So now that the season is over in terms of promotion - I thought it would be worth discussing how things have gone in 2019. I had initially thought about calling the thread ‘Durham - The Post Mortem’ but then nobody has died and I feel like that would be far too negative in a season where I genuinely feel like we’ve made huge progress with regards to getting back to where we belong.
To have gone on an 8 game unbeaten run in the Championship, putting the side within touching distance of promotion despite losing our first four games was fantastic and but for a disastrous start we could be talking about a title charge, let alone promotion.
The white ball game isn’t my forte and admittedly, every season we’ve had where we didn’t win a white ball Trophy was instantly forgettable. This one will be no different, but I would like to see the club attempt to get D’Arcy Short back for next year.
On the subject of next year, I’d like to see a move for Bancroft or Latham - international calendar permitting. I alluded to it on the Borthwick thread, but there’s no question that our weakest suit is our batting and if we need to spend money anywhere it is on either an opener or a 3/4 batsman.
Eckersley has been a fine acquisition too, I look forward to his continual growth in the side - however the rest of the middle order remains a real issue. We’ve got about 6/7 players vying for positions 4-6 and in truth nobody seems to want to make any position in the middle order their own.
Rushy continues to prove his worth, I’ve ran out of superlatives to use to describe him and his performances.
Ben Raine has been a fantastic signing, easily the find of the season, but I would like to see more from him with the bat.
Aside from those two, we probably need a solid new ball bowler - Carse has threatened to emerge as that, but I still worry he’s just as likely to take 0-60 in 12 overs as he is to rip through the opposition.
There was a murmur elsewhere about Onions being a free agent this winter, I would be surprised if he returned going off the way he left and the cloud which seemed to hang over the whole saga - but Franklin wasn’t around then and so perhaps bygones can be bygones. Again, I can’t see it, but I’d be delighted now we’ve seen the benefit of hindsight regarding his resurgence at Old Trafford.
All in all, there’s much to be excited about, it feels as though we’re heading in the right direction and although there’s disappointment over the Northants defeat and the way the season has ended I’m positive on the whole. The end of this season has a lot of similarities for me, in terms of how I feel towards it as 2006 - we’re getting the right people in the right places and the feel good factor seems to be returning, it could all end up going nowhere I admit and maybe this feeling is just a bit of trapped wind - but I think we’re on the cusp of something really exciting again
Oh and I know we’ve still got one game left, I’m going and I intend to enjoy it thoroughly.
To have gone on an 8 game unbeaten run in the Championship, putting the side within touching distance of promotion despite losing our first four games was fantastic and but for a disastrous start we could be talking about a title charge, let alone promotion.
The white ball game isn’t my forte and admittedly, every season we’ve had where we didn’t win a white ball Trophy was instantly forgettable. This one will be no different, but I would like to see the club attempt to get D’Arcy Short back for next year.
On the subject of next year, I’d like to see a move for Bancroft or Latham - international calendar permitting. I alluded to it on the Borthwick thread, but there’s no question that our weakest suit is our batting and if we need to spend money anywhere it is on either an opener or a 3/4 batsman.
Eckersley has been a fine acquisition too, I look forward to his continual growth in the side - however the rest of the middle order remains a real issue. We’ve got about 6/7 players vying for positions 4-6 and in truth nobody seems to want to make any position in the middle order their own.
Rushy continues to prove his worth, I’ve ran out of superlatives to use to describe him and his performances.
Ben Raine has been a fantastic signing, easily the find of the season, but I would like to see more from him with the bat.
Aside from those two, we probably need a solid new ball bowler - Carse has threatened to emerge as that, but I still worry he’s just as likely to take 0-60 in 12 overs as he is to rip through the opposition.
There was a murmur elsewhere about Onions being a free agent this winter, I would be surprised if he returned going off the way he left and the cloud which seemed to hang over the whole saga - but Franklin wasn’t around then and so perhaps bygones can be bygones. Again, I can’t see it, but I’d be delighted now we’ve seen the benefit of hindsight regarding his resurgence at Old Trafford.
All in all, there’s much to be excited about, it feels as though we’re heading in the right direction and although there’s disappointment over the Northants defeat and the way the season has ended I’m positive on the whole. The end of this season has a lot of similarities for me, in terms of how I feel towards it as 2006 - we’re getting the right people in the right places and the feel good factor seems to be returning, it could all end up going nowhere I admit and maybe this feeling is just a bit of trapped wind - but I think we’re on the cusp of something really exciting again
Oh and I know we’ve still got one game left, I’m going and I intend to enjoy it thoroughly.