With seventeen wickets falling on the first day, perhaps the weather prospects for the remainder of this match will be inconsequential. At tea yesterday, Surrey, who have struggled to make their mark on this year's championship, must have been delighted at dismissing Durham for 232; especially as the home side had been 181-3 at one stage. By stumps, however, the Brown Caps had surrendered the initiative - a fact underlined when Mark Ramprakash perished to the final ball of proceedings. When play resumes this morning, the visitors will start 71 runs in arrears with just the tail to come.

For the first time in this summer's championship Surrey fielded an unchanged side. Another constant was Mark Butcher's luck at the toss. The Brown Caps have now won only three out of twelve. Perhaps they should let Chris Jordan do the calling. The first two Durham casualties came when Mark Stoneman clipped Nicholson to the 18-year-old, who had been posted at square leg. It was then a case of Jordan, the bowler, accounting for Kyle Coetzer, who elected to shoulder arms.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul then shared in two partnerships of note. The first, in alliance with Michael Di Venuto, amounted to 78 before the Tasmanian was lbw to one that Harbhajan Singh pushed on with the arm in the second over after lunch. The fourth wicket harvested 52 before Dale Benkenstein, who took three fours off one over from Harbhajan, became Stewart Walters's first scalp of the summer in the 44th over.

Butcher's inspired bowling change was just the encouragement Surrey needed to establish a foothold in the game. Phil Mustard, driving uppishly, was caught at cover, Ben Harmison flashed at Jordan, Ottis Gibson departed to a brilliant one-handed effort by Jonathan Batty off the bowling of Jimmy Ormond and Chanderpaul was caught behind driving at a ball angled across him. Paul Wiseman then became Harbhajan's 500th victim in first-class cricket and Steve Harmison went three balls later.

In reply, Batty handed the Brown Caps a positive start by taking twelve off one over from Steve Harmison, but then the Surrey wicketkeeper was accounted for by an even better catch by Mustard than the one Batty had taken earlier to dispose of Gibson. With Scott Newman failing to get back after Ramprakash declined a run to backward square leg, Butcher nibbling at a short ball, Walters playing half forward to a full length ball from Gibson and Alistair Brown being beaten for pace, the visitors found themselves 42-5.

James Benning's arrival resulted in an entertaining half-hour passage of play. The 24-year-old struck seven fours on his way to 36 in just 22 deliveries as attack was employed as the best form of defence and 67 was realised for Surrey's sixth wicket. But with Benning and Ramprakash both going in the closing overs - Benning driving indeterminately at Wiseman's first ball and being caught low down at slip and Ramprakash driving at a ball that got big on him - the first day honours belonged to Durham.

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