Middlesex and Durham evenly poised after day one

Sam Robson has scored 332 runs in six Division Two innings this season [Getty Images]

Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, Lord's (day one)

Middlesex 272-6: Robson 87, Holden 65, Higgins 57*; Raine 3-39

Durham: Yet to bat

Middlesex 1pt, Durham 2pts

Match scorecard

Sam Robson's century partnership with Max Holden put Middlesex in a promising position before Durham struck back on a gritty, evenly balanced opening day at Lord's.

Robson, who scored a fluent 87 to back up his hundred in the Seaxes' last County Championship game against Northamptonshire, shared a stand of 102 with the tenacious Holden (65) to guide their side to 136-1.

Durham were hampered by a hamstring injury to opening bowler Kemar Roach, who limped off early in the afternoon, with Luke Robinson drafted in to make his first-class debut as the West Indies quick's replacement.

But it was Ben Raine who seized the baton, bowling accurately and consistently to pick up 3-39 – including two wickets in an over – and stifle Middlesex's progress before Ryan Higgins' unbeaten 57 enabled them to close on 272-6.

There were a couple of close calls early on for Robson after Leus du Plooy called correctly at the toss and unsurprisingly opted to bat in the sunshine.

Roach, returning to the Durham side after injury kept him out of last week's victory over Lancashire, brought one back up the slope that took the edge of the opener's bat – only for wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson to fumble the chance.

Robson also survived a strong lbw shout by Matthew Potts but gradually settled into his stride with two well-timed straight drives off Roach and Middlesex built steadily without ever really dominating the bowlers.

Raine claimed Durham's solitary success of the morning, his fourth ball doing just enough to induce a thin edge from Josh de Caires and extend the batter's run of modest scores – he is yet to reach 20 in six innings so far this season.