The 19-year-old seamer's first senior appearance had a shadow hanging over it, and that shadow is Matthew Hoggard.

Hoggard was in England's 12-man squad for today's first Test but was left out of the XI. Under ECB regulations, he can go back to his county, mid-match, and take the place of a nominated player. Sanderson is that nominated player.

Even though Hoggard will not depart Lord's until this morning, he will be available in Chester-le-Street to displace the Sheffield-born youngster this evening or tomorrow. So if Yorkshire had batted first and batted solidly, Sanderson might have played no active part in proceedings.

Instead, with Durham batting, he got to bowl 12 overs, in which he showed plenty of promise. His stock delivery swung into the left-handers, and he was able to jag the odd one sharply away off the seam.

Coming on in the 12th over, he began with a maiden. His tidy first spell of seven overs cost him just 21 runs and he beat the bat on a couple of occasions.

In his second two-over spell, he was a bit more expensive and in his third, he started to lose his length. He is certainly not quick enough to drop short, as he discovered when Michael di Venuto, 184 not out at the close, pulled and cut him away to the boundary.

Mind you, when di Venuto is in this imperious mood, Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee are not quick enough to drop short to him. Sanderson then overcompensated and overpitched. He was punished to the tune of three fours in one over. To his credit, he recovered with a maiden in his next and final over.

It was an encouraging debut, although Yorkshire will certainly be pleased to have Hoggard in their attack for the second innings.

"I thought Ben did really well, especially in his first spell," said director of cricket Martyn Moxon, who generally felt that his side had not bowled well enough at di Venuto. "He's strong mentally. He's broken the ice now and he will be better for that."

The visitors did not make particularly good use of the new ball. The first delivery of the innings, from Gough, snorted past di Venuto's outside edge but thereafter, he and Michael Stoneman encountered too few problems, given the degree to which the ball was swinging.

There were a couple of low edges, but no real chances. Deon Kruis was bending the ball extravagantly into the two left-handers but sent too much down the leg-side.

Durham had reached 96 in the 26th over when Stoneman played back to Tim Bresnan and edged to third slip. Kyle Coetzer then spent 36 balls either side of lunch getting off the mark before nicking a full ball from Bresnan.

By that stage, di Venuto had passed 50, and he was growing in authority, although he did survive the sharpest of chances to Adam Lyth at backward point. The Tasmanian was unperturbed at the loss of Neil McKenzie, caught behind off Gough with the score on 141. Supported by Dale Benkenstein, di Venuto began to dominate, pulling savagely. Having reached his 100, off 153 balls, he scored at a run-a-ball until tea, by which time he was on 140.

The pair had put on 98 and were taking the game away from Yorkshire when Anthony McGrath induced Benkenstein to pull a long-hop to midwicket, straight after the break.

Four overs later, Phil Mustard wafted at a wide one and was caught behind. Durham were 247-5. Ben Harmison survived a going-over from the luckless Adil Rashid but perished pulling at Bresnan with the score on 292.

Di Venuto, though, was immovable and he and Paul Wiseman took their side to 337-6 at the close. Yorkshire have limited the damage with their three wickets in the final session but they are on the back foot.


Durham v Yorkshire

Riverside: Durham Won Toss

Durham First Innings

M J Di Venuto not out 184

M D Stoneman c Sayers b Bresnan 27

K J Coetzer c McGrath b Bresnan 2

N D McKenzie c Brophy b Gough 5

D M Benkenstein c A U Rashid b McGrath 29

P Mustard c Brophy b McGrath 6

B W Harmison c Brophy b Bresnan 21

P J Wiseman not out 21

Extras lb22 w2 nb18 42

Total 6 wkts (96 overs) 337

Fall: 1-96 2-118 3-141 4-239 5-247 6-292

To Bat: G Onions, M Davies, S J Harmison.

Bowling: Gough 13 1 56 1; Kruis 23 5 85 0; Sanderson 12 4 53 0; Bresnan 19 4 51 3; A U Rashid 18 4 42 0; McGrath 11 3 28 2.