Earl's floodlight protest puts Durham future in jeopardy

The Earl of Scarbrough is a prominent opponent of Durham's plans to install floodlights at their Chester-le-Street ground in a protest which, if successful, could bring an end to international cricket in the north-east and put the county's cricketing future in jeopardy.

Durham are the only county staging international cricket that does not possess floodlights, which have been funded with the support of the ECB in anticipation of their three fixtures in the 2019 World Cup.

They are also essential for Durham to take advantage of the NatWest Blast Twenty20 tournament, which is prospering most readily at grounds able to introduce later starts and floodlit cricket.

The decision next week from Durham County Council will have serious ramifications for Durham who recently secured £5.6 million in funding from Durham County Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership to offset sizeable debts and secure the future of international cricket in Chester-le-Street.

All this does not impress upon the Earl of Scarbrough - also known as Richard, Viscount Lumley - who owns Lumley Castle which sits imposingly above the stadium and which has been the historic seat of the family for more than 600 years.

It describes itself rather grandly on its own website as "a magnificent monument to a bygone age of chivalry and honour" although the suspicion now lingers that family pursuits have surrounded falconry and hunting (a former Earl died when he fell off a horse) rather than cricket.

Lumley Castle now operates as a luxury hotel specialising in weddings and Elizabethan banquets - although there seems to be little chance of Durham gaining preferential group rates now that the Earl of Scarbrough has joined 100 objectors to the proposals.

Durham, who laid the plans before Durham County Council after full public consultation, have stated: "This is now the only international cricket ground in the UK that doesn't have permanent floodlights, which are essential for the club to continue to host international matches and tournaments, including the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

"The proposal is for six permanent floodlights, measuring 55 metres in height, spaced evenly around the ground which will be used around 20 times per season. The lights have been designed to minimise light spill and concentrate lighting onto the ground, and our proposal represents the most effective solution taking into consideration the sensitivity of the setting."

Earl of Scarbrough is a peerage created in 1690 for Richard Lumley, 2nd Viscount Lumley., who was one of the "Immortal Seven" who invited William of Orange to invade England and depose his father-in-law James II. The archaic spelling of Scarbrough, rather than Scarborough, is held by some to be due to a clerical error in the Lord Chancellor's office.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire have no plans - or at least no plans that we know of - to install floodlights for the Scarborough Festival.