Riverside Ground

This article is about the cricket ground. For Middlesbrough F.C.'s stadium, see Riverside Stadium.
Riverside Ground
Ground information
Location Chester-le-Street, County Durham
Establishment 1995
Capacity 5000 (domestic)
17,000 (internationals)
End names
Lumley End
Finchale End
International information
First Test 5 June 2003: England v Zimbabwe
Last Test 9 August 2013: England v Australia
First ODI 20 May 1999: Pakistan v Scotland
Last ODI 20 June 2015: England v New Zealand
First T20I 20 August 2008: England v South Africa
Last T20I 31 August 2013: England v Australia
Team information
Durham (1995 – present)
As of August 2013
Source: Cricinfo

The Riverside Ground, officially referred to as the Emirates Riverside for stadium sponsorship reasons, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club, and has also hosted several international matches.

History

View to the north-east of the ground towards Lumley Castle. Additional seating on this side of the ground is now permanently erected, where previously for international matches, capacity was increased with temporary seating.

The club's acceptance into first-class cricket in 1991 was made conditional on the building of a new Test match-standard cricket ground. Work began on the new ground at the Riverside in a location overlooked by Lumley Castle in 1990, and development has continued in phases until the present day. Work on the outfield and playing surface began in 1993. In its first three seasons in the County Championship, the Club played in a variety of locations around the county, but the Riverside ground was pronounced ready for cricket in time for the 1995 season, even though many of the buildings were still temporary or unfinished. The ground hosted its first game, Durham vs. Warwickshire, on 18 May 1995.[1]

Other facilities at the ground continued being built over subsequent years, and the club's Don Robson Pavilion was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1996. The full ground capacity, including permanent and temporary seating, is 17,000.[2]

One of the entrances to the Don Robson Pavilion.

In September 2008 plans were announced concerning further developments to the ground.[3] These included installing permanent floodlights, and extending the County Durham stand so that permanent seating surrounds the entire ground, raising the ground capacity to around 20,000. A new entrance building was also planned to house the box office and club shop, as well as offices for club officials, a new perimeter road and a hotel. These developments were seen as a necessity, as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have specified that they must take place in order for the ground to secure its status as a venue for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[4]

In April 2015, planning permission was granted to erect six permanent 55-metre floodlights around the ground.[5] Within weeks, the lights were in action as Durham Jets hosted the Yorkshire Vikings in a T20 Blast match.[6]

International matches

The development of the Riverside into a significant cricketing venue was underscored in 1999, when it hosted two World Cup matches involving Pakistan, Scotland, Australia and Bangladesh, and then in 2000 when it staged two One Day International matches in a triangular series between England, Zimbabwe and the West Indies. In 2001 a One-day International between Australia and Pakistan was abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain.[7]

2003 saw the Riverside Ground raised to Test match status,[8] and has hosted five England Test matches, against Zimbabwe in 2003, Bangladesh in 2005, West Indies in 2007 and 2009 and Australia in 2013. The fourth day of the West Indies Test, 18 June 2007, saw Paul Collingwood hitting a century on his home pitch for England against the West Indies, and so becoming the first local Durham player to hit a Test century at the Riverside.[9]

It was announced in July 2009 that the ground would host the fourth Ashes Test match of the 2013 Ashes series,[10] the culmination of Durham's growth as a First Class County since 1992[1] coming after Durham missed out to Cardiff in its bid to host an Ashes test in 2009. Hosting an Ashes Test match was predicted to generate £20 million for the local economy.[11]

The first scheduled Twenty20 International at the ground, against South Africa in 2008, was abandoned due to heavy rain.[12] In 2012 South Africa returned for the Riverside Ground's second Twenty20 match, defeating England by 7 wickets,[13] in a match held alongside a women's T20I against the West Indies.[14] A second T20I double header was hosted in August 2013, where England defeated Australia in both men's and women's matches. The women's match formed the final encounter of the 2013 women's Ashes series.[15]

Future international matches scheduled to be held at the Riverside Ground include two ODI matches, against Sri Lanka in 2014 and New Zealand in 2015, with a Test match against Sri Lanka to be held in 2016.[16]

Sponsorship

On 4 June 2010 it was announced that the stadium would be renamed the 'Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground' for sponsorship reasons. In February 2016 it was again renamed. This time to 'Emirates Riverside', following the extension of Emirates contract with the county until 2022. [17]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Riverside County Cricket Ground.

References

  1. 1 2 "Will staging an Ashes Test help Durham join cricket's elite?". 8 August 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "Riverside Ground". Cricinfo. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  3. ↑ Durham reveal ground plans, Cricinfo, Retrieved 3 May 2009
  4. ↑ http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/durham-ccc-submit-plans-12m-8856245
  5. ↑ http://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12149/9829935/durham-given-green-light-for-floodlights-at-emirates-durham-icg
  6. ↑ http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/controversial-cricket-lights-durham-county-9341300
  7. ↑ "Rain dominates: Australia - Pakistan share points". Cricinfo. 16 June 2001. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  8. ↑ "Dawning of a new era with Test cricket at Riverside". 23 July 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "Collingwood gives England hope". The Telegraph. 18 June 2007. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  10. ↑ "Durham awarded Ashes Test in 2013". 30 July 2009.
  11. ↑ "Ashes North East boost predicted to be more than £20m". BBC News. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  12. ↑ "Twenty20 called off a day early". Cricinfo. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  13. ↑ "England lose to South Africa in Twenty20 international". 8 September 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  14. ↑ "All-round England sweep to victory". Cricinfo. 8 September 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  15. ↑ "England women ‘can’t wait’ for their chance to get at the Aussies". The Independent. 10 August 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  16. ↑ "ECB and Durham agree International schedule at Emirates". Durham County Cricket Club. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  17. ↑ Wellock, Tim (5 June 2010). "A new name – but the same old story". Durham Times. Retrieved 2 January 2011.

External links

Coordinates: 54°50′58.72″N 1°33′38.54″W / 54.8496444°N 1.5607056°W / 54.8496444; -1.5607056

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 01, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.