Durham promoted to Division One after Leicestershire batting blowout

Sep 12, 2023 at 6:27 AM

Durham have secured promotion again to Division One of the County Championship, seven years after they have been relegated as punishment for monetary mismanagement.

The runaway Division Two leaders should not in motion within the ongoing spherical of the Championship, however such is their lead over the groups under them, promotion as champions is all however a mathematical certainty with two video games remaining.

Leicestershire’s dismissal for simply 108 of their first innings at Hove, giving them zero batting factors, means they can’t catch Durham. Worcestershire, who additionally haven’t got a recreation this week, are 44 factors behind in second, with Durham needing simply 5 extra factors to be assured of the title.

The purpose of returning to Division One has been achieved in head coach Ryan Campbell’s first season in cost – he mentioned in April that his goal for Durham was “to be the best team in England” – and ends a run of disappointment for the county system’s most-northerly facet.

Durham have been demoted to the second tier in 2016, regardless of ending fourth in Division One, with the ECB imposing a 48-point penalty in return for a £3.8 million bailout.

This season, they’ve gained six out of 12 video games, shedding simply as soon as, to go clear on the high of Division Two. They at present have the main run-scorer in both division in Alex Lees (1281), in addition to Division Two’s joint-leading wicket-takers, Matthew Potts and Ben Raine (51 every).