Durham University Centre of Cricketing Excellence
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| Coach: | Paul Grayson |
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| Founded: | 2001 |
| Home ground: | The Racecourse |
| First-class debut: |
Durham in 2001 at Riverside |
Durham MCC University (previously known as Durham University Centre of Cricketing Excellence) is a cricket coaching centre based at Durham University in Durham, County Durham, England, and the name under which the university's cricket team plays.
The coaching centre is largely funded by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). As of 2012 (with the inclusion of Cardiff South Wales and Leeds/Bradford), they are one of six MCC University teams in England who are considered a first-class team when playing against other first-class sides. This means that a game against another university would not be considered first class; only matches against a first-class county are accorded this status. Durham are one of only two MCCU sides to be drawn from a single university (the other being Loughborough).
The cricket coaching at the MCCU was overseen from its inception in 2001 by coach and former Test player Graeme Fowler, the university’s head coach from 1996, until he stepped down in May 2015. Former Essex coach Paul Grayson was announced as the new coach in September 2015. The team's home ground is The Racecourse, Durham University's home ground since 1843 and famous for hosting Durham County Cricket Club's first first-class match in 1992.
Since obtaining first-class status in 2001, the university has produced a large number of cricketers who have obtained professional county contracts, while others such as James Foster have gone on to play international cricket. Prior to first-class status, players such as Andrew Strauss and Nasser Hussain played for the university's cricket club.
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