Day 1: no play
Day 2: Harmison rewards Durham's backing
By Tim Wellock at Riverside
Second day of four: Gloucestershire 182-6 v Durham
IT WAS left to Mark Alleyne to try to justify his decision to bat after Durham's fast bowler Steve Harmison proved that the culture shock which impeded his progress had been consigned to the past.
Coming in after Harmison, 19, had taken the first four wickets, Alleyne made an assured 51 before being run out by Jon Lewis's direct hit from backward square leg.
Pakistan was probably not the best place to send a youngster from the Northumberland mining town of Ashington on an England Under-19 tour, and when Harmison suffered a back injury he needed no further excuse to make a sharp exit.
During his rehabilitation last year, he played only one second-team game for Durham, but they quietly awarded him a one-year contract just before the start of this season and already he has justified their faith.
After the first day's wash-out, the pitch offered some lateral movement and after a steady start Gloucestershire lost wickets in three successive Harmison overs.
The loss of Simon Brown and Melvyn Betts so early in the season could have been catastrophic for Durham, but their 6ft 3in newcomer kept going for 12 overs into a stiff breeze as his opening spell brought him four for 21.
Nick Trainor, hoping to impress against his native county, made a composed 20 before he edged low to David Boon at second slip. Rob Cunliffe's lavish drive induced another edge, Tim Hancock was lbw on the back foot and Bobby Dawson was bowled when playing to leg.
Day 3: Russell digs in to frustrate Durham
By Tim Wellock at Chester-le-Street
AS THE Riverside pitches approach a mellow maturity, the first requirement for Durham will be to avoid gaining fewer batting points than any other county for the third successive season.
The second, if they are finally to profit from their considerable outlay, is for Simon Brown and Melvyn Betts to stay fit.
As a left and right-arm new ball pair, who both swing the ball, they are capable of match-winning performances. Their absence, however, leaves Durham threadbare, as they showed in allowing Gloucestershire to recover from 78 for five to reach 287.
Following the first day's washout and the loss of 23 overs on the second, the pitch dried and patient batsmen had the chance to prosper under the sun which has blessed county cricket's northern outpost from teatime on Friday. The old Durham frailties remained, however, as three catches were carelessly offered as they slipped to 106 for six.
As so often in the past, Jack Russell proved the pillar around which Gloucestershire rebuilt their innings. Top of their championship averages last season with 999 runs at 47.57, his desire to stay in the selectorial notebooks will again be a bonus to his county in shoring up their flimsy batting.
After his disappointing tour of the West Indies, it will probably take more than an innings of 60 from 230 balls against a weakened Durham attack to tip the balance back in his favour in the England wicketkeeping debate.
It was an invaluable innings, however, full of the usual eccentricities which had some Durham fans wondering whether he was playing at the ball or not. Most of the time, of course, he was not, and when he did receive a good-length ball the walking forward defensive obdurately repelled the threat.
Russell shared stands of 59 with Mark Alleyne, 79 with Martyn Ball and 43 with Jon Lewis, whose unbeaten 44 was his highest first-class score.
It was Steve Harmison, 19, who finally had Russell lbw with a full-length ball to complete a richly deserved five-wicket haul in his third first-class match.
Harmison was the only Durham bowler who looked at all threatening yesterday, and they will be grateful that Betts has just about recovered from his hamstring strain and Brown is to make his comeback after a knee injury in the Second XI on Tuesday.
After twice dismissing Brian Lara last week, John Wood was visibly frustrated by Russell and wasted the new ball. Even Courtney Walsh, however, struggled to extract any life from the benign surface on his first visit to the ground.
Durham's early struggles against the left-arm swing of Mike Smith were partly self-inflicted with John Morris clipping to wide mid-on.
Nick Speak did something similar against Jon Lewis, and Martin Speight pulled an Alleyne long hop straight to long leg, leaving David Boon to provide another lesson in the accumulation of those elusive batting points.
Day 4: Alleyne is rewarded by Walsh
By Tim Wellock at Riverside
Gloucestershire (287 & 103-6 dec) bt Durham (143 & 201) by 46 runs
MARK ALLEYNE'S captaincy was impressive throughout this match and a finely-judged declaration, backed by six wickets from Courtney Walsh, carried Gloucestershire to victory with 3.1 overs to spare.
While Nick Speak was at the crease, Durham had a chance of reaching a target of 248 in 74 overs, but when he was eighth out for 74, the biggest obstacle to Gloucestershire was the weather.
Under darkening clouds, Walsh had to be removed and with 8.2 overs to take the final wicket, a shower robbed them of two overs. But Walsh returned to have Steve Harmison caught behind and finished with six for 42.
Alleyne's declaration looked generous, but he had seen Harmison and John Wood exploit the sap in the pitch to take six wickets in the day's first 13 overs and Walsh rewarded him with two wickets before lunch.
Speak produced a high-class innings for the second successive match and took Durham into the last 16 overs needing 76 with four wickets left but he was bowled off his pads by Martyn Ball.