Call for Test match boycott

Officials say there can be no protest inside Durham's ground

Protestors have called for a total boycott of England's Test match game with Zimbabwe in County Durham.

The call follows a decision by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to deny campaigners any demonstration inside Durham Cricket Club's ground at Chester-le-Street.

Earlier this month, exiled victims of President Robert Mugabe's regime staged a noisy protest at Lord's cricket ground in London.

Dozens of demonstrators played and sang in the rain while they held placards outside the ground.

The Stop the Tour campaign wants to mount similar demonstrations at Chester-le-Street, but talks with Durham Cricket Club broke down.

A spokesman for the campaign, whose supporters include human rights activist Peter Tatchell, said: "We have had a final word from Durham County Cricket Club and the ECB that no protest will be permitted inside the ground.

"The ECB have not taken heed of the reasonable requests that this campaign has negotiated and deny any form of protest within the ground.

Organised protest

"We are now calling for a total boycott of the game in sympathy for the people of Zimbabwe and the regimes tactics against their own people."

Campaigners say the millions of potential television viewers "have a right" to see an organised protest against the Zimbabwe regime during the five-day Test, which begins on 5 June.

But cricketing officials say the Zimbabwe team are not "ambassadors" of the Zimbabwe government and the test series should proceed unhindered.

Bill Midgeley, chairman of Durham County Cricket Club, said any demonstration inside the ground was "unacceptable".

He said: "Whilst this match is taking place at our ground it is not our match, it is an international match and comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board.

"We have never taken issue with the message they are trying to put across, but we do believe there is an alternative way of doing it which will not disrupt cricket.

"The last thing we want to see on the first day of our Test is any invasion of the pitch or disruption to cricket."