Jake Ball five-for gives Durham early honours

Somerset loanee Jake Ball took five wickets on his Durham debut to help his new team take the early honours in their Rothesay County Championship match at Visit Worcestershire New Road. But Brett D'Oliveira's bowlers struck back on a day when 14 wickets fell in the Division One clash.

Ball took 5 for 47 as Worcestershire were dismissed for 162, thereby failing to collect a batting bonus point for the fourth successive match this season.

However, having seen their bowlers make the most of winning the toss on a helpful pitch, Durham's batters encountered their own problems in the evening session and the day ended with the visitors on 55 for 4 and the match evenly poised.

The morning began poorly for Worcestershire, who slumped to 22 for 3 inside the first hour. Ball marked the beginning of his two-week loan spell by taking all the wickets in 12 deliveries, each of his victims being caught behind by Ollie Robinson.

Gareth Roderick perished for 4 when cutting, Jake Libby feathered an attempted forward defensive stroke on 9 and Rob Jones nicked a drive when on only 3.

Matters could have been even worse for Worcestershire had Henry Nicholls' edge off Ball not evaded George Drissell's grasp at third slip when the New Zealander had made 7. As it was, Nicholls and Adam Hose took their side to 75 for 3 at lunch, only for Hose to be lbw on the front foot to Ben Raine for 23 eleven balls after the resumption.

Worcestershire's woes continued when another Durham debutant, Codi Yusuf, who will play for Durham until early July, brought one back off the seam to have Henry Nicholls lbw for a 155-ball 42. Mathew Waite then meekly steered a wide delivery from the same bowler to the Lancashire loanee, Jack Blatherwick, at backward point and departed for 8.

That left the home side on 116 for 6 just after the midpoint of the day's play and D'Oliveira followed his colleagues to the pavilion half an hour later when he was leg before wicket to Ben Raine for 28. Hopes of a recovery were further dented on the point of tea when Drissell had Tom Taylor lbw for nought with a sharply turning off-break.

Ball was switched to the Diglis End immediately after tea and had Ethan Brookes caught at long leg by Blatherwick for 23 before he completed his fine return when Jake Duffy nicked him to Drissell at slip. Yusuf finished with 2 for 36 from 12 overs but the visitors were also indebted to Raine, who held the attack together with figures of 2 for 16 from 17 overs.

Durham's reply began poorly when Alex Lees chopped on to Jacob Duffy for nought in the third over of the innings and having stroked four lovely boundaries, Ben McKinney was well caught low down at first slip by Hose off Taylor for 24.

The visitors' problems increased when Colin Ackermann was bowled by Waite's second delivery of the innings for 5 and Worcestershire's fightback was completed when Ollie Robinson was leg before wicket to Waite for a 17-ball nought. Having ridden his luck, Will Rhodes was 17 not out at the close and nightwatcher Blatherwick was unbeaten on 2.