WEST Indies Test batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul used all his experience and skill to compile an unbeaten 117 as LV County Championship Division One leaders Durham built a first innings lead of 98 against Somerset yesterday at Chester-le-Street.

Needing to win to have any chance of maintaining a title challenge, the visitors reached 41 for no wicket in their second innings before bad light, then rain, ended play.

Only Liam Plunkett with 32 and Dale Benkenstein (30) offered any support to Chanderpaul when he resumed on 49 with the score on 110 for three.

Durham had slipped from 161 for three to 166 for six and were still eight runs adrift, but Plunkett played some fine back-foot shots through the off side as he contributed 32 to a stand of 69.

Chanderpaul added only 27 runs in the morning, but when Arul Suppiah’s left-arm spin was introduced he lofted a four wide of long-on to move into the 90s and wasted no time in moving on to his century.

On 97 he was beaten by Peter Trego, but two balls later he drove his 12th four through the covers to complete his century off 193 balls.

Bad light rather than saturated run-ups was the only concern at Old Trafford on, as 56.1 overs were bowled in the first two sessions of Lancashire’s match with Sussex.

After the uproar over Tuesday’s abandoned Twenty20 international between England and Australia, it will come as cold comfort that the LV County Championship Division One fixture was able to go ahead.

Some time was lost in murky conditions on day one but the hosts were able to move to 131 for five at the interval.

Veteran batsman Mal Loye made 58 before falling to the miserly Ollie Rayner, while Dwayne Smith picked up two wickets for the visitors.

Rain ensured a truncated day’s play across the country in LV County Championship Division Two.

Surrey reached 96 for one against Gloucestershire before bad light and rain prevented any action after lunch on the first day of the match at Bristol.

Home captain Alex Gidman won the toss, but Surrey got off to a good start thanks to a partnership of 70 from openers Michael Brown and Jonathan Batty. After Brown fell lbw to James Franklin for 37, Championship debutant Arun Harinath (18 not out) and Batty (39 not out) batted with few alarms until the premature close.

Elsewhere, just 13.3 overs were possible at Grace Road in the match between Leicestershire and Glamorgan,

The hosts reached 32 for one in that time, Matt Boyce managing only a fourth-ball duck before bad weather struck.

At Derby, former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones hit a dashing century, with 12 fours and a six, as Kent moved to 232 for five before they too were forced from the field.

Steffan Jones returned three for 29 as the pick of the bowlers.

Overs were also lost at Northampton, where the hosts Northamptonshire left Middlesex 189 for five after 48 overs.

John Simpson (45no) and Dawid Malan (39) held together the visitors’ innings after two early breakthroughs for Johan van der Wath left them on 21 for two.(Eurosport).