WORCESTERSHIRE did not need any reminders just how tough this season was going to be but that didn’t stop Durham giving them one anyway.

Resuming the day of 360-4, the 2009 LV= County Championship winners were in no mood to allow the New Road side any leniency.

While Ian Blackwell fell in the second over of the morning off the bowling of Damien Wright, Durham drilled home their supremacy against a team who seemed resigned to their sixth defeat of the campaign.

The County attack, valiantly led by veterans Alan Richardson and Damien Wright, lacked support and heads were dropping in the field.

But this was the first time this season that Worcestershire looked resigned to their fate and while the dismissal of Gordon Muchall for 175, bowled Richard Jones caught Vikram Solanki, brought a little cheer, the wicket of Durham captain Phil Mustard for 101 barely received a ripple of applause.

Of course, by then the visitors had already amassed 562 and they eventually declared on 587-7 with nine overs remaining before the tea interval and Worcestershire were requiring their best batting display since the end of May 2010 just to avoid the follow-on.

With 438 needed to make the visitors bat again, the County were up against it before they stepped out to bat.

And with gutsy opener and captain Daryl Mitchell out injured, the inexperienced pairing of Matt Pardoe and James Cameron had to get Worcestershire off to good start. They almost reached the tea interval unscathed, but Steve Harmison, the former England pace ace, soon changed that.

Pardoe fell in the seventh over for 11 when flicking the towering quick to substitute fielder Ben Raine at deep leg slip, before Harmison found some extra bounce to hit the shoulder of Cameron’s bat to hand Callum Thorp a simple catch at gully to dismiss the Zimbabwean for 18.

With the New Road side needing their senior pros to dig in, Solanki fell for just 10 as he was well beaten by Ruel Braitwaite, while Alexei Kervezee saw a cutting drive well caught by Raine off Ben Stokes for one to leave Worcestershire 50-4.

Moeen Ali gave the County some resistance but fell late on, flicking Harmison down the leg-side to Mustard for 46.

Worcestershire reached stumps at 105-5, still trailing by 482 runs and requiring another 333 to avoid the follow with new signing Adrian Shankar unbeaten on 10 and Gareth Andrew six not out.