My recent visit to Darlington for the Durham second team game (covered elswhere on the blog) whetted my appetite for cricket in the north east again. Especially the marvellous food on offer. First a couple of pictures from outside the Darlington ground with the arrow on the first pointing in the direction of the parked car with an unusual message!
Yesterday was a case of three for the price of one. The fixture calender provided a clash which I was able take advantage of for once. I set off early to visit the ground of South Northumberland at Gosforth, just north of Newcastle where Northumberland county club were playing Cumberland on the third day of a Minor Counties game.
South Northumberland CC Gosforth
Cumberland were in a strong position overnight and despite their overnight batsman, Johnathan Miles not adding to his score of 93, the tailenders increased the overall lead to 400 before they declared at noon after an hour's batting. During this time I caught up with Eric Carter, the Cumberland treasurer, and Mike Latham, editor of their excellent yearbook.
They were able to bring me up to date with the happenings on and off the field at Cumberland, and together with some of the Northumberland committee men compared notes on the difficult of raising a team of amateur players for three day cricket. The problems of young men on the loose at night while staying in hotels were also discussed.
Northumberland set off at a good pace in the daunting run chase and were 50 for no wicket in no time. However just before lunch I set off, despite my friends trying to persuade me to stay, through Newcastle City centre over the Tyne Bridge and within half an hour arrived at Durham's Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street.
This was day three of a county championship match which had progressed very quickly and Durham were trying to bowl Somerset out in their second innings to complete another win and go back to the top of the table. Here I was able to meet up with our Hartlepool correspondent, Mike Taylerson, and the inevitable Darlo Eddie.
They too were able to bring me up to date on what had happened so far, including the important dismissal of Marcus Trescothick just before lunch.
In the afternoon session, wickets fell at fairly regular intervals and the Durham faithful were keenly anticipating victory. Somerset needed 279 to win but never really looked likely to get near. Onions had started the rot early this morning with two quick wickets and despite 35 from Trescothick and the same score from Trego the others fell pretty quickly. The star bowler of the afternoon session was young Coughlin who had earlier in the game helped rescue Durham with a valuable 54.
His bowling figures were outstanding with 10-6-10-4 and only a late straight drive for four put a slight dent in them. This unheralded youngster has made several valuable contributions recently and fully deserves his place in the team. John Hastings, the Australian, again made a very important impact with the bat in the second innings is 79 off only 81 balls really turning the game Durham's way.
So just after three thirty the happy Durham supporters were on their way home with their team back on top of the league. I was off to my third game of the day at the Racecourse ground in Durham where the university were entertaining Leeds/Bradford in the last two day game of the season. A first innings win would be enough to send Leeds through to the final at Lords. However when I arrived just before the tea interval they were making hard work of bowling Durham out.
Racecourse ground, Durham City
In marvellous evening sunshine with only a handful of spectators, they managed to bowl them out for 279 just on the close of play, with good work from the spinners Scott and Ellis-Grewell with four and three wickets respectively. No time for Leeds to bat tonight, but 280 runs tomorrow would take them through to Lord's.
This they duly achieved so on Tuesday 23rd I will be there to report on the final against Cardiff. May the best team win.
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