The day Durham won the title

The LV County Championship title went to the wire. Going into the last round, Nottinghamshire were top and had to hold their nerve against Hampshire to take the title. But, as Notts lost their way at Trent Bridge, Durham were sweeping Kent aside at Canterbury.

“We worked our knackers off to get that win,” says Durham keeper Phil Mustard, who started the season getting axed by England but made up for it by enjoying the most successful season in Durham’s history. “The party started once we got passed 400 [a lead of 175] because we knew Notts were struggling. When it came to the Saturday, we needed five wickets to clinch it. Once we got Justin Kemp out early doors, we knew we could finish it by lunch, and that’s when it really kicked off.

 “We got on the coach when Notts were about five wickets down, chasing 452, and one of the guys piped up on the bus and said, ‘This is what’s gonna happen: every time a wicket goes down you’ve gotta finish the drink that’s in your hand’. When it came to it, the last five wickets went down in quick succession – and we were drinking cans, not half-pints or anything like that. So by the time the ninth wicket went we’d had four downs in quick succession. There were a few people struggling.

“What made it even worse was, just as Tahir appealed for the last wicket, we went into the Dartford Tunnel and lost our signal. So for about three minutes we didn’t know if we’d won or not. It turned out we hadn’t, but as soon as we got out of the tunnel Shreck top-edged it and that was it. The party was just hotting up nicely then.

“It’s been great around town since: people have let us into pubs, they’ve let us do whatever. We had a members dinner on Monday night, and about 1000 members turned up just to see us pick up the trophy.”

Many of the 17 seasons since Durham were admitted to first-class cricket were spent propping up the table. That first year, 1992, a team of past-their-best big names finished bottom and it wasn’t until 1998 that the county even finished above 16th. Another veteran, David Boon, helped raise the county’s fortunes briefly in the late ’90s, but it was only with the promotion of 2005 that Durham finally become a force to be reckoned with.

Whatever the contributions of Durham’s canny signings in recent years, success has been based around a gang of local lads who came through their academy system, including Paul Collingwood, Steve Harmison, Graham Onions, Liam Plunkett and Mustard himself.  “We’re very close,” says Mustard. “We always go out together for a bite to eat and stuff. We’re just a young bunch of lads who enjoy a good time and share the bad times as well.”

Not that there were too many of those this year. Durham reached the semi-finals of the Twenty20 Cup and the Friends Provident Trophy and then clinched their first title. “It was great for people like Paul Collingwood and Steve Harmison – all the lads who played through the tough times, when we were getting beat every single week,” says Mustard. “Harmy’s a tough guy, but watching how beautiful it was and how much it meant to him was fantastic.

“The people of the North-east love their sport so much. We get a lot more newspaper coverage now, because we are the most successful team in the North-east. Newcastle aren’t doing very well. Sunderland have been up and down.

“You’ve gotta put a lot down to Geoff Cook. He’s a brilliant one-to-one coach, who understands exactly what people need. That’s how he got the best out of Stephen Harmison this year. Geoff knows exactly how to treat Harmy.”

Harmison was the star of the county season, taking 60 championship wickets, after being dropped by England in the winter. “Every time Harmy’s come back to Durham he’s bowled fantastic,” says Mustard. “He’s always enjoyed being here; he likes to get home and be with his family, and it’s same here: we’re like family to him. He enjoys it: he doesn’t get pestered by the media or by coaches. People just let him get on with what he’s got to do.

“There’s times where you’ll look at Stephen and you’ll think he’s not gonna get a wicket. You think, Harmy, have a break and come back later on. That’s happened a lot: he’s come back and been devastating in his next spell. The big one was against Yorkshire against Michael Vaughan: he came back and bowled a 14- or 15-over spell with serious pace, and he got Vaughan out. He knows that when we need a wicket he can produce it for the team.”

Not that he can do it on his own. The support of the seam-bowling pair of Callum Thorp and Mark Davies was crucial as the pressure mounted towards the end of the season. “They build pressure. That’s partly why Steve’s got all these wickets, ’cos those two have chipped away at the other end.”

So how did the biggest day in Durham’s history end? “We got back to Durham about 9.30,” says Mustard. “What state were we in? Er, not a very good one. After that, we had a table at one of the bars in Durham; it was a fantastic night.”