It nearly was the greatest and most important county game that Durham has ever played. The sun was out shining brightly first thing as I drafted the Blog for the previous day and decided that I would go to the fourth day of the county match with Hampshire although with six wickets down and over 100 runs to win it could be all over within half an hour. I decided that would take my camera to photo within the ground and then along the riverside parks and through the railings to the adjacent sports ground and then perhaps to the town of Chester Le Street. See 101 photos Cricket at Riverside
Because of this I decided to park at the Riverside parks car park and walk under the dual carriage way roadway through the tunnel which leads go the official ground car parks. These are some of the most pleasant looking car parks anywhere divided by shrubbery, hedgerows and trees.
It used to be possible to enter the ground as one crossed over the road way from the car parks or the entrance which allows cars with passes for use of facilities on match days, media, visiting team, officials of the clubs, guests of sponsors and the like, but now we are all required to continue walk along a pleasant parkway with seats and more shrubs and trees to the modest main entrance where Members hand over their voucher for the day or pay to enter. To the immediate left is the magnificent health centre building which I have not seen inside and then the extended Don Robson Pavilion where the first entrance leads to the first floor Riverside Member's Lounge, food servery, bar, balcony seating, trophy cabinets and official notice area.
Outside there is the entrance to Austin's a public access bar and restaurant open through the year and day whether there is a match playing or not. The stand continues overhead although you can access Member's restricted seating and then in the second part of the Pavilion there is there is the club shop, the box office and the main entrance and reception area. There is also the physiotherapy centre and entrance for players club and playing officials and official visitors. Nearby there is the car park for visitors and playing officials and then my entrance to the South Stand seating below the media centre.
In the rush I had left my rucksack, lunch, and hat and therefore sat towards the back of the seating which provided an excellent overview of the wicket. I did not anticipate what then happened. The key was an innings of 50 by Blenkenstein who was then caught in what he and we thought was a dodgy catch, that is that the edge the ball with his bat and it was caught by a fielder but did hit the ground just before? Although another wicket fell before lunch there was a growing sense that the impossible could still happen.
At the luncheon interval I returned to my car for the sandwich and coffee and then reorganised so that I left my jacket and took the haversack back to my seat. Then when the ninth wicket fell we all thought it was all over but then the miracle and the dream began to appear a reality as a ten wicket partnership developed between the last batsmen, England's Steve Harmison and "Bob" Davies slowly edge towards victory and then appears able to hit the ball hard and to the boundary and the small crowd was becoming hysterical in its disbelief. Alas with only four runs required Davies edge a ball and was caught and the dream was over.
I packed up and went off with my camera walking the long way round the ground trying to capture the atmosphere of the silent sports area, the nets, and the picnic banking in front of which cars with eligible disabled parking certificates were able to come into ground for free. Leaving the ground I headed the short walk to the riverside bank trying to indicated something of the long walking available as the Wear headed from Durham City towards Sunderland and the North Sea. It is possible to walk under the new road bridge to where there was once a river crossing and then along the embankment with the open parkland to the left. There are warning notice along the river bank warning that four young people have died entering the river in high summer over recent decades. There is a large safe play area well used by families throughout the summer and where a couple of years back there was a great tragedy when an artist brought a major inflatable into the park which was taken by the wind and people died. There is no indication now of that tragedy but and on this beautiful Monday families and couples had come from near and far to enjoy this well known riverside parkland. I continued along the embankment to a small weir and then a popular area with swans and ducks where the river widens. There are seats along here sheltered by a grass bank where fortunately there is a pathway leading to area of formal gardens which including bowling greens. There is also a Park Centre where refreshment can be purchased and eaten at picnic tables. There is a quite a walk across open parkland back to the car. I had completed the part of the planned task for the day. I took the car the short distance to the Chester Le Street cricket ground. It was here that Durham played one county match at year over the first four or five seasons while the new ground was made ready. The major memory is when Durham played the West Indies on this ground and looking around I wondered how we all fitted in. There is now a new clubhouse.
I then found a place to park adjacent to the main shopping road which is where I travelled by bus from South Shields last week. I was lucky as someone left as I arrived and other vehicle following me had to wait until some else also vacated a space. Chester Le Street is an ancient hilly town of some twenty four thousand people 13 miles West of Sunderland, a Roman Fort town and where for 113 years the body of St Cuthbert rested before being moved to Durham Cathedral. In Chester le Street the Bible was first translated into English.
The High street is a mixture of Inns and shop, estate agents and banks including the Cooperative and a Woolworths and where I returned after viewing the new market place artworks. At this point I ran into problems with the camera which I will need to check out tomorrow having concentrated on uploading 101 photographs of the visit and writing up Blogs, other work, including emails and getting my evening meal. At Woolworths I remembered that I needed a larger sieve than my existing one to drain the noodles for the stir fry's. For about three years I have used one of the steel flasks with stopper from which it is possible to pour liquid without unscrewing. I then acquired a second flask as a gift from a Staples Order and recently when cleaning I dismantled without being able to reassemble accurately so today I consigned this flask to nearest and purchased a new one from Woolworths. It is possible to keep hot drinks warm 8 hours and cold for 24 in these flasks. Unfortunately when I returned home I discovered that the top unit was missing and the assistant at the cash desk had not appreciated this was so. I am going to Chester Le Street on Wednesday for the first 20 20 game in the evening at 6.15 and I could go to return the flask or obtain the stopper unit then. However if the weather continues to be fine I may go on a bus trip to Durham via Sunderland and Chester Le Street and will decide first thing in the morning.
I also called in at a Green Grocers in town for a lettuce, some grapes, some tout mange and three bananas, returned to the car to the car and arrived back home at 5pm. I uploaded and added descriptions to 101 photos.
Because of this I decided to park at the Riverside parks car park and walk under the dual carriage way roadway through the tunnel which leads go the official ground car parks. These are some of the most pleasant looking car parks anywhere divided by shrubbery, hedgerows and trees.
It used to be possible to enter the ground as one crossed over the road way from the car parks or the entrance which allows cars with passes for use of facilities on match days, media, visiting team, officials of the clubs, guests of sponsors and the like, but now we are all required to continue walk along a pleasant parkway with seats and more shrubs and trees to the modest main entrance where Members hand over their voucher for the day or pay to enter. To the immediate left is the magnificent health centre building which I have not seen inside and then the extended Don Robson Pavilion where the first entrance leads to the first floor Riverside Member's Lounge, food servery, bar, balcony seating, trophy cabinets and official notice area.
Outside there is the entrance to Austin's a public access bar and restaurant open through the year and day whether there is a match playing or not. The stand continues overhead although you can access Member's restricted seating and then in the second part of the Pavilion there is there is the club shop, the box office and the main entrance and reception area. There is also the physiotherapy centre and entrance for players club and playing officials and official visitors. Nearby there is the car park for visitors and playing officials and then my entrance to the South Stand seating below the media centre.
In the rush I had left my rucksack, lunch, and hat and therefore sat towards the back of the seating which provided an excellent overview of the wicket. I did not anticipate what then happened. The key was an innings of 50 by Blenkenstein who was then caught in what he and we thought was a dodgy catch, that is that the edge the ball with his bat and it was caught by a fielder but did hit the ground just before? Although another wicket fell before lunch there was a growing sense that the impossible could still happen.
At the luncheon interval I returned to my car for the sandwich and coffee and then reorganised so that I left my jacket and took the haversack back to my seat. Then when the ninth wicket fell we all thought it was all over but then the miracle and the dream began to appear a reality as a ten wicket partnership developed between the last batsmen, England's Steve Harmison and "Bob" Davies slowly edge towards victory and then appears able to hit the ball hard and to the boundary and the small crowd was becoming hysterical in its disbelief. Alas with only four runs required Davies edge a ball and was caught and the dream was over.
I packed up and went off with my camera walking the long way round the ground trying to capture the atmosphere of the silent sports area, the nets, and the picnic banking in front of which cars with eligible disabled parking certificates were able to come into ground for free. Leaving the ground I headed the short walk to the riverside bank trying to indicated something of the long walking available as the Wear headed from Durham City towards Sunderland and the North Sea. It is possible to walk under the new road bridge to where there was once a river crossing and then along the embankment with the open parkland to the left. There are warning notice along the river bank warning that four young people have died entering the river in high summer over recent decades. There is a large safe play area well used by families throughout the summer and where a couple of years back there was a great tragedy when an artist brought a major inflatable into the park which was taken by the wind and people died. There is no indication now of that tragedy but and on this beautiful Monday families and couples had come from near and far to enjoy this well known riverside parkland. I continued along the embankment to a small weir and then a popular area with swans and ducks where the river widens. There are seats along here sheltered by a grass bank where fortunately there is a pathway leading to area of formal gardens which including bowling greens. There is also a Park Centre where refreshment can be purchased and eaten at picnic tables. There is a quite a walk across open parkland back to the car. I had completed the part of the planned task for the day. I took the car the short distance to the Chester Le Street cricket ground. It was here that Durham played one county match at year over the first four or five seasons while the new ground was made ready. The major memory is when Durham played the West Indies on this ground and looking around I wondered how we all fitted in. There is now a new clubhouse.
I then found a place to park adjacent to the main shopping road which is where I travelled by bus from South Shields last week. I was lucky as someone left as I arrived and other vehicle following me had to wait until some else also vacated a space. Chester Le Street is an ancient hilly town of some twenty four thousand people 13 miles West of Sunderland, a Roman Fort town and where for 113 years the body of St Cuthbert rested before being moved to Durham Cathedral. In Chester le Street the Bible was first translated into English.
The High street is a mixture of Inns and shop, estate agents and banks including the Cooperative and a Woolworths and where I returned after viewing the new market place artworks. At this point I ran into problems with the camera which I will need to check out tomorrow having concentrated on uploading 101 photographs of the visit and writing up Blogs, other work, including emails and getting my evening meal. At Woolworths I remembered that I needed a larger sieve than my existing one to drain the noodles for the stir fry's. For about three years I have used one of the steel flasks with stopper from which it is possible to pour liquid without unscrewing. I then acquired a second flask as a gift from a Staples Order and recently when cleaning I dismantled without being able to reassemble accurately so today I consigned this flask to nearest and purchased a new one from Woolworths. It is possible to keep hot drinks warm 8 hours and cold for 24 in these flasks. Unfortunately when I returned home I discovered that the top unit was missing and the assistant at the cash desk had not appreciated this was so. I am going to Chester Le Street on Wednesday for the first 20 20 game in the evening at 6.15 and I could go to return the flask or obtain the stopper unit then. However if the weather continues to be fine I may go on a bus trip to Durham via Sunderland and Chester Le Street and will decide first thing in the morning.
I also called in at a Green Grocers in town for a lettuce, some grapes, some tout mange and three bananas, returned to the car to the car and arrived back home at 5pm. I uploaded and added descriptions to 101 photos.
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