Durham-Essex game at Darlington hailed as 'fantastic'

Last Sunday, those same fans got to witness the former captain take to the field at their local ground - Darlington Cricket Club - which hosted Durham as they played Essex.

It was a momentous occasion – it isn’t often that a county cricket game graces the South Terrace.

In fact, the last time they hosted a match of this magnitude at Feethams was 2002.

Now, much of Stokes’ recent career at the crease has felt sped up - quite reminiscent of England’s top order last winter - but for Darlington Cricket Club’s chair, Gloria Howells, this moment had been years in the making.

“Durham actually approached me in 2020 wanting to hold a one-day game, but that kind of never materialised due to Covid," she said.

"The fact that six years later it has actually happened is quite cool.

“It was a fantastic atmosphere and great to see the venue full – it’s the first time we’ve hosted a game since 2002, so to see a sell-out of 1,400 spectators was great.

"The ground itself was actually controlled by Durham, with the club providing all the stewards, but we did ask them to open the gates half an hour earlier than usual (9.30am) to minimise the disturbance for local residents.”

The sold-out crowd at Durham-Essex last weekend (9th August) (Picture: Darlington Cricket Club) (Image: Darlington Cricket Club)

The atmosphere was, unsurprisingly, electric in the lead-up to the game with fans anxiously awaiting the first ball. In true cricketing fashion, it rained. Hard.

Thankfully, due to several reasons - mainly Stokes- the crowd remained upbeat and when the rain died down and the wicket dried, play was underway.

Durham ultimately went on to win by 20 runs to all-but cement their place in the One Day Cup knockout stage.

While the Stokes effect was evident from the moment tickets went on sale, the reason for his popularity quickly became clear as the light dimmed.

The all-rounder spent several minutes at the barrier to the crowd signing t-shirts and bats, a move that Darlington’s first ever female chair believes will have a lasting impact on the next generation of the town's cricketers.

She said: “He clearly appreciated that they were young cricket fans, and I can already see a buzz around the local youth.”

For now, the game is seen as a one-off fixture and part of Durham’s wider effort to play more games across the region.

Durham Operations Director Chris Tettley said: “It was a fantastic day at Darlington Cricket Club and even better with Durham coming out on top in a big game.

"To return to Darlington Cricket Club for the first time in over 20 years was special and the crowd got to witness an exciting game of 50 over cricket.”

Durham’s attention now turns towards the rest of their Metro Bank One Day Cup season, and rather fittingly they were playing Worcestershire while Ms Howells spoke to The Northern Echo - and of course she “had her fingers crossed” for another Durham win.

Darlington’s attention, however, is on next year with their 200-year celebration on the horizon.

The first female chair of Darlington Cricket Club Gloria Howells. (Image: Stuart Boulton) (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Having grown up opposite the club and her dad - a former treasurer - the chair for the past 11 years is unlikely to keep celebrations quiet, intending to bring together past and present players next April.

The celebrations also come in a year when South Terrace has been awarded the honour of hosting the Kerridge Cup Final, the region's premier knockout competition.

But it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Darlington Cricket Club though, with fears continuing to grow that the ground itself has become ‘lost’ amongst the town.

Little to no signage exists from the main road, and while the club continues to promote events and merch on social media, their attempts to increase signage seem to be at an impasse.

Mrs Howells said: “We try very hard on social media to gain publicity – obviously the Durham game was sold out – but I do think the club has lost impact amongst locals. It is very poorly signed, and we have actually asked for a brown sign directing people several times, but nothing seems to come of it.”

Now, let’s not get this wrong – the weekend was a big success.

Darlington Cricket Club not only survived when hosting a county game - it thrived.

It’s an achievement that somehow radiates through the phone as Mrs Howells goes through the usual pleasantries at the end of an interview.

Before the phone hangs up, though, she leaves two statements.

The first?

 A thank you to the fans for their continued support and positive feedback.

The second?

The answer to the question every local is asking – will Darlington host a county game again?

“Let’s hope so,” she says.