County Championship: Graham Onions shines for Durham

Durham pace bowler Graham Onions ran through the Middlesex top order on a rain-shortened first day of their Championship game at Chester-le-Street.

The former England man (4-40) took three wickets as Middlesex slumped to 18-3, after Paul Collingwood won the toss and put the visitors into bat.

But Nick Compton led a recovery with a patient innings of 71.

John Hastings removed him shortly before further rain brought a premature end to play with Middlesex on 141-5.

The clatter of wickets in the morning session began when Paul Stirling edged Onions to Collingwood at slip in just the fourth over.

He then dismissed Sam Robson and Dawid Malan in the space of three balls in his next over.

Compton and James Franklin guided Middlesex to lunch without further loss at 68-3, but straight after the interval, Franklin became Onions' fourth victim when he edged an in-swinger to Collingwood.

Former England opener Compton continued to look assured, bringing up his 50 off 88 balls.

But his 128-ball innings, including nine fours, came to an end when he gloved a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Michael Richardson when trying to pull Hastings.

Only a few more overs were possible before rain stopped play for the second and final time at 15:15 BST with Neil Dexter unbeaten on 23.

Durham pace bowler Graham Onions told BBC Newcastle:

"The ball came out nicely. The last couple of weeks I have come back to my old run-up and my own belief that I'm still good enough to do it.

"I slightly shortened my run-up and it just didn't work for me. I have scrapped that now and I've got a lot more drive through the crease, a lot more follow through and I've got a bit more pace on the ball.

"From a team's point of view we are in a healthy position. We put them under some pressure early on and it's important we follow that up tomorrow."