County Ground work all completed before the start of the first home game on Tuesday

With the first home game of the season, against Glamorgan on Tuesday, just a couple of days away, the builders at the County Ground are busy putting the finishing touches to the various improvements that have taken place over the winter months.

The walls in St James Street are now complete and the metal railings at the top are in place. In the gaps between the walls where there are vertical rails, and dragon logos will be in place before Tuesday. The new turnstile entrances are also in place, along with the gateposts waiting for the Jack White Gates to be re-hung.

At the Priory Road entrance to the ground, new brick walls have been built, along with a new turnstile building, and new stone gate pillars and metal gateposts have been put in position. The entrance will be finished off with the new Sir Viv Richards gates, which will be officially opened by the great man himself on Sunday May 12th, the club's Golden Jubilee Day.

Peter Robinson, the Ground Safety Officer told me: "Apart from completing all of the re-surfacing work and one or two other small jobs, all of the rest of the work around the ground will be completed before the game against Glamorgan on April 30th."

He added with a smile on his face: "Of course what we don't want is for the Sky lorry to come into the ground on Monday and knock the Viv Richards gates down before they are officially opened!"