DURHAM groundsman David Measor was not impressed by the comments of Glamorgan captain Steve James about the pitch for last Sunday's Norwich Union League contest.

In his weekly column in a South Wales newspaper, James said: "I was particularly angry about the wicket. It was a disgrace in my view, producing excessive lateral movement and highly variable bounce. Such wickets make the game a lottery and can bring sides together in terms of skill and ability.

"It was a bad toss to lose - there was always going to be an advantage in bowling first. Rarely have I seen the bat beaten so often. I could not believe I managed to glove one of those seaming balls when everyone else seemed to miss them."

Measor responded: "Nobody hates it more than me when we have an unsatisfactory pitch and I think it's wrong that a professional cricketer should mouth off about it.

"This pitch had never been used for first-class cricket but we are trying to expand because of the amount of cricket. We thought it would be OK, but in the last two days it cracked more than we expected and it got damp from sweating under the covers.

"We will fill in the cracks, as we have done on the two pitches just below this one. That makes the bounce a lot more consistent and those pitches have had top marks."

PAUL Collingwood continues to be in demand, despite his unfortunate start in international cricket.

He and Michael Gough shared 12th man duties during the first Test at Edgbaston, then Collingwood and Martin Speight represented Durham in the City Challenge at Bristol last Tuesday.

Rain allowed only one of the seven scheduled six-a-side matches to be completed, although a result was achieved in the Leeds v Bristol match courtesy of a bowl-out.

Collingwood and Ian Harvey were the only ones to hit the stumps, and the 1-1 draw took the contest to sudden death. Harvey missed and Collingwood was on target again.

All this featured on the highlights on HTV that night, which I watched at my digs in Old Sodbury. It's amazing where this job can take you!

SOMEONE on Simon Brown's benefit committee is boxing clever with an item which could prove a real Boon.

Among the odds and ends which David Boon left behind after his three years with Durham was a box - yes, of the protective variety - and it is now among the items being auctioned on a special website.

When Boon visited the Riverside recently Brown got him to sign the box and provide a letter of authenticity, so there can be no doubt that anyone interested is getting the real thing.

It ought to be in good condition because I can't recall Boon being poleaxed by a blow in the unmentionables, unlike Dean Jones in 1992 at a time when Durham had a physio named Sheila Job.

She ran to the middle to offer help, but as all Australians know there are some places a Sheila cannot go. Well, not in the middle of a cricket field anyway!

You can access the website on www.ebay.co.uk, then click on search, then search by seller, then toml2000.

FANCY a day at the seaside? Durham have arranged a supporters' bus for the trip to Blackpool on July 25 for the C & G Trophy quarter-final against Lancashire.

The bus will leave Sunderland at 7.15, the Riverside at 7.35, Durham at 7.50 and Darlington at 8.30, and the cost - to include a match ticket - will be £23.99 (concessions £16.99). Anyone interested should ring the credit card hotline on (0191) 378 1989.

Durham have so far been sent 300 tickets for the match, but have been told more will be available if required.

I'M thinking of joining the junior section at Bishop Auckland Cricket Club. It's 20 years since I wrote in this newspaper that it was time a certain pair of forty somethings made way for younger talent in the club's first team. Now I see they're back in the side at a combined age of 132.

In the meantime Bishops have produced a couple of first-class cricketers in Gary Wigham and Steve Chapman. But both are now plying their trade with other Durham clubs and Bishops have swiftly declined from champions to chopping blocks in the NYSD League.

I suspect it's not the old stagers who are to blame as they point to a lack of commitment among the younger generation. Had that commitment existed they would have applied and been accepted into the North East Premier League, which is where they ought to be.