inconsistency in the years which followed although it was fitting that the final match between the teams in the Eastern Division of the Minor Counties Championship took place over the old Bank Holiday dates. This was at Gateshead Fell on 3 and 4 August 1991, Durham, led by Geoff Cook, winning by 10 wickets. The match ended on what would have been August Bank Holiday Monday. Durham’s opening first-class holiday fixture resulted in a win for Northamptonshire off the last ball of the match at Stockton in May 1992. It was Durham’s fourth match in the Championship and followed a resounding victory at Cardiff over Glamorgan, their predecessors as the junior county. By tea at Stockton on Saturday Northamptonshire were 218 for six but the game resumed in a north-east sea fret during which everybody got soaked. Ian Botham tried to persuade the umpires David Shepherd and Barry Meyer that they would be better off in the dry but play continued. David Ripley and Kevin Curran took full advantage to take the score to 342 for six by the close. Dean Jones made 157 for Durham in the follow-on, but Northamptonshire, needing 92 in nine overs, got home by eight wickets. Phil Bainbridge also battled hard for Durham and he made an unbeaten hundred at Headingley in August 1993 to help save the match against Yorkshire. The August Bank Holiday Monday of 1994 found Durham involved in a similar battle, this time at Portsmouth. Paul Terry’s 164 put Hampshire in the driving seat and although John Morris made 149 for Durham they were always chasing the game. Needing 341 on the final day, they were indebted to an unbeaten 159 by Jimmy Daley to steer them to 285 for seven and safety. The Spring Bank Holiday fixture in 1995 failed to reach the final day, Monday, Durham going down to a heavy defeat at Grace Road. Thus Durhammanaged to catch the swansong of the holiday games, which, more often than not found the Bank Holiday Mondays restricted to the final day – if the match lasted that long – rather than the first or second as in past times. That did not mean the cricket was lacking in quality: for example the fourth day of the Durham-Gloucestershire match at Chester-le-Street in May 2002 began with the visitors, following on 338 behind, on 44 for two. Seven were down for 177 before a rearguard innings from Jack Russell (78 not out) enabled them to save the game at 261 for eight. Late Holiday Deal for Durham 191