SOMERSET seem certain to escape a points penalty for the pitch on which Durham lost their five remaining wickets for six runs in 22 balls on Saturday.

There was no indication that inexperienced umpires Martin Saggers and Paul Baldwin would be reporting the pitch as unsatisfactory.

Home captain Chris Rogers, the Australian Test batsman, admitted that it probably started too dry and shortly after the match ended 15 minutes into the third day the groundsman was watering it.

Durham, who began the day needing 46 runs to go top of the table, lost by 39 runs and slipped to fourth. They were victims of the pitch and some questionable decisions, particularly by Baldwin.

Originally from Epsom, he did not play first-class cricket and is in his second year on the umpires' list.

Durham coach Jon Lewis tactfully suggested that the umpires were the same for both sides, and there is no doubt that Jim Allenby's bat was some distance from the ball when Baldwin gave him out caught behind in Somerset's first innings.

It was no surprise that left-arm spinner Jack Leach opened up on Saturday, and Durham were sunk by losing three wickets to his first eight balls, two of them to lbw appeals upheld by Baldwin.

When most balls are turning a long way, the umpire has to be certain they are going pretty much straight on when giving batsmen out lbw on the front foot.

For the second time in the match nightwatchman Graham Onions was well forward and lingered for several seconds in disbelief when given out to the fifth ball.

Paul Coughlin pushed forward and edged the next ball to slip.

Stuart Poynter looked to attack Roelof van der Merwe and took took five runs off the next over, only to be adjudged lbw trying to sweep Leach.

Then in the next over van der Merwe got one to turn and bounce, which meant there was little Mark Wood could do to avoid edging to slip.

Last man Chris Rushworth felt the next ball had turned straight from leg stump to first slip and looked shocked to be given out by Saggers.

Adam Hickey was left on none not out, Durham were all out for 136 and their fans justifiably felt cheated of almost two days' action.

Lewis said: “There was no panic or any fault with our mental approach. There were some very good balls which turned a long way.

“The whole game was on fast forward. We knew beforehand it was a dry, used pitch, which is why we wanted to bat even though we had suffered the disruption of losing two of our top six.

“There is now no limit to how much a ball is allowed to turn on day one. We need to produce more spinners in this country, but it's debatable whether conditions like this help to produce Test cricketers.”

The irony is that Durham might have expected such conditions in their previous match at Southport, an outground known for pitches failing to last the distance and giving spinners massive help towards the end.

In fact, the groundsman had done a superb job, partly by ensuring that there was the right amount of moisture in the pitch at the outset and the result was a perfect four-day contest.

Somerset might deserve a little sympathy in that their pitches tend to produce high-scoring draws and they had worked out that their superiority in spin bowling was the key to beating Durham.

It was a gamble because they ran the risk of a points deduction and their second spinner, van der Merwe, has not been a huge success.

But the fact that he and Leach shared 17 wickets in the match highlighted Durham's lack of a top-class spinner, well as Hickey bowled in only his second game.

A seam attack of Rushworth, Onions, Wood and Coughlin was Durham's strength and they did remarkably well in taking seven wickets before lunch on the first day then reducing Somerset to 33 for six in the second innings.

The fact that they allowed two recoveries cost them the game and Lewis added: “It's not what happened on the final morning that we need to look at. Most of the mistakes were made on the first day, when we let them get 180. We were pretty inaccurate with the ball and in the field.

“In the second innings we did really well with the new ball, then got it wrong for six or seven overs at the end and they had a 50 stand. In a low-scoring game that was crucial.”

Some people felt Durham could have pushed for victory on the second day and Lewis said: “When Mark Stoneman and Michael Richardson were going well it was a possibility. But once we lost a couple of wickets the runs dried up.”

He added that Richardson felt he had edged the ball to which he was adjudged lbw.

It will now be interesting to see if other counties try similar tactics in Durham's remaining away games. They start against Middlesex at Lord's on Saturday and still have to visit Yorkshire and Hampshire.

The game at Headingley starts on September 6, the day before the final contest of England's series against Parkistan, a T20 at Old Trafford. Much could hinge on whether Adil Rashid is required for that.

Durham will have Brydon Carse, James Weighell and Barry McCarthy making their comebacks as batsmen only in today's Second X1 Trophy tie against Yorkshire at York.

There is a chance that Jack Burnham could play after being pulled out of the first team game at Taunton because of swollen glands.

Paul Collingwood is rated 50/50 for Wednesday's NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final at Bristol.