Love affair continues

Signed this year when Simon Katich became unavailable because of his inclusion in the Ashes tour party, Love scored 1,364 championship runs at an average of 50.51 As Katich's commitments with the national squad are again expected to rule him out, Love was invited back for a second season and promised an answer before the end of November.

"We had agreed terms before he left," said chairman Bill Midgley. "His only concern was how his body would cope with playing cricket all year round, but he says he's fine.

"He got on very well with the rest of our players and is keen to come back. We have sent him a contract to sign and hope to get it back shortly."

Next season's fixtures were released yesterday and for the fourth successive season Durham's first championship match is at home, starting on April 19 against Middlesex.

Having finished this year on September 9, next season they will still have three championship matches to play starting on September 6, while at the height of the season they will play only ten days' cricket between July 14 and August 16.

"We haven't been involved in the final round of championship games for the last two years," said Midgley. "With promotion and relegation it might be important to know what you have to do on the last day, so we made the point that we didn't want to finish early again.

"It's not ideal starting early in this part of the world, as we saw with the snow two years ago. But we have to be grateful for what we have got."

For the first time in ten years of first-class cricket Durham didn't use an outground last season, but they are likely to take the championship match against Derbyshire to Darlington on July 10-13. They also asked Stockton if they would be interested and the decision is likely to hinge largely on finance.

"It costs £10,000-15,000 to take a match to an outground," said Midgley.

"Usually local authorities or sponsors have helped, but clubs are now finding it more difficult to come up with the finance.

"We will have to take a more relaxed view, but we won't be going for nothing. It may be a case of working out which is the best offer, but we will also listen to the coaches in terms of where they want to play.

"Darlington has a good track record for us. It may be fortuitous, but we seem to have had some good wins there."

Midgley said Sunderland, Hartlepool and Stockton had also been sounded out about staging a one-day game.

"We can take a later decision on that one," he said.

"We need to know more urgently that we can take the four-day game to an outground because it falls shortly after the one-day international against India at the Riverside."

Durham again start with a three-day first-class match against Durham University on April 13 and straight after the Benson & Hedges group games they have a one-day game against Sri Lanka at the Riverside on May 7.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire have still been unable to fix up a definite date on which to meet Darren Gough and discover if he is going to stay with the club.

When Gough first alleged that certain committee members were stabbing him in the back and that he may quit the club, Yorkshire said they would be informed of his decision within ten days.

But now that time has gone by and some committee members are concerned that Gough seems to be running things instead of the club instructing him to attend Headingley and put his cards on the table.

Last Sunday, Gough claimed that some Yorkshire teammates, including Matthew Hoggard and Ryan Sidebottom, had pleaded with him to stay.

"It's about how I feel and what's best for me and my family," he said. "I can't drag this out. A decision needs to be made so my life can return to normal. I want it sorted out by the end of November.

Read more about Durham Cricket Club here.