ON THE day when Graham Onions produced his best form of the season Durham's other frontline bowlers showed signs that a long, hard slog is taking its toll.

Between them the only games John Hastings and Chris Rushworth have missed were four Twenty20 matches for which Rushworth was rested.

Onions took the first four wickets as Middlesex reached 141 for five before rain ended play after 47 overs on the first day at Chester-le-Street.

Out of sorts for much of the season, Onions has worked hard at regaining his previous high standards and had his rewards in a spell of three for two in nine balls.

He had the second-placed visitors rocking on 18 for three and had Rushworth been at his best Durham would have expected further inroads after inserting Middlesex in helpful conditions.

Nick Compton dominated stands of 54 with James Franklin and 66 with Neil Dexter before he was fifth out for 71, gloving a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Michael Richardson when trying to pull Hastings.

It was an unfortunate end to an assured innings, in which he left anything he didn't need to play at but hit nine firmly-struck fours, mainly through pulls and cover drives.

Durham handed a debut to Stokesley's James Weighell, rewarding him for impressive club and second X1 performances after being released from the academy last year.

The 6ft 4in seamer came in for Jamie Harrison and was on for the 11th over, bustling in full of purpose.

After opening up with a maiden he conceded seven off his second over and made way for Hastings, but he impressed in his afternoon spell, when he moved one away sharply to beat Compton on 59.

Onions' first ball – the seventh of the morning – was cut for four by Sam Robson before heavy drizzle forced a 25-minute break.

On the resumption a ball from Onions started on leg stump and swung past Robson's outside edge, bringing a huge but unsuccessful appeal for caught behind.

Paul Stirling, a surprise opener, and Robson both fell when shaping to drive, the Irishman going first when he edged to Paul Collingwood at first slip.

Late in-swing found Robson's inside edge on the way to sending the middle stump flying, and three balls later Onions swung one into left-hander Dawid Malan to have him lbw.

Both Hastings and Rushworth, in his second spell, bowled round the wicket to left-hander Franklin without making him play often enough.

But after making 16 of 54 balls Middlesex's captain played inside an in-swinger from Onions and edged it to Collingwood straight after lunch Dexter enjoyed the rare luxury of an all-run four off Weighell, when the two men in pursuit to deep mid-wicket were Hastings and Rushworth, who could doubtless have done without the extra exertion.

Dexter was on 23 when the rain arrived with John Simpson on two.

*Durham reached the final of the Second X1 Trophy yesterday in a thrilling finish against Somerset at Taunton Vale.

Needing 282, they were given a flying start by a stand of 122 in 23.4 overs between Keaton Jennings (86) and Phil Mustard (62) and were seen home with two balls left by an unbroken stand of 86 in 9.4 overs between Stuart Poynter and Dylan Budge.

The wicketkeeper finished on 48 and all-rounder Budge, last year's English Schools cricketer of the year, was on 38.

He is a Yorkshireman, like left-arm spinner Gurman Randhawa, who took three for 51 in ten overs as Somerset were dismissed for 281.