Sportblog | The Guardian — Durham RSS



Durham’s downfall has roots in ECB’s encouragement of entrepreneurship | Vic Marks

There is much sympathy for Durham following their relegation to Division Two and, having been encouraged to speculate by the governing body, it is justifiedThe majority of the cricket world has great sympathy for the plight of Durham – though there may well be a few discreet smiles in the Southampton region – and much of that sympathy is justified. They are regarded more as victims of an entrepreneurial England and Wales Cricket Board than spendthrift villains.Since Durham satisfied one of the criteria of becoming a first-class county two decades ago, which was to build a new stadium in their county, they have been an adornment to the professional game. They have won three County Championships, produced more than their...

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Ian Botham wants to be the spark that helps relight Durham’s fire | Ali Martin

Riverside old boy keen to provide the jolt that helps keep his final county, the three-times champions, in the public consciousnessDurham issued a statement of gratitude on Tuesday afternoon for a landslide of support from the wider cricketing family following their relegation to Division Two in exchange for a £3.8m bailout, describing the response over the previous 24 hours as “beyond comprehension”.The news that the County Championship’s most northerly club will, for reasons beyond their on-field performance, start the 2017 season at the bottom of the pile with a 48‑point deficit certainly shocked all who heard it on Monday. Football, the north-east’s first love, is well used to such scenarios. But cricket? The summer sport has never before witnessed such a...

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