THE NEW cricket season starts on Sunday with a mouth-watering fixture at Acklam Park where a Darlington Building Society North Yorkshire and South Durham League representative side take on Durham CCC’s second team.

The match will be played on a 40 overs per side basis and starts at 1pm.

The game pitches two outstandingly successful teams against each other as the national inter-league champions face the county second eleven title-holders – two sides who are unbeaten since 2007 in their respective competitions.

And Durham are expecting to field a strong side despite their first team playing at Lord’s against the MCC the same day. They will include some first team regulars such as Mark Davies, while the NYSD will be captained by ex- Durham player James Lowe and will feature Pakistan Test player Riaz Afridi.

The match will be the first cricket game at Middlesbrough since the completion of significant ground developments which have made the clubhouse one of the best on the North-East sporting scene.

Two weeks after this match the official opening of the new clubhouse and changing facilities takes place on April 26 with a Twenty20 cricket game between Middlesbrough and a Durham Select XI and a rugby match between the Boro’ and a Wooden Spoon Anti-Assassins Select XV.

Rory Underwood and Liam Plunkett are booked to unveil the plaque on that occasion.