HAMPSHIRE ARE 160-5 (57 OVERS) AFTER WINNING THE TOSS

An e-mailed press release stated that Michael Lumb had been dropped on the eve of Hampshire's latest Championship match.

It was greeted with surprise, not least because the left hander was at last beginning to show the ability that persuaded Hampshire to sign him from Yorkshire during the off-season.

A phone call to Paul Terry, the Hampshire manager, confirmed that the 26-year-old had indeed retained his place.

"Lumby batted well in the last match at Arundel, why would I drop him after he got two fifties against Sussex?" asked a bemused Terry.

The erroneous team news bulletin looked even more wide of the mark when Lumb stroked his way to his highest score in 11 Championship innings for Hampshire, to rescue a bleak start.

Without Lumb's 70, a bad day for Hampshire would have been far worse, but they still slumped to 160-5 by the close, despite winning the toss.

A stop-start day saw England discard Liam Plunkett finish wicketless, while Michael Carberry and Michael Lumb were dismissed by a former Winchester bowler.

Two downpours accounted for 47 overs, and Michael Brown and John Crawley both departed for two-ball ducks against the impressive Graham Onions, when the conditions were at their most seam-friendly.

Brown survived one lbw shout after the first rain break, but was not so fortunate with another shout next ball, while Crawley lost his off stump to become Onions' second victim.

The records showed that Crawley's innings lasted 183 minutes for his two balls and that tells the story of a frustrating first half to the day.

Crawley was out prodding tentatively at the first ball of the first full over after the second interruption, but Michael Carberry and Lumb put on 82 runs for the third wicket in 27 overs to restore some calm to the Hampshire dressing room.

It is never easy to bat between the showers. Only two balls were possible before the first downpour and the two deliveries Crawley faced were sandwiched by a three-hour rain break that included an early lunch.

Shane Warne may have regretted his decision to bat first after winning the toss.

Stuart Clark would have relished the conditions early on, but Warne is a threat in any fourth innings, and that was surely his thinking.

Plunkett was too wayward to make maximum use of the new ball, vindicating the selectors' decision to leave him out of the England side for what would have been his first Test appearance at Chester-le-Street, his home ground.

Onions has already been touted for an England call up this season and showed why, but Paul Wiseman's off-spin was not expected to be as much of a threat at a damp Rose Bowl, where Shaun Udal was left out in favour of James Bruce.

Wiseman is better known around these parts for playing two seasons for Winchester in the Southern League and the 37-year-old Kiwi took two key wickets after Hampshire had reached tea at 71-2.

In Wiseman's third over, Carberry came down the track but played over the top of a good- length ball and effectively yorked himself in being bowled leg stump.

The recalled Chris Benham had batted impressively in taking the game to Durham's seamers, before he was dismissed by Ottis Gibson - and then Wiseman took the key wicket of Lumb.

Lumb's highest Championship score before yesterday was the 62 he scored in his last innings against Sussex at Arundel.

He reached his third fifty in successive innings with a square drive against Gibson before bringing up his Championship-best for Hampshire with a textbook cover drive against the 38-year-old seamer.

If Lumb (70 from 153 balls, ten fours) had still been there at the close, the day would have finished with hope still remaining of a competitive first-innings total.

However, he was trapped lbw after trying to whip Wiseman through mid-wicket and the former Winchester all-rounder finished with 2-12.

Nic Pothas was dropped on 0 after edging a Gibson delivery to Scott Styris at first slip but he and nightwatchman Chris Tremlett ensured Hampshire suffered no further loss in the final seven overs.

HAMPSHIRE (first innings)

CARBERRY b Wiseman 30

BROWN lbw Onions 0

CRAWLEY b Onions 0

LUMB lbw Wiseman 70

BENHAM c Di Venuto b Gibson 22

POTHAS 15*

TREMLETT 3*

EXTRAS (b 1, lb 10, w 1, nb 8) 20

TOTAL 160-5

Fall of wickets: 1-1 Brown, 2-1 Crawley, 3-83 Carberry, 4-137 Benham, 5-145 Lumb

To bat: Mascarenhas, Warne, Clark, Bruce

Durham bowling: Onions 14-4-41-2, Plunkett 14-6-38-0, Davies 8-0-16-0, Gibson 14-3-42-1, Wiseman 7-2-12-2

Durham: Davies, Smith, Muchall, Di Venuto, Wiseman, Styris, Gibson, Mustard, Onions, Benkenstein, Plunkett