Yorkshire agree Scarborough deal

Scarborough Cricket Club and Yorkshire officials are putting the finishing touches to a contract that ensures Yorkshire play 10 days' cricket at the ground each year until 2020.

The news comes after six months of negotiations between the clubs to keep first-class cricket at North Marine Road, which hosted its first county match in 1874.

Yorkshire will continue to play two County Championship and two one-day league games each year at the venue, provided there are no changes to the domestic schedule.

Scarborough chairman Bill Mustoe told the Yorkshire Post: "The new 10-year agreement will be signed and sealed by the end of the week. It's just a question of dotting the 'I's and crossing the 'T's.

"It's great news for Scarborough cricket, Yorkshire cricket, Yorkshire's supporters and the town in general. The Scarborough Festival is one of the highlights of the year and we're delighted to have come to an arrangement with Yorkshire."

Scarborough, which pays Yorkshire 40,000-60,000 a year to host the games, has also emerged as a possible venue should Yorkshire reach the semi-finals of the Clydesdale Bank 40 League.

The club – six points clear at the top of Group B after nine victories in 10 matches – could not play a home semi-final at Headingley Carnegie on the scheduled date of Saturday, September 11.

The one-day international between England and Pakistan takes place at Leeds the following day, meaning Yorkshire would have to play elsewhere.

But Yorkshire say there could be a potential problem in terms of accommodating television trucks at Scarborough, and they plan to ask the England and Wales Cricket Board to intervene to resolve the situation.

Scarborough, however, last night insisted they were fully prepared to step into the breach.

"In the event that we were asked to stage Yorkshire's semi-final, we would be only too pleased to do so," added

Mustoe.

"Scarborough holds up to 10,000 people, so we would have no qualms whatsoever about staging a big match.

"There would have to be discussions about television arrangements, and that could be a potential problem with the broadcaster involved, but we would hope that something could be sorted out.

"It's basically something Yorkshire and the England and Wales Cricket Board will have to look at during the next few days, but we would be ready to step in and help Yorkshire out if possible."

No play was possible on day one of Yorkshire's County Championship match against Hampshire at North Marine Road.

Andrew Gale's men were denied the chance to further their title claims after heavy rain washed out proceedings.

Today's forecast is better, although there could be showers during the afternoon. Tomorrow looks the best day of the four, with Thursday also unpromising.

England, meanwhile, having lost the third Test at The Oval, head to Lord's for the final match of the series only 2-1 up and with Stuart Broad vowing to continue being aggressive.

Broad had his first significant brush with officialdom when he was fined 50 per cent of his match fee after throwing a dead ball back at Pakistan's wicketkeeper-batsman Zulqarnain Haider during the Test victory at Edgbaston.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of 'throwing the ball inappropriately', but feels he has moved on from an incident which exercised the attentions of International Cricket Council match referee Ranjan Madugalle.

"You have to have a part of you like that as a bowler – that fire in you to keep going," he said. "I love having those battles. I am certainly not going to rein back too much. It is important as a bowler that you always need to have a presence."