FOLLOWING MATTHEW FISHER

By Brian Sanderson,

Looking at the fixtures I wanted to visit Darlington to see the alterations to the ground now that planning permission has been given to the adject old football field.The match was Durham Under 17  against Yorkshire under 17  I assumed it would start at 11 o,clock as it was a fifty over match. Wrong again it started at 10.30 as the groundsman wanted the match finished early as there was another match to-night.

The old white wall of the football stand which acted as a sightscreen had been knocked down.In it,s place was a modern brick wall and you can just see the grass growing on the new housing plots.There was also a woodern fence on the left hand side of the pavilion were the grass mound was .

It made the ground look tidy and opened the vista towards the fields making the ground on three sides enclosed by trees.To me this makes a more pleasing sight than the new cricket stadiums I have visited this season.

The old enterence to the cricket ground has been closed and the pillars of the gate has been improved as it was falling down.Yesterday I was watching Yorkshire seconds play which included Matthew Fisher and he was opening the bowling today for the under 17.He was the youngest ever England U19  International  Cricketer aged 15 years and 260 days.There was no scorecards which made it impossible to know who the Durham batters were.However I was in luck the scoecard was on Cricket Live Scores.

So looking at the website Durham won the toss and batted.. The Durham captain and opening batsman was Adam James Hickey who was born in Darlington and has played first class cricket for Durham.This information was found in First -Class Counties Second Eleven Annual was is very essential reading material for a p.c.w.Adam to-day scored 36   out caught by Mo Hussain at slip of left arm spinner Logan.Logan bowled well for his 10 taking 2 wickets for 32 runs. Matthew bowled 10 overs for 27 runs but taking no wickets.Durham total after 50 overs was 221 for 7. The total we thought was about twenty runs short.

This is a new scoreboard helped built with some funds from the builders.There had been a shower of rain during the Durham innings and rain was expected about 4 o,clock.Yorkshire started off slowing scoring 36 runs off 16 overs when Mo Hussain was out.Rain duly came after 26 overs when Yorkshire had scored 73 for 1 and at this stage we left the match.Back at home I found out the match was reduced to 33 overs ,there fore needing 73 of 7 overs.This was achieved by Yorkshire with the loss of 7 wickets.

I am trying to watch a match in the Bradford League to-morrow subject to The Tour de France.