DURHAM have come a long way in the 20 years since the first match at their Riverside ground. And so has Paul Farbrace.

England’s assistant coach played in that inaugural match on August 2, 1994, as the wicketkeeper for Middlesex in a Second X1 Championship contest.

Although he was considered a skilful gloveman, his career with Middlesex and Kent amounted to only 40 firstclass games because of a lack of ability with the bat.

He moved into coaching, initially with the England women’s team, before returning to take charge of Kent. He had a stint as Yorkshire’s second team coach before leaving to coach Sri Lanka, a position he was able to leave abruptly as he was still serving his six-month probationary period when England came calling.

Farbrace scored 32 on Riverside’s opening day before Middlesex declared on 286 for nine, a total which was a relief for groundsman Tom Flintoft after they had quickly slipped to four for two.

Then aged 60, he had served his apprenticeship at Middlesbrough’s Acklam Park before going to work for Hampshire, where his award-winning efforts prompted Durham to sign him ahead of their move into first-class cricket.

“It’s a relief to see it playing so well,” said Flintoft.

“But I’m more pleased for Durham and the people who by Tim Wellock have waited so long.”

Harry Brind, the Test and County Cricket Board’s inspector of pitches, was there that day, as was the board’s assistant secretary Tim Lamb.

Both were impressed and Lamb said he expected to see Riverside stage Test cricket around the turn of the century.

Graeme Fowler captained Durham and the first ball was bowled by Jamaican Franklyn Rose, who was under consideration as the following year’s overseas player.

He didn’t impress sufficiently to be signed but went on to play in 19 Tests for the West Indies from 1997-2000.

Both opening batsmen, Jason Pooley and Toby Radford, were caught behind the stumps by Andy Fothergill. Pooley scored 1,335 first-class runs the following season, but faded from the scene within three years.

The same could be said for most of the Durham team, which read: G Fowler (capt), P J Wilcock, S Hutton, N J Trainor, D A Blenkiron, S D Birbeck, F A Rose, P J Berry, A R Fothergill, J P Searle, K Thomson.

The opposition included two players who died tragically young in paceman Neil Williams and Umer Rashid.

Williams, who was born in the West Indies but played in one Test for England against India at the Oval in 1990, died of pneumonia at the age of 43.

Rashid drowned aged 26 when trying to rescue his 18-year-old brother at Concord Falls, Grenada. A spin-bowling all-rounder, he had played in the same England Under 19 team as Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff.

He moved to Sussex and scored 106 for them at Chester-le-Street in 2001 before setting up victory by taking four for nine.

Batting at nine, Rashid scored 41 on Riverside’s opening day and Durham’s No 9, Fothergill, top-scored with 55 not out in a total of 250 for eight the following day. The third and final day was washed out.

One of the umpires, fittingly, was John Hampshire. Five years earlier, while coaching at the McEwans Cricket Centre near Houghton-le-Spring, he had observed that so many talented cricketers were coming out of Durham they ought to apply for first-class status.