It will be like starting all over again for Durham and Worcestershire at Chester-le-Street on Thursday with only one run separating the sides after the first innings of this 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 that 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 six for 63 on the first day, Kabir Ali harnessed the humid conditions impressively to finish with six for 68.

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

After being one for three 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 first five overs after the break before cutting loose.

He took three fours off one Kabir over, two driven and the third off a top-edged hook over the slips, then a lofted straight drive off Mason also sped to the rope.

When Mason made way for Whelan a leg glance gave Mustard his eighth four and took him to 50 off 82 balls.

He received good support from all the tail, putting on 46 with Plunkett, 35 with Callum Thorp, 31 with Mitch Claydon and 23 with Davies.

Earlier Durham lost three wickets for three runs after Dale Benkenstein and Kyle Coetzer extended their stand to 55.

They did not score a run off the day's first four overs then Coetzer's first scoring shot flew at waist height just wide of the slips.

Benkenstein also edged a four off Kabir before nicking a perfectly-pitched ball to the wicketkeeper to depart for 25.

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

Kabir had been swinging the ball away, but moved one the other way to take out Coetzer's off stump with the Scot on 30.

Whelan bowled three overs for 20 runs before Mason returned and had Plunkett caught at third slip for 29, and after lunch Kabir had Thorp lbw for 17 and Claydon caught behind.