Durham Men’s Head Coach Ryan Campbell reflected on his side’s promotion back to Division One as champions after they beat Middlesex by 93 runs, securing an immediate return at the first time of asking.
“There was so much disappointment last year, on that last day. It feels like yesterday, to be honest, but I’m pretty proud of how the club didn’t panic,” said Campbell.
“I know there was a lot of emotion at the time, and I was right at the forefront of it, but together with Marcus North, who’s not here now but must be commended for the way he led the group and Tim and Phil on the board, we sat down, and we made a plan, and we kept working, and we thought of everything.
“I think everyone was sick of my whiteboard at one point, but we came back with a way to get our players playing the best cricket that they can individually, and we knew that if we did that, we’re a good team, and what I’ve seen this year is us heading in the direction of where we want to be. So, happy and proud at the minute.”
On getting promoted in such a dominant fashion after how last season ended, confirming Durham’s return.
“It’s unfinished business. The disappointment of getting relegated when we all believed we had a really good squad and things would go our way. So that was a massive wake-up call for us, and to be the best, you’ve got to go up against the best.
“Our players as individuals need to be facing the best bowlers in the country, and the best batting has to go up against it, and all our guys want to play against those really good players. We’ve had some great tussles this year, and I know there’s improvement to be had, but that’ll be for another day.
“Let’s enjoy what we’ve done. Having done it with two games to go, for instance, just takes a lot of pressure off everyone. We can relax and enjoy each other’s company for these last two games. But it feels pretty good, to be honest.”
Durham were pushed by Middlesex to the last day, but a strong performance from all involved, which had been seen throughout the season, saw the team over the line on the final day.
“It was a workmanlike performance. I thought what changed the game was Ben Raine and Callum Parkinson with the bat. That 90-run partnership in the first innings really gave us a bit of leeway, and it proved, when we had our turn to bowl, that 250 was just a tad above par.
“This wicket is our best wicket; we know it plays true. It gives everyone a chance, if you’re bowling and if you’re batting. So, we just had to stay in the game, and then Ben McKinney comes out and bats the way he does, which again is another moment where you look and think that kid continues to improve, and he’s exciting.
“I thought Brydon Carse was fantastic with the ball. I always felt we had enough. Harry Duke batted beautifully, and great stuff to him for his first hundred, but I think we always had the game well in hand.
“We always think both teams need to bat, but there was enough sideways movement that I thought we were going to be a handful on this, and again there were moments when their guys batted quite well. There was that partnership on the second morning, but we stayed patient, and when we started to roll, it went really quickly. You always want more, but I think that one little batting bonus point just gave us a little bit of a pep up. But ultimately, you got to bowl well, and that’s what we did.”
With games remaining, Campbell doesn’t want his side to rest on their laurels and push on to try to break league records.
“That’s going to be a challenge for me. I’ll be honest, because I reckon there’ll be a lot of smiles and happiness going around, but the fact is we’re here to win games of cricket. We’ve come so far that we don’t want our standards to slip.
“We’ll probably welcome back Ben Stokes and Matthew Potts into our team next week. We won’t be taking our foot off the accelerator. If teams want to come here and take on the so-called champs, they’re going to have to be good because we’re going to come all guns blazing.
“After all, there are little things we want to get the most points for the year of any team; that’s something we can aim at and with one eye on next year, our preparation is about that for individuals. Look, I say that it’s going to be a bit of a fun couple of weeks as well, but I’m pretty sure we’ll play some good cricket in between.”