IT will be like starting all over again for Durham and Worcestershire at Chester-le-Street tomorrow with only one run separating the sides after the first innings of their LV County Championship Division One clash.

Phil Mustard’s unbeaten 63 allowed Durham to sneak ahead but, after one ball of Worcestershire’s second innings, the umpires decided to go off at 3pm with the light deteriorating as a storm passed by.

With the rain holding off, it was later announced they had gone off because the lightning raised concerns for the players’ safety.

Two hours elapsed before serious rain did arrive, ending prospects of a resumption.

Following Liam Plunkett’s 6-63 on the first day, Kabir Ali harnessed the humid conditions impressively to finish with 6-68.

Matt Mason also swung the ball but Ashley Noffke and Chris Whelan were more inclined to bang it in short and the only wicket they took came when the latter forced last man Mark Davies to play on.

After being 1-3 the previous evening, Durham suffered a second collapse in the morning before Mustard dug in.

He had faced 50 balls for 17 at lunch and added only six in the next five overs before cutting loose.

He took three fours off one Kabir over and a leg glance off Whelan gave Mustard his eighth four and took him to 50 off 82 balls as he received good support from the tail.

But earlier Durham lost three wickets for three runs after Dale Benkenstein (25) and Kyle Coetzer (30) extended their stand to 55.

Benkenstein nicked a perfectly-pitched ball from Kabir to wicketkeeper Josh Knappett and departed.

Ian Blackwell fell for one when Mason brought one sharply back into the left-hander to hit off stump.

Kabir had been swinging the ball away but moved one the other way to take out Coetzer’s off stump.

Mason had Plunkett (29) caught at third slip and after lunch Kabir had Thorp lbw for 17 and Claydon caught behind.