DURHAM are hoping to receive final approval next month for the long-awaiting building of an indoor school at Riverside.

The decision is in the hands of Chester-le-Street district council, who own the proposed site for the school, which will also be available for community use.

It was essential to open it up to the public in order to earn a grant, but a reduction in the amount of Lottery money available to sport has contributed to an 18-month delay.

Although Durham are anxious to avoid the kind of disruption caused by the building of a leisure centre in a corner of the ground last year, they are hoping that work can go on through the summer and be completed in October.

The Durham players have been doing fitness training at the university's Maiden Castle complex this winter and holding nets in the new indoor school at the South Northumberland club in Gosforth.

"South North has been fantastic for us, but there can be traffic problems so the sooner our players can practise on site the better," said chairman Bob Jackson.

"The delay has been extremely disappointing. There has been a freeze on Lottery money while various changes have been sorted out, but thankfully our grant was already approved, so it's still available."

Durham are still waiting to discover how much of the season Shoaib Akhtar is likely to miss. He might not be available at the start of the season because Pakistan are to tour India, but the dates have not yet been clarified.

Pakistan are also said to be planning a training camp in Holland in late August ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy in England in September.

l Durham yesterday announced that Carlsberg Tetley are to continue as the club's preferred beer supplier. After signing the three-year renewal, chief executive David Harker said: "The deal reflects the fact that Riverside is now an established international venue and has an increased demand for conferences and banqueting."