DURHAM fans will be hoping there is something of the Dean Jones about Brad Hodge, who arrives from Australia today as Martin Love's replacement.

It transpires that Hodge is 27 and has been around for some time, making his first-class debut for the Bushrangers, as Victoria are known, nine years ago when Jones was still in the team.

"Deano" was a popular chant on Durham grounds in 1992, when Jones was an instant hit as Durham's first overseas player, beginning with an unforgettable century in the opening Sunday League fixture against Lancashire at the university ground.

Hodge has captained the Australian Academy and played for Australia A, although he is not in the squad of 14 to tour South Africa from August 27-September 12.

Among those who are included are Simon Katich, Northamptonshire skipper Michael Hussey and Gloucestershire's Ian Harvey.

Hussey will miss Northants' championship match at the Riverside at the end of next month, but Harvey will presumably be back in time for Durham's final match at Bristol, starting on September 18.

The announcement of the Australia A party on Friday took several counties by surprise, including Yorkshire, who were expecting Katich to return next month, when Darren Lehmann disappears again on senior Australia duties.

But Durham were aware of the situation, which is why they had to wait for the party to be announced before they could confirm Hodge's signing.

Described as a "diminutive" right-handed batsman, he also bowls off-spin well enough to have taken 36 first-class wickets at an average of 38.75.

His batting average from 86 matches is 39.76 and he has hit 16 centuries, with a top score of 140.

Jet-lag permitting, Hodge will practise tomorrow and Durham will then decide whether to include him at home to Nottinghamshire on Wednesday.

There is a powerful argument that now they've got him here it would be foolish not to play him, especially as the ridiculous fixture list gives them another five-day break next week.

They then have three National League games spaced over eight days before beginning a hectic final five weeks of the season on August 14.

Love might have been fit by then, so unless Hodge goes straight into action his arrival might begin to look unnecessarily hasty.

THE Norwich Union roadshow, which accompanies the Sky cameras at selected National League matches, comes complete with garish logos on the pitch, a giant screen, blaring music and all the other paraphernalia which goes towards completing the family entertainment package.

With a speaker rigged up very close to my right ear yesterday, it was impossible to nod off during any lull in play as a high-decibel burst of That's The Way I Like It or Queen's Don't Stop Me Now accompanied every boundary.

Batsmen emerged to their own choice of music and it made a pleasant change when Leicestershire's captain Vince Wells, who reaches the ripe old age of 37 next month, chose My Way.

He may, of course, have requested the Sid Vicious version. But he got Frank Sinatra, complete with reference to "final curtain." Are we to assume that Wells is about to retire?

The screen was able to show us action replays, complete with stripe down pitch, of lbw decision, which showed that Durham had several good shouts turned down. But when umpires Neil Mallender and John Hampshire called on the third official to adjudicate on stumpings and run outs, the drama of the Jaws music was rather spoilt by the absence of a replay. All we got was "Umpire's Decision Not Out" on the screen.

IT was on June 1 that Martin Love completed his 251 at Lord's, but it proved to be anything but the harbinger of a flaming good month for Durham.

As Player of the Month awards can only be presented at home National League matches, the award for June had to wait until yesterday and it was only when we in the Press box were asked to make our choice that we realised there were no outstanding candidates.

Mark Davies pushed Gordon Muchall very close for the May award, but unfortunately his returns in terms of wickets have tailed off a little and the award had to go to Neil Killeen.

Prior to yesterday's match Killeen was the joint leading wicket-taker in the National League division one with Shaun Pollock on 16.

Unfortunately, the Norwich Union stats also show three of the best five bowling analyses in division one have come against Durham - David Leatherdale's 5-9 for Worcestershire, David Masters' 5-20 for Kent and Neil Carter's 5-31 for Warwickshire. No Durham bowler has yet taken five in any form of cricket this season,

FOLLOWING yesterday's unveiling of their memorabilia collection, Durham officials will be back in the Riverside Suite on Wednesday for the launch of a book of poetry.

Titled "At Riverside", it is written by John Bunting, who hails from Eastbourne but lives in North Yorkshire and is a regular visitor to Durham's home games. The book will be on sale in the club shop at £2.50.