If I ever needed confirmation of why it is I enjoy cricket so much then the County Championship match between Durham and Warwickshire at Chester-le-Street was the perfect reminder. Four days of tough competitive action, culminating in a thrillingly tense conclusion - what's not to love? Here is what unfolded as Stephen and I savoured a North East sporting getaway...
- John Smith's Brewery, Tadcaster -
Warwickshire's 2025 cricketing campaign had got off and running with a home draw against Sussex, but it was still with some trepidation that Stephen and I headed northwards - County Durham in mid-April is not known for the warmest temperatures although the weather looks set to smile on us with plenty of sunshine. Our initial drive up via the A38, M18 and A1(M) is punctuated by a stop at Tadcaster, that timewarp Yorkshire town which is dominated by the presence of two major breweries (John Smiths and Samuel Smiths). Mr B Senior's love for a pint of Beardsmore Bleach is a matter of public record so it seems only fitting that we should see where his favourite drink is made - cue imposing pictures of this bastion of Bitter.
- Tadcaster Albion Football Ground -
Elsewhere in Taddy, we try our hand at River Wharfe fish-spotting (even a novice like me can tell there are some big scaly specimens swimming around in there) before stumbling upon the Young Guns Arena home of Tadcaster Albion AFC. A hearty lunch comes at 21 High Street, a leisurely setting for tucking into the lamb and vegetable Pie of the Week complete with onion gravy - just be careful not to splatter said sauce all over your shoes like I did! Atmospherically derelict properties entice us around by St Mary's Parish Church where I'm intrigued that the chartered accountants firm Haighton, Smith & Dewar only seemingly worked on Thursdays.
- Chester Le Street Town FC -
A further A1(M) trundle via Scotch Corner and the edges of Darlington gets us to Chester-le-Street by teatime, checking in at the Travelodge on Chester Moor as our base for the week. Once we've settled in, we can get to grips with the A167 and surroundings by seeking out a couple of evening pints. Chester le Street Town FC are known as the Cestrians and play at the Moor Ground immediately behind our hotel; their clubhouse proves a very friendly spot for a glass of Caffreys, even if the less said about the team's recent league performances the better! The last time Stephen and I were in this neck of the woods was way back in 2010 but our favourite pub from that holiday - the Butchers Arms - seems as wonderful as ever with a cracking lineup of cask ales, most notably Double Maxim as brewed in Houghton-le-Spring.
- Play underway at the Riverside -
Friday 11th April sees the game commence at the Riverside Stadium, a modern arena in the shadows of Lumley Castle (and currently sponsored by Banks Homes). Durham have won the toss and elected to bat, compiling 343/7 by the close of play. The backbone of their innings is an excellent unbeaten 143 by young opening batsman Ben McKinney, playing with a maturity belying his 20 years of age. Emilio Gay and David Bedingham also make useful contributions while the pick of the Bears bowling attack is Michael Booth who takes three wickets and looks quite a handful. An adopted perch at the Finchale End will do us for the duration of the match.
- Farmer's Blonde in the Butchers Arms -
Strangely enough, Chester-le-Street town centre seems quieter on a Friday night than it had done on the Thursday, not that this deters us from trying a couple more hostelries. The High Crown and Lambton Arms both serve up cheap rounds of John Smiths; the former is a Craft Union affair getting into the Masters golf from Augusta, the latter is a handsome hotel halfway down Front Street where Burnley vs Norwich is the footballing entertainment. The lure of the Butchers Arms again cannot be ignored, so we make that our final port of call for the day in which case a fresh cask of Bradfield Farmer's Blonde makes for great quaffing. Here we get chatting to a fellow Bear (also called Paul) about our hopes for the week - great conversation provided we overlook the fact he's an Aston Villa fan!
- The Slip Cordon wait to pounce -
Onto Saturday 12th April and the home side still seem to be in the ascendancy, ultimately reaching 387 all out as boosted by a swashbuckling Matt Potts half century (McKinney was dismissed for 153). Warwickshire's reply is in danger of disintegrating at 157/6 following a clatter of middle order wickets so it is the unlikely duo of wicketkeeper Kai Smith (79) and the aforementioned Michael Booth (50 not out) who steady the ship somewhat, a close of play tally of 287/8 meaning the Bears are still in the game albeit exactly 100 runs behind.
- Is this an ice cream van I see before me? -
Being at the cricket is not merely about the on-field action though. Part of the charm is having a bit of banter with our fellow spectators, the strolls around the ground during the lunch and tea intervals, and the general escape from the daily grind of work. On a personal level I am keen to exorcise a traumatic memory from 2010, when Warwickshire subsided so quickly on the final morning that the ice cream van had screeched off before I'd had chance to get a consolatory flake. Mr Whippy was not going to get away so fast on me this time and the resultant lunchtime 99 cornets would become an integral part of our daily routine.
- Colpitts Hotel, Durham -
For our Saturday evening endeavours, Mr B and I took the Angel 21 bus service to Durham, a journey that takes only about twenty minutes via Pity Me, Framwellgate Moor and the Arnison Centre retail park. Dusk is already descending so any Durham sightseeing is put on hold in favour of getting three pub ticks: Ye Olde Elm Tree and the Station House (literally beneath a landmark railway viaduct) both have excellent recent pedigree as regards collecting CAMRA certificates, and ales such as Northern Pale and Jack the Devil cannot be faulted. My heart however is stolen by the Colpitts Hotel, a gorgeous unspoiled Samuel Smiths establishment where the interior has changed little since 1836. XXX Best and a curious gallery of supposed 'Bishops of Durham' make for a highly memorable visit.
- A Booth Blast but Durham's lead grows -
Progressing nimbly into Sporting Sunday (13th April), my thoughts are not just on happenings beside the River Wear but also on what might occur at Molineux and Augusta National. To the cricketing aspects first though: Warwickshire's overnight 287/8 is converted into 325 all out, a deficit of 62 runs, with Booth finishing unbeaten on 58. That man simply can't be kept out of the limelight as he takes the first four wickets in Durham's second innings, reducing them to 64/4 which in turn becomes 125/6 after a scalp apiece for Ethan Bamber and Ed Barnard. An annoying partnership between Bedingham and Ben Raine (81) swings the pendulum back the other way, enabling the home side to declare on 276/8 and set Warwickshire 339 to win.
- Chester-le-Street Cricket Club -
That target feels like a tall order - especially with an inexperienced batting lineup - but a tricky four overs are negotiated through to the close of play and all results are very much possible. After a Wetherspoons Wicket Gate tea, we relocate to Chester-le-Street Cricket Club for the evening with their clubhouse being located off Ropery Lane. Wolves have beaten Spurs 4-2 for an astonishing fourth successive Premier League win, and then we can watch the drama develop at the Masters Golf where Rory McIlroy puts everyone through the wringer before eventually triumphing in a sudden death play off. Sporting immortality awaits him!
- 90/5: oh dear! -
Warwickshire winning at Durham probably doesn't quite rank alongside fulfilling a Grand Slam of the Golf Majors but it would certainly be an eye-opening result. Monday doesn't get off to the best of starts however; Rob Yates is clean bowled early doors, and despite captain Alex Davies scoring exactly 50, the lunchtime score of 90/5 has the Bears teetering on the brink. Thankfully Barnard and Smith combine for a crucial century stand, and the tension ratchets up a notch with every stolen single, every fallen wicket. Michael Booth makes a painstaking 40 but has his stumps splattered with 15 runs still to get, leaving the last wicket pair of Bamber and Vishwa Fernando trying to get us over the line. It's excruciating, it's compelling and it's... victory when Bamber smacks the winning six! What a wonderful advert for the game!
- Celebrating victory in the Crown Posada -
How do you follow a high such as that? By nipping over to Newcastle for more classic pubs of course! The Angel 21 is again on hand, this time via Birtley, Low Fell and Gateshead before crossing the iconic River Tyne, alighting by the Laing Art Gallery. We'd been recommended the Crown Posada by some friendly Durham fans and it does not disappoint with its green bench seating, stained glass and ceiling cartouches - such a stunning setting for a slurp of Brass Castle's Bad Kitty chocolate and vanilla porter. Equally as exciting is the Bridge Hotel on Castle Garth, itself a Grade II-listed gem where the Riverhead Deer Hill Porter matches such special surroundings. George Stephenson's High Level Bridge is slap bang next door.
- Bolsover Castle -
After all of that fun, Tuesday 15th April could have become something of an anticlimax but we liven it up with a homeward stop in the Derbyshire town of Bolsover. Noted for the Stuart-era aristocratic retreat that is Bolsover Castle, this proves an interesting place to break the slog, especially when we can grab a bite to eat in the Pillar of Rock Wetherspoons (the Welbeck Abbey Sligo oatmeal stout scores highly here). Other notable features include the cenotaph, St Mary & St Laurence Church and inns such as the Cavendish and the White Swan. The M1 and A38 can't detain us much longer and we're back in Wolverhampton by 4pm. Cheers!