A PRESTIGIOUS sporting trophy will be displayed at Beamish Museum today as its tour of the region continues.

The Cricket World Cup Trophy is visiting the open air attraction during a celebration of the game’s heritage.

People will be able to see the silverware this morning as part of the national tour, which included stops at Raby Castle and Durham Cathedral over the weekend, ahead of this summer’s Cricket World Cup.

The museum and Durham Cricket has teamed up with local schools to explore the history of cricket and take part in themed activities.

Pupils and their families are visiting Beamish as part of the project.

Beamish’s collection includes cricket bats and kit, as well as photographs of North-East teams.

Rhiannon Hiles, Beamish’s deputy director, said: “Many of the region’s pits had their own cricket clubs funded by the miners and many colliery villages had dedicated miners’ welfare land for community use to play games on.

“Cricket was a part of many people’s lives and still is, with those plots of land still being used today across the region for the game of cricket.

“It is really important to us to ensure that the activity and its history is told here at the museum and we are very pleased to host the World Cup Trophy on its travels.”