GRAHAM Onions gave Durham exactly the start they wanted this morning with three early wickets, then Chris Rushworth returned for a second spell and took three more.

Somerset’s line-up of attacking stroke-players clearly missed Nick Compton as they staggered to lunch on 92 for six in reply to 250.

Five of the victims fell to slip catches, with skipper Paul Collingwood and Scott Borthwick wrapping their cold hands round two each.

Onions removed Marcus Trescothick for six in the fifth over, when the left-hander got a nick on to his pad and the ball flew low to Ben Stokes at third slip.

Two overs later Arul Suppiah edged another low one to Collingwood at first slip to make it 13 for two, then Craig Kieswetter looked very fortunate to survive a Rushworth lbw appeal on four.

The wicketkeeper put on 26 with James Hildreth, who, with the help of an edge over the slips, hit three fours in an over off Rushworth.

He made 18 before he stayed on his crease to defend an Onions in-swinger and edged it to Borthwick.

Callum Thorp replaced Onions after a spell of three for 25 in nine overs, and although Thorp gave nothing away he didn’t carry the same threat.

Jos Buttler had made seven when he edged Ben Stokes through the slips for four then pulled the next ball for six as he revived Somerset in a stand of 42 with Kieswetter.

But Rushworth returned with a vengeance, first persuading Kieswetter to edge a drive to Collingwood, who held the sharp chance at waist height to his right.

Then Alex Barrow departed for two when his defensive technique was found wanting by a ball which nipped back slightly to take out the off stump.

When Peter Trego felt for the next ball, just outside off stump, and edged it to Borthwick three wickets had gone down for six runs. Buttler was still there on 22 at lunch.