DURHAM batted their way into the box-seat on day two of their LV County Championship Division One match with Worcestershire at New Road.

When the fixture list came out, Steve Rhodes could not have hoped for a better introduction to his side's top-flight campaign than a home tie with one of the relegation favourites.

However, the game is certainly not shaping up how the County's director of cricket may have imagined with Durham holding the upper hand for the majority of the match so far.

Beginning the second day on 110-5 and in need of a substantial partnership between the overnight batsmen, Graeme Hick and Steven Davies, to close the gap on Durham's first innings 313 all out, the opening session started brightly.

The visiting side's bowling spearhead of Graham Onions and England ace Steve Harmison struggled to find their radar in the early overs, allowing Hick and Davies to help themselves to five boundaries in the opening eight balls of the day.

However, as quickly as the partnership had sprung into life, it was soon over when Davies played an Onions delivery onto his stumps having made 14.

This precipitated a middle-order batting collapse as the hosts wilted from 131-5 to 135-8 as Harmison removed Hick and Roger Sillence in consecutive balls.

The former England batsman skied an attempted hook to Onions at long leg, before all-rounder Sillence was trapped leg before on the back foot first ball.

Successive partnerships of 29 between Gareth Batty and Doug Bollinger, then Bollinger and Nadeem Malik took Worcestershire beyond the follow-on target.

However, when last man out Bollinger hung his bat out to dry and nicked Onions to wicketkeeper Phil Mustard, the hosts were facing a 122-run first innings defecit.

Opener Michael Di Venuto, who carried his bat for an unbeaten 155 on day one, continued in the same attacking vein and looked well set for his second century of the match until Batty beat his attempted sweep shot to dismiss him leg-before for 83.

Two balls later, the County vice-captain accounted for Ben Harmison lbw when the batsmen gave away his wicket offering no shot for the second time in the game.

Great fielding by Vikram Solanki removed Gordon Muchall for 29, courtesy of a direct hit throw from mid-on, but skipper Dale Benkenstein and Mustard put on 71 for the fifth wicket.

Sillence broke the partnership when he tempted Mustard into a drive straight to Kabir Ali's safe hands at mid-on.

Benkenstein went on to make a fine 61 not out, while Gareth Breese was undefeated on 37 as Durham ended the day a commanding 413 runs ahead of their hosts.