Durham’s County Championship opener against Kent has been put on hold after Storm Dave ripped through Chester-le-Street in the early hours of Sunday, leaving parts of the Riverside Ground out of action.
Club staff arrived to find covers scattered across the square, a broadcast gantry on its side and sections of temporary fencing flattened. With safety top of mind, the gates stayed shut and, by mid-morning, the umpires had little choice but to abandon any thought of a prompt restart.
“Following Storm Dave hitting the North East in the early hours of Sunday morning, damage has been caused within the venue – therefore there will be no spectators permitted into the ground until further notice,” the club confirmed at 9.30 am. A second line in the same statement accepted that “play will not commence on time, and a further update will be provided in due course.”
For the moment, no one is willing to guess when – or even if – play can resume. The square is saturated and the collapsed camera gantry still needs removing before the ground can be declared safe. The umpires inspected again during the scheduled lunch interval, but with more drizzle drifting in off the North Sea, optimism remained thin on the ground.
From a cricketing point of view the timing could hardly be worse for Durham. Relegated last September, they had bossed the first two days here, rolling Kent for 197 and stretching their lead to 221 with eight second-innings wickets in hand. A swift conclusion looked on the cards; now the match could head for an unsatisfactory draw or, in the worst-case scenario, an abandonment that would leave both sides sharing the points.
Head coach Ryan Campbell kept his public comments brief, preferring to let the ground staff work. “The lads are frustrated, of course they are, but you can’t fight the weather,” he said while watching the clear-up from the players’ balcony. Kent captain Sam Billings echoed that view, adding, “Safety has to come first, for spectators and players alike.”
If the match does collapse completely, the ECB’s playing-conditions handbook suggests the fixture will not be replayed; the Championship schedule is too tight. That would cost Durham the chance to bank an early win, but at this stage the county’s priority is simply getting the ground back into shape for next week’s home fixture.
Ground authorities will reassess first thing Monday. Until then, supporters have been advised to keep an eye on the club’s social feeds and, sensibly, to stay indoors while Storm Dave finishes blowing itself out.
