NO doubt we'll be accused of sour grapes, but it's hard to see how the England and Wales Cricket Board can justify selecting Glamorgan above Durham for an Ashes Test Match against Australia in 2009.

Inclusion in an Ashes series is a huge sporting prize, with an incalculable value for successful regions in terms of international exposure.

The Northern Echo was proud to back Durham's bid because it was an exciting one which deserved the support of the entire region.

And we can't help feeling that the county has been run out by a rather dodgy call.

The Riverside's emergence as a first-class ground has been a national model and it has served its time patiently.

Durham has proven experience of staging one-day internationals building up to Test Matches against less glamorous opposition than the Aussies, and an Ashes match is the logical conclusion of its progress.

Glamorgan does not have any Test track record at all and it is that fact which makes the choice of Cardiff such a puzzle.

The massive financial backing of the Welsh Assembly has clearly been crucial but this kind of prize should not simply go to the highest bidder.

Durham can be proud of its bid, continue to build on its solid foundations and prepare to show the ECB what it is missing when the Riverside stages the consolation West Indies Test next year.

There will not be another opportunity to compete for an Ashes Test until 2013, by which time the competition will be even hotter, with at least nine first-class venues all in the running.

By then, the ECB, which happens to be chaired by former Glamorgan chairman David Morgan, must reassess its selection policy.

At present, The Brit Oval, Lord's, Edgbaston, Headingley and Trent Bridge take their inclusion for granted.

In future, they should all have to work to justify their inclusion - regardless of tradition.