WHETHER it is of any value to Durham - other than in the Oddity Stakes - to be the only first-class county to have a brass band will be ascertained on August 16.

That's when the Northern Proms will be held at Riverside with a view to discovering whether concerts can help the county's finances.

Board member Tommy Moffat, who has returned to blowing his own trumpet after 58 years of saving his breath, is the driving force behind the event.

"I played at school and was in the Silksworth Colliery Band," he said. "Brass bands are part of the culture of the North-East and I believe we should hang on to it."

He is now chairman of the Chester-le-Street Riverside Band, which evolved out of what was Pelton Fell Colliery Band before becoming the Newcastle Brown Ale Band under 27 years of sponsorship by Newcastle Breweries.

English National Opera stars Graeme Danby, Valerie Reid and Bethany Halliday will sing at the Northern Proms, when there will be a local flavour with songs like Lambton Worm, plus a finale of favourites like Jerusalem and Rule Britannia. The evening begins at 6pm and ends with a firework display at 10.30.

"We have sold 900 tickets, but we're hoping for a crowd of 2,000," said 73-year-old Moffat. "Durham are not in financial trouble but we need to find new income streams and want to use our facilities more. This is a trial.

"Once you have sold one of these events people keep coming back. It is costing £35,000-40,000 to stage it and it should be a wonderful night."

Further information is available on the ticket hotline (0191 387 5151).

NICKY Peng became only the fourth Durham player to be dismissed for 99 in a first-class innings on Thursday. He suffered the agony of getting out for 98 on his debut against Surrey in 2000, and Jon Lewis also has both a 98 and 99 on his record.

The latter was against Sussex at Riverside in 2001, when he edged Mark Robinson to slip one short of having his sponsored car upgraded for completing three centuries in the season.

John Morris was lbw to Devon Malcolm for 99 against his former county, Derbyshire, at Riverside in 1995, and Paul Collingwood fell one short of his ton at Cardiff last season when he tried to pull out of a hook and edged Mike Kasprowicz to the wicketkeeper.

THE absence of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Ali from the game at Derby prevented two former teammates from trying to outpace each other.

They played together for the Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan in 1995-96, when the Derbyshire man was known as Syed Bukhari. It was only last season that he decided he would prefer to be known by his middle two names.

Ali inflicted some damage when he made his championship debut against Durham last season, but has not exactly stung like a bee this year and is currently sidelined with a back problem. Shoaib should have recovered from his ankle injury in time to play at home to Somerset on Wednesday.

DERBYSHIRE have had a motivational talk from athletics coach Frank Dick. Presumably they weren't aware that he once worked with West Hartlepool Rugby Club, who have since suffered five successive relegations.

DURHAM'S least favourite umpire, Trevor Jesty, was in his usual form in the floodlit match at Hove last Tuesday. He gave four of them out lbw and only the last one, which sealed the eight-run defeat, was beyond argument.

MARTIN Love's trip back to Australia was not a complete waste of time as he was allowed to help himself to his maiden Test century before Australia declared against Bangladesh. Following his duck in the first Test he again had to go in at No 6 after Darren Lehmann and Steve Waugh had made centuries, but this time raced to 100 not out. The Test looked likely to finish ahead of schedule last night, but Love is not expected back in time to face Somerset on Wednesday.

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