No Punts Intended: I don't like Cricket..

...but I loved this.

Way before we’d realised that the Scotland football team were due to play the Czech Republic in a Euro 2012 qualifier at Hampden Park on the same day. Sean and I agreed to head down to Durham CCC to watch England take on India in an ODI.

The ridiculously long, all day nature of Cricket meant a 10am start at The Emirates Riverside, Chester-le-Street. The knock on effect of which being that we had to board a train from Edinburgh's Waverley Station at 6:55am. After arriving at Durham (unlike the others I resisted the cans of lager during the train down south) we picked up a shuttle bus to the nearby Chester-le-Street and got entered the ground.

We managed to see a full morning’s cricket sat in the barmy Army stand (...which was less Barmy Army and more a designated area for local Stag do’s) before the rain came down shortly after lunch, about 8 overs (and two lost wickets) into England’s reply.

From the point of view of Sean and I, the timing worked out pretty well. The rain allowed us to walk into Chester and (eventually after stumbling into a TV less working mans club and feeling obliged to have at least 1 pint) find somewhere to watch the Scotland game. We found a sports bar (imaginatively named Chester’s) just in time to see Kenny Miller slot in Scotland’s first. Unfortunately Scotland were cheated out of a win by a useless bastard of a referee, but it didn’t stop us performing probably the most epic celebration of a Scotland goal that Chester-le-Street has ever seen, upon Scotland’s second hitting the back of the net.

More beers followed back in Durham before we stumbled back on to the train. It was a great day out, ultimately a piss up but tremendous fun nevertheless.

If you’re interested, the cricket got officially rained off and declared ‘no result’ at about 4pm.