The United Kingdom has now been in lockdown for seven weeks and Durham should have been underway at The County Ground taking on Derbyshire in the County Championship today.
With the Durham squad at home working on their fitness, we take a look at what they have been getting up to from their back gardens and beyond.
Ned Eckersley has spent the past five weeks volunteering at RFC Recreation Club in Hampstead London. The recreation club is normally used as a sports hall however it was converted into a free supermarket for the NHS staff at the Royal Free Hospital.
Ned and members of his family signed up to volunteer and have been doing so for 5 weeks, collecting and stocking deliveries and working in the evening club.
Ned said: “The sacrifices and dedication shown by all NHS staff up and down the country over this difficult time has been extraordinary. Volunteering has allowed me to show my thanks and gratitude for all they have done and continue to do for so many. To see them leave the makeshift supermarket, after or before a 12-hour shift, with a smile has been the best part of the past 5 weeks.”
Chris Rushworth has completed a half-marathon to raise money for Solan Connor Fawcett Family Cancer Trust. The 13-mile run took Chris just 1 hour and 52 minutes, with the Durham bowler raising over £3,000. The money raised will support 180 families in the North East, providing food and care for families dealing with cancer.
In addition to his charity work, Rushy has also been hosting weekly coaching sessions in his back garden for young cricketers in the region alongside his two children, Henry and Emily.
In addition to the weekly sessions live on Facebook, Chris has also set up a YouTube channel to provide a wide range of drills and exercises from the kids to beginners.
If you want to have a watch and take part you can check out Chris’ YouTube channel.
Scott Steel is also taking part in charity fundraising, him and his partner are completing in a charity bike ride to raise funds for East Rainton Cricket Club, a club he grew up around when he was younger. Scott and his partner will bike ride from York to Scarborough and back, with funds going to support the cricket club over this Coronavirus pandemic.
TikTok has become the social media sensation over lockdown. With families and couples filming themselves dancing or performing, the app has become even more popular in recent weeks. A number of the Durham squad got involved in creating a short video clip, on the back of what should have been the close of play against Nottingham.
You can watch the clip here and listen to the lads signing “Blaydon Races”
@DurhamCricket what another great win. 2 from 2. Great start to the season…….. pic.twitter.com/8yLGHigILw
— Chris Rushworth (@ChrisRush22) April 22, 2020
With cricket on hold, lockdown has given the players the perfect chance to work on a skill or develop a current one. Durham slow-left arm bowler Liam Trevaskis has been busy creating his own blog, producing both written and audio content.
The blog called ‘A road to First-Class Cricket’ looks at Liam’s road to first-class cricket and a glimpse into how other professional cricketers have made the step into the professional game.
Trevaskis has interviewed a wide range of cricketers on the county circuit including Durham’s Scott Steel, Worcestershire’s Adam Finch and Nottinghamshire Cricketer Liam Patterson-White.
Check out ‘A road to First-Class Cricket’ here.
Cameron Steel is currently working through online courses in Journalism and Finance. Steel is back in Australia and with lockdown being eased, he is keeping himself busy. Having wrote an article for the Durham website last month, Steel is learning topics that include, interview techniques, varied article types and journalism ethics. Keep an eye out for future articles from Cameron on our website. Cameron is also enjoying tennis and some stand-up paddle boarding.
For those of you that watched our last Access Pass Episode Gareth Harte has continued to work on his online business over the lockdown period. As an affiliate marketer, Gareth has been promoting and selling other companies’ products and services. He has developed his own website, which you can check out here.
Jack Burnham has been helping out at his parents’ allotment, he has helped erect a new fence, plant vegetables and lay decking down in his back garden. This has been keeping Jack busy in addition to working on keeping fit.