By Thrasy Petropoulos BBC Sport Chester-le-Street

"Sorry, pet, you can't stand there."

Cricket had definitely arrived in the north east.

In the distinctive accent of the region came the distinctive orders of a Test match steward.

Chester-le-Street was doing its level best to give the impression it was an old hand at this Test match business.

But this was no ordinary day in English cricket.

"Hi there. I'll catch you later," Durham's Paul Collingwood said as he rushed through the main gates at the same time the umpires were heading to the middle for the opening session.

I wouldn't care if we were playing a Mars XI, I'd still be here Riverside spectator on Durham's Test debut

"I've got to catch this first ball" - perhaps not the best choice of words given his left arm was still in a sling after dislocating a shoulder in a pre-season friendly.

What Collingwood wanted to catch was the mood of the first ball being bowled at the first new English Test venue for more than a century.

And some 8,000 spectators - a healthy number, if 3,000 short of ground's temporary capacity, clearly agreed.

"I've been tearing off each day of my calendar counting down to this day," said one enthused local.

"I wouldn't care if we were playing a Mars XI, I'd still be here."

"This is the chance we've been waiting for to put cricket above football, which is nothing less than a religion here," said another.

Test cricket at the Riverside with Lumley Castle in the background

For others, it was just the pride of the north east being in the public eye that meant most of all.

"My dad worked in a colliery not far from here and he lived for cricket.

"Those were different times. It's about time we were able to show our pride in a new, forward-looking development, in the area.

"I just wish he was around to share the moment."

In the midst of it, there were some Zimbabweans, wondering what all the fuss was about.

"Given what's going on in our country at the moment, we'd be happy to be playing cricket anywhere," said one.

"In fact, we'd be happy just to be anywhere if that meant we were out of Zimbabwe.

"I wish Robert Mugabe was at the Riverside, just to see what's possible if money gets spent in the right way.