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Counties - Media Guide to the Grounds
Durham (Emirates International Cricket Ground Riverside, Chester-le-Street and Stockton-on-Tees) by Tim WellockEmail Tim on: timwellock@aol.com
Chester-le-Street (Emirates International Cricket Ground Riverside)
The ground is only a mile from the A1(M), so access is very easy. Those travelling by train probably need to alight at Durham City (six miles away) or Newcastle (12 miles) then take a taxi. To date car parking has always been allowed adjacent to the box, without prior permission. PA contact: Tim Wellock (01325 718212, 07745 569885, timwellock@aol.com). After seven years of sharing a leaky little cabin with rolled-up matting, followed by a further seven years in a superior version, the Press were finally granted a palatial permanent home for the Bangladesh Test in 2005. The media centre became fully operational shortly afterwards, although only one room - on the first floor - is usually open for county matches as the rest of the building is available for educational purposes. If the one room does not offer the opportunity to get behind the arm, a request to open up another is usually favourably received, and a separate room is available for visiting radio persons. The scorer is Brian Hunt. Despite what David Hopps wrote, he is helpful as long as he is not approached at an innoportune moment, in which case he can be irascible. We usually direct queries through the media girl, Yvette Thompson (0191 387 2873), or Andrew Jarvis (0191 387 2875).
RefreshmentsTea and coffee are provided, with one sandwich each and a bag of crisps at lunchtime. The only place within walking distance for a lunchtime drink is Austin’s Bar, part of the pavilion, which serves a better class of sandwich than those brought to us. Delis are thin on the ground in Chester-le-Street.
AccommodationHotels: Lumley Castle is the nearest, half a mile away, but is expensive. There is a Marriott (the Royal County) in the centre of Durham City, while most teams use Ramside Hall, about six miles down the A1 and off to the east towards Sunderland. It has a good golf course. For those preferring a pub, easily the best for character, value and good beer is the Beamish Mary in a village called No Place, about six miles from the ground near Beamish Museum. I’m told the rooms are basic but comfortable. Rather more upmarket, and in a very pleasant village a mile from Durham City is the Seven Stars at Shincliffe, which is in the Good Pub Guide. Bed and Breakfast Nationwide lists Hedley Hall, a Georgian house in 16 acres overlooking Beamish Museum, with singles welcome at £45 (tel 01207 231835). Or for those on a very tight budget there’s Low Urpeth Farm at Ouston, near Chester-le-Street (0191 410 2901). Of the pubs in the area, the Beamish Mary is the one not to be missed. Anyone interested in a pub crawl round Durham City should try the Victoria, the Dun Cow and the Half Moon, all very handy for the Royal County Hotel. Durham City also has a new theatre among its many attractions, but the best restaurants and nightlife in the area are to be found in Newcastle.
LeisureThe best golf course is at Slaley Hall, which also has a five-star hotel, but it’s about 25 miles away. The next best is probably Brancepeth, a few miles west of Durham City, while the Chester-le-Street course is adjacent to Lumley Castle. There is a leisure centre with a pool at the cricket ground.
Stockton-on-TeesGround located in Grangefield Road, off Oxbridge Road, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland Tel 01642 672835. Contacts: Ray Waite (01642 606468) and Richard Thurston (01642 585858).
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