowling point.