Mustard and Coughlin give Durham edge.

An unbeaten ninth-wicket partnership worth 126 runs between Paul Coughlin (71) and Phil Mustard (69) gave Durham the edge on the first day of their match against Lancashire as they closed on 310-8.

Kyle Hogg claimed 5-62 as the hosts slipped to 123-6 in the afternoon session after they had been inserted in overcast conditions, but the final session of the first day put Durham in control of the match.

Lancashire’s decision to bowl first was not initially vindicated due to the brisk start made by Mark Stoneman and Keaton Jennings, who made 55 for the first wicket.

A number of early lbw appeals were turned down and the Durham openers made a promising start as they found the boundary with ease. Australian overseas signing, Usman Khawaja was called into action early on in his Lancashire debut when he took a catch at gully off Hogg to remove Jennings for 23.

The visitors enjoyed further success by claiming two more wickets for five runs by removing Scott Borthwick (6) with the score at 81-2 and then Stoneman for 51 after he had brought up his half-century in 59 balls.

At 89-3 Lancashire would have fancied their chances and a further three wickets for 37 runs consolidated their strong start to the match. Hogg was relieved to see one of his lbw shouts finally given out to remove Mark Richardson (16) and the Lancashire paceman dealt another blow by dismissing Durham captain, Paul Collingwood (1), as Khawaja was once again on hand to take the catch.

Ben Stokes (21) was unable to prove the England selectors wrong as he became the sixth wicket to fall when he was cleaned up by Kabir Ali (1-66) but a 57-run stand between Gordon Muchall (35) and Mustard steadied the innings before tea.

Shortly after the interval, Hogg continued his onslaught by removing Muchall with the score at 180-7 and the removal of John Hastings (0) four runs later suggested that Lancashire were heading for a successful first day.

But this was not to be the case as Mustard initially led a rearguard defense with young Coughlin soon finding confidence at the crease. The latter did experience some fortune, as the Lancashire bowlers found the edge of the bat on several occasions, but the 21-year-old also played a number of textbook strokes alongside the more experienced Mustard.

Having batted for much more time, Mustard was the first to reach his fifty in 126 balls and the evening session continued to be an enjoyable one for the home crowd as Coughling made his maiden first-class fifty in 90 deliveries, also bringing up the hundred partnership for the ninth wicket as Durham closed in the ascendancy.