Riverside Ground
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| Ground information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Chester-le-Street, County Durham | ||
| Establishment | 1995 | ||
| Capacity | 5000 (domestic) 19,000 (internationals) |
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| End names | |||
| Lumley End Finchale End |
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| International information | |||
| First Test | 5–7 June 2003: England v  Zimbabwe |
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| Last Test | 27–31 May 2016: England v  Sri Lanka |
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| First ODI | 20 May 1999: Pakistan v  Scotland |
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| Last ODI | 20 June 2015: England v  New Zealand |
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| First T20I | 20 August 2008: England v  South Africa |
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| Last T20I | 31 August 2013: England v  Australia |
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| Team information | |||
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| As of 27 May 2016 Source: Cricinfo |
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The Riverside Ground, officially referred to as the Emirates Riverside for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club, and has also hosted several international matches.
The club's acceptance into first-class cricket in 1991 was made conditional on the building of a new Test match-standard cricket ground. Work began on the new ground at the Riverside in a location overlooked by Lumley Castle in 1990, and development has continued in phases until the present day. Work on the outfield and playing surface began in 1993. In its first three seasons in the County Championship, the Club played in a variety of locations around the county, but the Riverside ground was pronounced ready for cricket in time for the 1995 season, even though many of the buildings were still temporary or unfinished. The ground hosted its first game, Durham vs. Warwickshire, on 18 May 1995.
Other facilities at the ground continued being built over subsequent years, and the club's Don Robson Pavilion was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1996. The full ground capacity, including permanent and temporary seating, is 17,000.
In September 2008 plans were announced concerning further developments to the ground. These included installing permanent floodlights, and extending the County Durham stand so that permanent seating surrounds the entire ground, raising the ground capacity to around 20,000. A new entrance building was also planned to house the box office and club shop, as well as offices for club officials, a new perimeter road and a hotel. These developments were seen as a necessity, as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have specified that they must take place in order for the ground to secure its status as a venue for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
In April 2015, planning permission was granted to erect six permanent 55-metre floodlights around the ground. Within weeks, the lights were in action as Durham Jets hosted the Yorkshire Vikings in a T20 Blast match.
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