11 hours ago
5
2025 season: Ninth in Division One (relegated)
Martin Emmerson - BBC Radio Newcastle
Durham find themselves in Division Two once again, just a couple of years after going up.
The last time they were relegated – due to poor form – they won only two Championship games. That was in the summer of 2000.
After beating (eventual title winners) Notts in May last year, they appeared to be heading in the right direction, but as it turned out, that was it. They did not win another match and were relegated after a disastrous final day in Leeds.
Knowing Hampshire had already lost to Surrey, Durham only had to bat out the day to survive. Yorkshire were already safe. The visitors did not even make tea.
Coach Ryan Campbell signed a new two-year contract a few weeks earlier. It seems relegation came as a shock and he said he had lots of sleepless nights after it.
For me, it had been coming for months. The inability to win games was apparent by July as draws started to turn into defeats. It was yet another season where they struggled to keep bowlers fit and too many batters struggled.
In 2024, David Bedingham was the leading batter in the country, but a toe injury early in 2025 saw him sidelined for weeks. He was then on international duty and when he did return to Durham, he had little form to speak of. Bedingham is back for a seventh season this year and I hope he can re-discover his spark.
We saw little of Sam Conners, with the bowler injured when the campaign began, while fellow new signing Will Rhodes struggled with the bat.
As for this season, West Indian bowler Kemar Roach has signed for the first part of the campaign.
He has won three county titles. He is now 37 and I am keeping my fingers crossed he does not suffer the curse of the overseas bowler in Chester-le-Street. It strikes frequently.
Kasey Aldridge agreed a three-year deal last summer, following a successful spell on loan from Somerset in the T20 Blast. No doubt when he signed he would have been expecting to play Division One cricket this year.
Durham also signed 20-year-old quick Archie Bailey from Gloucestershire. I have heard good reports about him but he has only played five first-class matches to date.
After relegation in his first season as skipper, Alex Lees remains in the role which has surprised a few people.
He has certainly got his work cut out if Durham are to become a winning team again. Of their two wins last season, one was against fellow relegation side Worcestershire.
I remain sceptical about Durham's chances of promotion. I would be more than happy to see them go up.
But, while some fans expect a quick return to Division One, there are others who point to the experiences of Kent and Lancashire last season instead.
It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.
