You had to be involved at the time of Durham’s emergence from minor counties cricket to appreciate the enormity of Don’s involvement in the whole scheme.
To be the first new county for 70 or 80 years was a big thing in its own right, but the practicalities of getting the finance and the ground in place were vital to us having a realistic chance of succeeding.
A tremendous amount of balls were up in the air at the same time, but Don remained completely focussed throughout the process and at the same time he progressed his business as well as his political career.
It was amazing to be on hand to witness his mental and physical energy and the way he was able to pull things together. He really was a remarkable man.
Don became chairman of the club as it moved towards the end of the minor counties years, and he drove us forward to our first-class status.
He had a ferocious energy and a determination to satisfy his vision. No matter the size of the hurdles that got in his way, he always felt he could surmount them.
One of the reasons he wanted to get Durham into first-class cricket, and the biggest driver other than bringing first-class cricket to the region, was his desire to see young people get satisfaction out of the game.
A lot of lads from Durham had been away to other counties – names that are too numerous to mention – but Don wanted them to have a chance of succeeding in their own backyard.
That was the driving force behind Durham, and over the years he’ll have taken immense pleasure in the number of local players who have performed at a first-class level for the club and, further afield, for England.
Underpinning a lot of those careers was Don’s energy, passion and vision.
He was formidable, but he had a lot of warmth and he was a caring person.
Don also had great depth to his character, and I feel honoured to have been alongside him for the best part of 20 years while this incredible scheme of his came to fruition.