JUNE 5 next year is a date for the people of Chester-le-Street and North-East cricket fans to pencil in their diaries.
That is the day when the Riverside ground will stage its first session of Test match cricket.
The England and Wales Cricket Board announced last November that the Riverside would become the first new test ground in the country for a century by playing host to a match with Zimbabwe next season. Dates for the 2003 domestic cricket calendar were confirmed by the board on Wednesday, revealing that Chester-le-Street will be the setting for the second test match against Zimbabwe from June 5-9.
The Riverside which, with added seating can cater for crowds of up to 18,000, has already played host to several one-day internationals since the World Cup of 1999.
It has proved to the powers that be that Durham CCC is capable of staging top class cricket paving the way for the Riverside to enter the test match fold.
The staging of a Test match is the culmination of the dream of former Durham CCC chairman and county council leader Don Robson and Chester-le-Street District Council leader Malcolm Pratt. Both lifelong cricket fans, they were driving forces behind the development of the Riverside.
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