Durham County Cricket Club
Encyclopedia
Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county
clubs which make up the English
and Welsh
national cricket
structure, representing the historic county of Durham
. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was Northern Rock
until its nationalisation in 2008. Durham is now sponsored by several companies, including Emirates.
The club is based at the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground in Chester-le-Street
.
Granted first-class status in 1991, Durham is English cricket's newest first-class county. The County Ground at the Riverside is also one of the newest additions to the English Test match
circuit, hosting its first match – England
v Zimbabwe
in the second Test – from 5 June to 7 June 2003.
Durham CCC is playing in Division One of the LV County Championship
, Group C of the ECB 40 League and in the North Group of the Twenty20 Cup
in 2010.
Durham won the County Championship
in 2008 for the first time, and retained the trophy in the 2009 season.
As it happens, there was a return game soon afterwards at Stanwick, near Richmond, and that is the earliest reference to cricket in Yorkshire
.
The first recorded match of representative cricket in the county took place in 1848 at Sunderland, between an All England XII and a Bishopwearmouth 22. Despite their extra numbers the cricketers of Bishopwearmouth were comprehensively outplayed as All England's scores of 129 and 143 dwarfed their own 56 and 59.
The first team to carry the name of 'Durham County' played an MCC
team in 1876 and went on to take on the touring Australians
in 1878, winning by 71 runs, and again in 1880, losing by an innings and 38, with the great Fred Spofforth
taking 17 wickets for 66.
s at the Ashbrooke Ground, Sunderland. The club established an enviable record as a minor county: becoming the first minor county to beat a first-class county in the Gillette Cup; winning the Minor Counties Championship a record-equalling seven times between 1901 and 1984; and putting together a record of 65 matches without defeat between 1976 and 1982 that remains unbroken to the present day.
Early in 1989, the Club began the process of applying to become a first-class cricketing county and join the County Championship
. First-class status was awarded on 6 December 1991, with Durham becoming the first new first-class county for 70 years. Their first season in the County Championship was the 1992 season.
For over a decade after gaining their status, Durham were not distinguished by marked success as a first-class county. In the 2004 season they finished bottom of the two-division County Championship, sixth out of ten teams in the one-day
National Cricket League and fifth out of six teams in the Northern Division of the Twenty20 Cup
.
However in 2005 under the captaincy of Australian Mike Hussey Durham finished second and achieved promotion in both the County Championship
and the one-day
National Cricket League. Hussey was prevented from returning to the Riverside in 2006 as he is contracted to the Australian international team; and with vice-captain Paul Collingwood
away on English international team duty Dale Benkenstein was captain for 2006.
Durham had mixed success in the 2006 season, finishing second in the North Division of the C&G Trophy
. However, Durham were poor in the Twenty20 cup, finishing last in the North Division and only managing 2 victories, both against Lancashire. The Pro40 campaign started fairly well, with Durham taking 4 points from the first 4 games with a win, a loss, a tie and a no result. However, several defeats left them needing a win against the champions elect, Essex, in the final game of the season. They managed the victory, but other results did not go their way and they ended up being relegated in 8th place. The Championship season also began with success, but mediocre results in the middle of the season left Durham hanging above the relegation zone by just half a point going into the last game of the season. Durham needed more points than their rivals Yorkshire, but looked in trouble when Darren Lehmann
hit a career-best 339 in the first innings. Achieving just one bowling bonus point meant that Durham needed to score 400 without losing more than 5 wickets and then draw the game.
However, one other team could also be relegated. Nottinghamshire needed just 3 points to avoid the drop at the start of the matches, but only managed 1 point as they were soundly beaten by Sussex. This meant that Durham needed only to score 400 (for maximum batting points) and force a draw. At 191–6 this looked unlikely. But a record-breaking stand of 315 between Benkenstein and Ottis Gibson
made it possible. Gibson was out for 155, the highest first-class score in his career. Durham then collapsed again to 518 all out, needing work to be done in the second innings. This was provided by Garry Park
, who hit a maiden first-class century (100*) as Durham played out a draw, leaving themselves and Yorkshire in the first division.
In recent times, Durham has seen a number of their top players make an impact on the England side. Collingwood (who is the first Durham CCC player to hit a Test century and double century), Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett have all established themselves in the national squad with Phil Mustard also representing England in the one day format. The recent addition of Graham Onions to the test side for the home series against the West Indies in 2009 may be a sign that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future and is an indication of Durham's admirable youth system.
For the 2011 season, Durham County Cricket Club wished to return to a more traditional arrangement and have insisted on a smart dress code including jackets for gentlemen at all games.
in a game which started on 18 finishing a day later due to rain. The toss between Dale Benkenstein
and Shane Warne
was won by the latter who sent Durham into bat. Fellow Aussie Michael Di Venuto
and wicket-keeper
Phil Mustard opened the batting. Mustard looked strong from ball 1 but Di Venuto was a little shaky and was dismissed by Hampshire's West Indies international Daren Powell
and caught by Michael Carberry
. Ex-Scotland u-19 captain Kyle Coetzer
and Shiv Chanderpaul
made significant contributions (61 and 78 respectively), the latter being run-out. Captain Benkenstein made a quickfire 61 off 43 deliveries. Durham finished their innings on 312–5.
Michael Lumb
and ex-captain John Crawley
opened for the Hawks, the latter departing for a golden duck, caught at second slip by Di Venuto. Zimbabwe
an Sean Ervine
was next in, immediately edging to second slip in identical fashion leaving Ottis Gibson
on a hat-trick
. Kevin Pietersen
survived that ball, but was soon back in the pavilion with 12. John Crawley
managed a resilient 68 but was bowled by Paul Collingwood
who was to finish with 3–33. The rain came down and play was delayed until the following day.
With the fall of Nic Pothas
(47) and Dimitri Mascarenhas
(12) the tail was exposed and was quickly disposed of with Hampshire finishing on 187, handing Durham a historic win. Veteran Ottis Gibson
was named man of the match for his spell of 3–24 at the start of the Hampshire innings, which included wickets with his first two deliveries.
The club's acceptance into first-class cricket
was made conditional on the building of a new Test match-standard cricket ground. Work began on the new ground at the Riverside, a spectacular location overlooked by Lumley Castle
, in 1990, and the ground hosted its first game, Durham v Warwickshire
, on 18 May 1995.
Development of the Riverside Ground has continued until the present day, and in 2003 the Riverside Ground was raised to Test match status. As of 2010 the ground has been used for four England Test matches, against Zimbabwe in 2003, Bangladesh in 2005 and two against West Indies in June 2007 and May 2009. The Ground will also host one of the Ashes Test Matches in 2013.
This following table gives details of every venue at which Durham have hosted a first-class
or List A cricket match:
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
clubs which make up the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
national cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
structure, representing the historic county of Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was Northern Rock
Northern Rock
Northern Rock plc is a British bank, best known for becoming the first bank in 150 years to suffer a bank run after having had to approach the Bank of England for a loan facility, to replace money market funding, during the credit crisis in 2007. Having failed to find a commercial buyer for...
until its nationalisation in 2008. Durham is now sponsored by several companies, including Emirates.
The club is based at the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground in Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear...
.
Granted first-class status in 1991, Durham is English cricket's newest first-class county. The County Ground at the Riverside is also one of the newest additions to the English Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
circuit, hosting its first match – England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
v Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean cricket team
The Zimbabwean cricket team is a national cricket team representing Zimbabwe. It is administrated by Zimbabwe Cricket...
in the second Test – from 5 June to 7 June 2003.
Durham CCC is playing in Division One of the LV County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
, Group C of the ECB 40 League and in the North Group of the Twenty20 Cup
Twenty20 Cup
The Twenty20 Cup was a cricket competition for English and Welsh county clubs.In 2010, it has been replaced by Friends Provident t20 as the domestic Twenty20 competition.-History:...
in 2010.
Durham won the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
in 2008 for the first time, and retained the trophy in the 2009 season.
Earliest cricket in Durham
Cricket probably did not reach Durham until the 18th century. The earliest reference is a game at Raby Castle on or soon after 5 August 1751 between the Earl of Northumberland’s XI and the Duke of Cleveland’s XI. The game was commemorated by a ballad which starts:-
-
- Durham City has been dull so long,
- No bustle at all to show;
- But now the rage of all the throng
- Is at cricketing to go.
-
As it happens, there was a return game soon afterwards at Stanwick, near Richmond, and that is the earliest reference to cricket in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
The first recorded match of representative cricket in the county took place in 1848 at Sunderland, between an All England XII and a Bishopwearmouth 22. Despite their extra numbers the cricketers of Bishopwearmouth were comprehensively outplayed as All England's scores of 129 and 143 dwarfed their own 56 and 59.
The first team to carry the name of 'Durham County' played an MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
team in 1876 and went on to take on the touring Australians
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
in 1878, winning by 71 runs, and again in 1880, losing by an innings and 38, with the great Fred Spofforth
Fred Spofforth
Frederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
taking 17 wickets for 66.
Origin of club
Durham CCC was founded as an official entity on 23 May 1882, and the nascent club played its first competitive match on 12 June of that year, beating Northumberland by 4 wicketWicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s at the Ashbrooke Ground, Sunderland. The club established an enviable record as a minor county: becoming the first minor county to beat a first-class county in the Gillette Cup; winning the Minor Counties Championship a record-equalling seven times between 1901 and 1984; and putting together a record of 65 matches without defeat between 1976 and 1982 that remains unbroken to the present day.
Durham as a first-class county
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
. First-class status was awarded on 6 December 1991, with Durham becoming the first new first-class county for 70 years. Their first season in the County Championship was the 1992 season.
For over a decade after gaining their status, Durham were not distinguished by marked success as a first-class county. In the 2004 season they finished bottom of the two-division County Championship, sixth out of ten teams in the one-day
One-day cricket
Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
National Cricket League and fifth out of six teams in the Northern Division of the Twenty20 Cup
Twenty20 Cup
The Twenty20 Cup was a cricket competition for English and Welsh county clubs.In 2010, it has been replaced by Friends Provident t20 as the domestic Twenty20 competition.-History:...
.
However in 2005 under the captaincy of Australian Mike Hussey Durham finished second and achieved promotion in both the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
and the one-day
One-day cricket
Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
National Cricket League. Hussey was prevented from returning to the Riverside in 2006 as he is contracted to the Australian international team; and with vice-captain Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
away on English international team duty Dale Benkenstein was captain for 2006.
Durham had mixed success in the 2006 season, finishing second in the North Division of the C&G Trophy
C&G Trophy
The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom.It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class counties compete each season. They were joined by teams from Scotland and Ireland...
. However, Durham were poor in the Twenty20 cup, finishing last in the North Division and only managing 2 victories, both against Lancashire. The Pro40 campaign started fairly well, with Durham taking 4 points from the first 4 games with a win, a loss, a tie and a no result. However, several defeats left them needing a win against the champions elect, Essex, in the final game of the season. They managed the victory, but other results did not go their way and they ended up being relegated in 8th place. The Championship season also began with success, but mediocre results in the middle of the season left Durham hanging above the relegation zone by just half a point going into the last game of the season. Durham needed more points than their rivals Yorkshire, but looked in trouble when Darren Lehmann
Darren Lehmann
Darren Scott Lehmann is a former Australian cricketer, who made his ODI debut in 1996 and Test debut in 1998. He was on the fringes of national selection for the entirety of the 1990s, and only became a regular in the ODI team in 2001 and Test team in late 2002, before being dropped in early 2005...
hit a career-best 339 in the first innings. Achieving just one bowling bonus point meant that Durham needed to score 400 without losing more than 5 wickets and then draw the game.
However, one other team could also be relegated. Nottinghamshire needed just 3 points to avoid the drop at the start of the matches, but only managed 1 point as they were soundly beaten by Sussex. This meant that Durham needed only to score 400 (for maximum batting points) and force a draw. At 191–6 this looked unlikely. But a record-breaking stand of 315 between Benkenstein and Ottis Gibson
Ottis Gibson
Ottis Delroy Gibson is a cricket coach and former player from Barbados. A pace bowler and exploiter of the older cricket ball for the West Indies, Gibson is now head coach for the West Indies. He previously worked as bowling coach for England.- International career :Gibson made two Test...
made it possible. Gibson was out for 155, the highest first-class score in his career. Durham then collapsed again to 518 all out, needing work to be done in the second innings. This was provided by Garry Park
Garry Park
Garry Terence Park is a South African cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler....
, who hit a maiden first-class century (100*) as Durham played out a draw, leaving themselves and Yorkshire in the first division.
In recent times, Durham has seen a number of their top players make an impact on the England side. Collingwood (who is the first Durham CCC player to hit a Test century and double century), Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett have all established themselves in the national squad with Phil Mustard also representing England in the one day format. The recent addition of Graham Onions to the test side for the home series against the West Indies in 2009 may be a sign that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future and is an indication of Durham's admirable youth system.
For the 2011 season, Durham County Cricket Club wished to return to a more traditional arrangement and have insisted on a smart dress code including jackets for gentlemen at all games.
Friends Provident Trophy 2007
During the 2007 season the club won its first major trophy, the Friends Provident Trophy, by beating the 2005 winners Hampshire HawksHampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
in a game which started on 18 finishing a day later due to rain. The toss between Dale Benkenstein
Dale Benkenstein
-External links:****...
and Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
was won by the latter who sent Durham into bat. Fellow Aussie Michael Di Venuto
Michael Di Venuto
Michael James Di Venuto is a former Australian cricketer of Italian descent who played first-class cricket for Tasmanian Tigers and One Day Internationals for Australia. Although he has retired from representative cricket in Australia, he currently continues to play for Durham CCC. He has also...
and wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
Phil Mustard opened the batting. Mustard looked strong from ball 1 but Di Venuto was a little shaky and was dismissed by Hampshire's West Indies international Daren Powell
Daren Powell
Daren Brent Lyle Powell is a West Indian cricketer who plays first-class cricket for Jamaica. A right-arm fast medium bowler, he has played Test matches and One Day Internationals for the West Indian cricket team. Despite starting his cricketing career as a number 3 batsman, Powell is a genuine...
and caught by Michael Carberry
Michael Carberry
Michael Alexander Carberry is an English cricketer. Carberry is a left-handed opening batsman who bowls right-arm off break. He was born in Croydon, Surrey....
. Ex-Scotland u-19 captain Kyle Coetzer
Kyle Coetzer
Kyle Coetzer is a Scottish cricketer who has represented his country at all levels, captaining at Under-15, U-17 and U-19 levels including skippering in the 2004 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh...
and Shiv Chanderpaul
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine "Shiv" Chanderpaul is a cricketer, and former captain of the West Indies cricket team. He is the first Indo-Caribbean in the West Indies team to play 100 Tests for the West Indies and has captained them in 14 Tests and 16 One Day Internationals...
made significant contributions (61 and 78 respectively), the latter being run-out. Captain Benkenstein made a quickfire 61 off 43 deliveries. Durham finished their innings on 312–5.
Michael Lumb
Michael John Lumb
Michael John Lumb is a South African-born English cricketer who currently plays for Nottinghamshire and England in Twenty20 International cricket...
and ex-captain John Crawley
John Crawley
John Paul Crawley is a retired English professional cricketer, who represented England in 37 Test matches. He is regarded alongside his near contemporaries Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash as a hugely talented player who failed to realise his full potential at international level.Crawley is a...
opened for the Hawks, the latter departing for a golden duck, caught at second slip by Di Venuto. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an Sean Ervine
Sean Ervine
Sean Michael Ervine is a Zimbabwean cricketer. Ervine is a left-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium pace.-Domestic career:Ervine originally played for the Midlands cricket team in Zimbabwe....
was next in, immediately edging to second slip in identical fashion leaving Ottis Gibson
Ottis Gibson
Ottis Delroy Gibson is a cricket coach and former player from Barbados. A pace bowler and exploiter of the older cricket ball for the West Indies, Gibson is now head coach for the West Indies. He previously worked as bowling coach for England.- International career :Gibson made two Test...
on a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
. Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
survived that ball, but was soon back in the pavilion with 12. John Crawley
John Crawley
John Paul Crawley is a retired English professional cricketer, who represented England in 37 Test matches. He is regarded alongside his near contemporaries Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash as a hugely talented player who failed to realise his full potential at international level.Crawley is a...
managed a resilient 68 but was bowled by Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
who was to finish with 3–33. The rain came down and play was delayed until the following day.
With the fall of Nic Pothas
Nic Pothas
Nic Pothas is a South African cricketer who plays as a right-handed batsman and who fields as a wicket-keeper. In a total of over 200 first-class matches, he has taken over 500 catches...
(47) and Dimitri Mascarenhas
Dimitri Mascarenhas
Adrian Dimitri Mascarenhas is an English cricketer of Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He currently plays county cricket for Hampshire County Cricket Club, in the Indian Premier League for the Kings XI Punjab and for the Otago Volts in New...
(12) the tail was exposed and was quickly disposed of with Hampshire finishing on 187, handing Durham a historic win. Veteran Ottis Gibson
Ottis Gibson
Ottis Delroy Gibson is a cricket coach and former player from Barbados. A pace bowler and exploiter of the older cricket ball for the West Indies, Gibson is now head coach for the West Indies. He previously worked as bowling coach for England.- International career :Gibson made two Test...
was named man of the match for his spell of 3–24 at the start of the Hampshire innings, which included wickets with his first two deliveries.
County Championship wins
In September 2008, Durham claimed their first County Championship by winning their final match of the season at Canterbury, against Kent. Durham won the match by an innings, condemning Kent to be relegated, and moving 8 points clear of runners up, Nottinghamshire. Twelve months later they retained their title defeating Nottinghamshire by an innings and 52 runs at a sun soaked Riverside Ground in front of 5,000 jubilant supporters.Ground History
The club's acceptance into first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
was made conditional on the building of a new Test match-standard cricket ground. Work began on the new ground at the Riverside, a spectacular location overlooked by Lumley Castle
Lumley Castle
Lumley Castle is a 14th century quadrangular castle at Chester-le-Street in the North of England, near to the city of Durham and a property of the Earl of Scarbrough. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:...
, in 1990, and the ground hosted its first game, Durham v Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
, on 18 May 1995.
Development of the Riverside Ground has continued until the present day, and in 2003 the Riverside Ground was raised to Test match status. As of 2010 the ground has been used for four England Test matches, against Zimbabwe in 2003, Bangladesh in 2005 and two against West Indies in June 2007 and May 2009. The Ground will also host one of the Ashes Test Matches in 2013.
This following table gives details of every venue at which Durham have hosted a first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
or List A cricket match:
| Name of ground | Location | Year | FC matches |
LA matches |
T20 matches |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Ground Riverside Ground The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club.... |
Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear... |
1995–present | 102 | 124 | 15 | 241 |
| Feethams | Darlington Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001... |
1964–2003 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Grangefield Road Stockton Cricket Club Ground Stockton CC is a cricket ground in Stockton, England. The ground was first used by the Durham 1st XI in 1993. The ground has not been used by the Durham 1st XI since 2006.The ground has hosted 12 first-class matches and 11 List A matches.... |
Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including... |
1992–2006 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 23 |
| The Racecourse | Durham City Durham Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county... |
1992–1994 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 18 |
| Park Drive | Hartlepool Hartlepool Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from... |
1992–2000 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 17 |
| Ropery Lane Ropery Lane Ropery Lane is a cricket ground in Chester-le-Street, England round the corner from The Riverside Ground. Prior to Durham gaining first-class status in 1992, Durham played six Gillette Cup/Natwest Trophy matches there, while Minor Counties North also used the ground for a Benson & Hedges Cup game... |
Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear... |
1967–1994 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Eastwood Gardens Eastwood Gardens Eastwood Gardens is a cricket ground in Gateshead, England which, like Feethams Cricket Ground, Grangefield Road, The Racecourse, Park Drive and Ropery Lane, was used by the Durham 1st XI between 1992 and 1994 prior to The Riverside Ground being built, since which it has not seen any 1st XI action... |
Gateshead Fell Gateshead Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside... |
1992–1994 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Green Lane Green Lane Cricket Ground Green Lane is a cricket ground in Durham, County Durham. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1866, when Durham City played the Northumberland Club. Durham first played at the ground in the 1899 Minor Counties Championship against Norfolk. Durham next used the ground in the 1904 Minor... |
Durham City Durham Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county... |
1979 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Source:cricketarchive Updated: 8 April 2008 |
||||||
Players
Since Durham's induction as a first-class county, each player has been allocated a unique squad number. The first 11 numbers were allocated in batting order from the club's first game, and subsequent numbers have been chosen by each individual player.Current squad
Players with international caps are listed in bold.| No. | Name | Nat | Birth date | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batsmen | ||||||
| 23 | Michael Di Venuto Michael Di Venuto Michael James Di Venuto is a former Australian cricketer of Italian descent who played first-class cricket for Tasmanian Tigers and One Day Internationals for Australia. Although he has retired from representative cricket in Australia, he currently continues to play for Durham CCC. He has also... |
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12 December 1973 (age 38) | Left-handed | Right arm medium pace | |
| 12 | David Miller |  |
10 June 1989 (age 22) | Left-handed | Right arm off break Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
Playing T20s Twenty20 Cup The Twenty20 Cup was a cricket competition for English and Welsh county clubs.In 2010, it has been replaced by Friends Provident t20 as the domestic Twenty20 competition.-History:... only |
| 24 | Gordon Muchall Gordon Muchall Gordon Muchall is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right arm medium pace bowler. He has played for Durham for the entire duration of his career.... |
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2 November 1982 (age 29) | Right-handed | Right arm medium pace | |
| 2 | Will Smith Will Smith (cricketer) Will Smith is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-spin bowler.Smith originally played for Harrold CC and Bedford School . He played minor county cricket for Bedfordshire as a schoolboy, until he moved to Nottinghamshire in 2002... |
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28 September 1982 (age 29) | Right-handed | Right arm off break Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
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| 26 | Mark Stoneman Mark Stoneman Mark Daniel Stoneman, born 26 June 1987 in Sunniside, Gateshead, is an English cricketer who has played first-class and List A cricket for Durham.... |
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26 June 1987 (age 24) | Left-handed | — | |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| 44 | Dale Benkenstein Dale Benkenstein -External links:****... |
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9 June 1974 (age 37) | Right-handed | Right arm medium pace/ off break Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
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| 37 | Ian Blackwell Ian Blackwell Ian David Blackwell is an English cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman, he has played for England in one-day and Test sides, and plays county cricket for Durham, having left Somerset at the end of the 2008 season.-Career:Blackwell was called up for the England... |
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10 June 1978 (age 33) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox Left-arm orthodox spin Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch... |
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| 16 | Scott Borthwick Scott Borthwick Scott Borthwick is an English cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler who plays for Durham. He was born in Sunderland.... |
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19 April 1990 (age 21) | Right-handed | Right arm leg break Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
|
| 70 | Gareth Breese Gareth Breese Gareth Rohan Breese is a West Indian cricketer who played one Test match in 2002, as the main spin bowler at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium against India. Breese scored five runs in two innings, and took two wickets, but conceded 135 runs in 31 overs and was the most expensive bowler... |
 |
9 January 1976 (age 36) | Right-handed | Right arm off break Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
|
| 5 | Paul Collingwood Paul Collingwood Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting... |
|
26 May 1976 (age 35) | Right-handed | Right arm medium pace | |
| Ben Raine Ben Raine Benjamin Alexander Raine is an English cricketer. Raine is a left-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium-fast. He was born in Sunderland, County Durham.... |
|
14 September 1991 (age 20) | Left-handed | Right arm medium-fast Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
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| 38 | Ben Stokes | |
4 June 1991 (age 20) | Left-handed | Right arm medium Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
|
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| 19 | Phil Mustard | |
8 October 1982 (age 29) | Left-handed | — | |
| 18 | Michael Richardson Michael Richardson (cricketer) Michael John Richardson is a South African born English cricketer. Richardson is a right-handed batsman who fields as a wicket-keeper. He was born in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Province.... |
|
4 October 1986 (age 25) | Right-handed | — | |
| Bowlers | ||||||
| 25 | Mitchell Claydon Mitchell Claydon Mitchell Eric Claydon is an Australian-born English first-class cricketer. He holds a British passport. Claydon is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. Claydon signed for Yorkshire in 2005.Claydon's debut match came as a tailender batsman for a Yorkshire Second XI against a... |
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25 November 1982 (age 29) | Left-handed | Right arm fast-medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| 4 | Mark Davies | |
4 October 1980 (age 31) | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| 10 | Steve Harmison Steve Harmison Stephen James Harmison MBE is an English cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, he represented England in 63 Tests, 58 ODI's, and 2 T20's. He also plays county cricket for Durham.... |
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23 October 1978 (age 33) | Right-handed | Right arm fast Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| 9 | Graham Onions Graham Onions Graham Onions is an English cricketer. He plays for Durham and England as a right arm fast-medium bowler and a right-hand tail-end batsman. After a successful start to the 2009 cricket season, Onions was selected to face the West Indies in Test cricket, and following success in the series, was... |
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9 September 1982 (age 29) | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| 20 | Liam Plunkett Liam Plunkett Liam Edward Plunkett is an English cricketer, who plays for Durham and England. In the 2005 season he was Durham's leading first-class wicket-taker, with 51 wickets at a bowling average of 30.84, including eight for 88 in his first game of the season against Leicestershire.-Test cricket:Plunkett... |
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6 April 1985 (age 26) | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
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| 22 | Chris Rushworth Chris Rushworth Christopher Rushworth is an English cricketer. Rushworth is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium. He was born in Sunderland, County Durham.... |
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11 July 1986 (age 25) | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
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| 36 | Callum Thorp Callum Thorp Callum David Thorp is a professional Australian cricketer who currently plays for Durham as a right-arm fast-medium bowler. As both of his parents are British, he is able to play for Durham as a non-overseas player. Between 2002-2004 he played for Western Australia.-References:*... |
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11 February 1975 (age 36) | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
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| Mark Wood Mark Wood (cricketer) Mark Andrew Wood is an English cricketer. Wood is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium-fast. He was born in Ashington, Northumberland.... |
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11 January 1990 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
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| 8 | Ruel Brathwaite Ruel Brathwaite Ruel Marlon Ricardo Brathwaite is a Barbadian cricketer. Brathwaite is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium. He was born in Bridgetown, Barbados.... |
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6 September 1985 (age 26) | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
First XI honours
- County ChampionshipCounty ChampionshipThe County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
: 2- 20082008 County ChampionshipThe 2008 County Championship season, known as the LV County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team plays all the others in their division both home and away...
, 20092009 County ChampionshipThe 2009 County Championship season, known as the LV County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the 110th County Championship season. It was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team played all the others in their division both home and away...
- 2008
- Sunday/Pro 40/National League: 0
- Gillette/NatWest/C&G/Friends Provident Trophy: 1
- 20072007 Friends Provident TrophyThe 2007 Friends Provident Trophy was an English county cricket tournament, held between 22 April and 19 August 2007. The tournament was won by Durham.- Changes from previous tournament :...
- 2007
- Twenty20 CupTwenty20 CupThe Twenty20 Cup was a cricket competition for English and Welsh county clubs.In 2010, it has been replaced by Friends Provident t20 as the domestic Twenty20 competition.-History:...
: 0 - Benson & Hedges CupBenson & Hedges CupThe Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals....
: 0 - Minor Counties Championship: 7
- 1895 (shared), 1900 (shared), 1901, 1926, 1930, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1984
- MCCA Knockout Trophy: 1
- 1985
Records
External sources
- Official Durham County Cricket Club website
- BBC Wear – Riverside Cricket Ground interactive 360° Panorama
- BBC Wear – DCCC celebrate with the County Championship Trophy 2008
- Scorecard from the 2007 Friends Provident Trophy Final
Further reading
- Derek BirleyDerek BirleySir Derek Birley was an English educator and writer who had a strong interest in sport, especially cricket.He was educated at grammar school in Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, and at Queens' College, Cambridge University....
, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999 - Rowland BowenRowland BowenMajor Rowland Francis Bowen was a cricket researcher, historian and writer....
, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970 - Simon Hughes, From Minor to Major: Durham's First Year in the Championship, Hodder & Stoughton, 1992, ISBN 0-340-58234-0
- Playfair Cricket AnnualPlayfair Cricket AnnualPlayfair Cricket Annual is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. Its main purposes are to review the previous English season and to provide detailed career records and potted biographies of current...
– various editions - Wisden Cricketers Almanack – various editions