Ian Blackwell chose the first day of the County Championship match at the Riverside to show Somerset what they have been missing.

The popular all-rounder left Taunton in the winter and has not looked back. He entered the Durham attack with the visitors building nicely at 141-3 and with the first ball of his ninth over, Somerset CCC were 174 all out.

In reply, Durham closed on 110-3. Blackwell took his wickets without extracting much turn from the surface and this is certainly no terror track, as ECB pitch liaison officer Tony Pigott confirmed.

It was a lame collapse – all 10 wickets fell for 85 runs – from a Somerset side who, despite protestation to the contrary, clearly do not believe they can win the championship.

Victory here and a draw or defeat for Nottinghamshire against Yorkshire at the weekend will see Durham retain the title pennant.

Blackwell claimed figures of five for seven, with his wickets arriving in 39 balls.

The former Derbyshire man has been energised by the winter arrival of twin girls and a fresh start.

He has taken 39 wickets at the hugely impressive average of 18.74 runs apiece.

Blackwell has also scored 855 runs at 50.29 and will no doubt relish his chance to give Durham a handy lead today.

Should Somerset have tried harder to keep Blackwell this time last year? Maybe. His departure was already on the cards and no one can blame him for taking the chance to join the 2008 champions.

Somerset could have been in worse straits had Marcus Trescothick been caught at third slip off the first ball of the match.

Graham Onions got his man 21 overs later when the left-hander drove loosely and was taken in the gully for 31.

Arul Suppiah played beautifully, stroking nine fours in his 53, but he went an over later, caught behind off Liam Plunkett.

Langer was struck twice in the lower abdomen before Onions swung one through his defences and scattered his stumps for 12.

Blackwell got one to bounce to James Hildreth (27), who was taken in the gully before Plunkett had Craig Kieswetter and Pete Trego – nought and four respectively – taken in almost identical fashion.

Zander de Bruyn was leg before wicket to a non-turning ball from Blackwell for 16 and Ben Phillips went in similar style from the next delivery.

A modicum of turn from Blackwell saw Alfonso Thomas caught at first slip and it was all over when Charl Willoughby was bowled by another delivery that did not spin.

Willoughby claimed Di Venuto (22) and Will Smith (0) in successive balls in the fifth over of the reply.

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