'Build it and they will come' unless it is against an inexperienced Sri Lankan side in May and just eight days after a test at Headingley and the genius who came up with the piece of scheduling knew nothing of meterology, geography and the depths of people's pockets.A condition attached to the granting of first class status to Durham 25 years ago was that they should construct a ground fit for international cricket and in 2003 Riverside became England's first new test venue for 101 years when Zimbabwe were the visitors. Wisden drew attention to modest crowds on the first and second days but linked that to the quality of the opposition and since then England have paid five further tests at the ground, although they had to wait until 2013 before Australia dropped in, only one of which has been played in the school holidays.
Set this against the ECB's bidding system, since dropped, which encouraged counties to overreach themselves, an increasing number of grounds competing to host tests and the difficulty of establishing a tradition of attendance when only six tests are played in a fourteen year period, mostly against the less attractive opposition in a town where only one north bound train stops between 10:03 and 14:03, fewer than was the case in 2003.
That was the hand Durham were dealt in 1992 and perhaps they have not played it well but the woes arising from the staging of tests and other internationals have brought my native county to its knees culminating in this week's devastating news that they will start next season in Division Two, when despite playing the recent season without an overseas player they finished 45 points above Hampshire who are thus reprieved, and furthermore Durham will start next year on minus 48. A clear message from the ECB here that Durham are not fit to be in the top flight and will not be so for some time to come. Of course I have an axe to grind here, I was born a couple of miles north of the River Tees and have been a Durham member since 1992, but I do not know of any of the major cricket writers, the title of my posting is from the Daily Telegraph's Scyld Berry, who do not think Durham's punishement harsh in the extreme. Points deduction for next season or simple relegation, either of these I could just about take but both? No sir.
One understands there is no right of appeal and nobody from the ECB will be required to justify the butchery of the hopes of county which in its short existence has produced several England test players and whose policy of dependence on mainly home produced players has won three championships in the last nine years. A sad week for Durham and for domestic cricket.
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