COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP, DIVISION ONE, Riverside:
Worcestershire 193, Durham 40-3. Durham 3pts, Worcs 1pt
30 June-3 July 2009 (1100-1800 BST)

Liam Plunkett was only playing due to Durham's two England Lions calls

Liam Plunkett's career-best 6-63 helped leaders Durham take command on the first day of their County Championship clash with bottom side Worcestershire.

But, after being bowled out for 193, in which Ashley Noffke top scored with 50, Worcestershire did rally late on.

In heavy, swinging conditions, Kabir Ali clean bowled Michael di Venuto and Will Smith in successive balls before Durham had got a run on the board.

But the home side recovered from 1-3 to finish on 40-3 at the close.

And, for all the late efforts from Kabir and Mason, who made Gordon Muchall the third Durham batsman to bag a duck when he had him caught behind, the day belonged to Plunkett.

He had missed the three successive wins which took champions to the top through a groin injury. But, with Graham Onions and Steve Harmison absent on England Lions duty, he and Mark Davies, in his first appearance of the season after an ankle operation, got the opportunity to return.

In fact, it was the visitors who were most weakened by the England Lions calls, having been deprived of three of their top six - skipper Vikram Solanki, Stephen Moore and Steven Davies.

Durham's six-wicket hero Liam Plunkett told BBC Newcastle:

"I was proud to pick up six wickets. It's six weeks since I played and I'm over the moon

"I was a little worried about my groin but to come through 24 overs after bowling a few in the Twenty20 means there's nothing to worry about now.

"When we batted, we weren't expecting to get 400 for none. Kabir gets wickets for fun and we expected a tough fight so there's no surprises there."

Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes told BBC Hereford and Worcester:

"To lose wickets right at the very end when we were short of a batting point was disappointing.

"The positive for us was the way we bounced back in good fashion with the bowlers with two great wickets for Kabir Ali and one terrific delivery from Matt Mason.

"Hopefully if the conditions are good tomorrow it will swing and it might nip around a little bit and we'll try and get some sort of a lead."

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