Congrats to Durham

[Notts Exile]

Originally Posted by pie_chucker

Some of the "bigger" clubs like Notts and even Surrey are struggling a bit because you cant keep "buying" players - you have to start bringing your own players through.

That's what worries me with Notts. However, comparison with Surrey is difficult. Surrey and Middlesex have a huge catchment area with millions of inhabitants. Notts competes with Leicestershire and Derbyshire for local talent and their combined catchment area is tiny compared to their southern counterparts and also Yorkshire and Lancashire. In that sense, Notts have punched way above their weight for years.

[pie_chucker]

This puts Surrey in an even worse light. How many quality young players have they brought through their own acadamy recently??

[engssmoothcriminal]

Originally Posted by pie_chucker

This puts Surrey in an even worse light. How many quality young players have they brought through their own acadamy recently??

Well I'm not sure exactly when he moved from Barbados to England and how much involvement Surrey have had in his devlopment but from all accounts this Chris Jordan is something of a special talent. Only 18 but can already crank up some pretty decent pace and apparently has the ability with the bat to one day move up into the top 6. Good to see that inspite of Surrey's perilous situation in the championship they have had the balls to promote him into the senior side and he hs already repaid their faith in him with some encouraging performances. Something that I greatly wish that the halfwit Greatbatch would do rather than scouring the locals leagues for second rate South Africans (no offense Alfonso) rather than give any of our promising U19 players a game.

[cantplaycantalk]

Another big thing that helps Durham to hold on to our youngsters is the cost of living. You can get a very nice house and standard of living up in this area on a cricketers wage. What would Surrey need to pay to match the same standard of living?

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by cantplaycantalk

What would Surrey need to pay to match the same standard of living?

We once made a brief foray into Surrey. Some of the estate agents just laughed when we asked about properties costing less than £250,000! Our first house-hunting trip took in Virginia Water, Sunninghill, Sunningdale, Wentworth, Windlesham, Ascot and Chobham: by the end of two hours we were thinking of buying a shed or caravan!

We did actually find somewhere in the end. It was a one bed starter home for £65,000... but by the time we left even that was £110,000... and with that you got less space than we had in our student days and a whole 10' of garden!

That was a decade ago... and even then, St. Peter's Hospital in Chertsey was paying porters to commute out from the east end of London by bus, tube, train and taxi: probably the closest affordable housing for an aspiring cricketer trying to land his first professional contract!

Of course... even if a cricketer DOES get to live in the area.. the entire region is basically overcrowded and dysfunctional... whereas Durham strikes me as about as appealing a place to live as anywhere in Britain!

[Collyisamackem]

Trust me Rachael, it is exactly that! I feel immensely blessed and priveliged to have studied and lived in Durham, I passed through on the train yesterday and it always feels wonderful to be back even if I'm hurtling through the station on a non-stopping train! Just wish the ECB had kept their nerve and given Durham the Ashes test it deserved for 2009. Ho hum.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by pie_chucker

One advantage Durham have is that their youngsters are all loyal to the area. They are all proud of the area and want to play for Durham rather than anyone else, although i suppose we are helped a bit geographically in that respect .

Some of the "bigger" clubs like Notts and even Surrey are struggling a bit because you cant keep "buying" players - you have to start bringing your own players through.

I dont know about other counties but up here the ECB pyramid system does seem to help the local game. Durham have their acadamy in the local premier league and a lot of the fringe players still turn out for their clubs on Saturdays. Which again helps strengthen the local leagues and bring on talented younsters by playing against top quality opposition.

We're starting to bring players through now.We've got Panesar,Alex Wakely is now getting a few good runs,Mark Nelson,Rob & Graeme White are all playing reguarly

[cantplaycantalk]

Well it is two pieces of silverware so far this season and an outside chance of the County Championship.
All the fans up here are getting nosebleeds from the dizzying heights!

As far as local youngsters are concerned the following have all played with some regularity for Durham this year

Mark Stoneman
Kyle Coetzer
Gorden Muchall
Ben Harmison
PHIL MUSTARD
Mark Davies
Greame Onions
LIAM PLUNKETT

We can add Paul Collingwood and Steve Harmison to that as more experienced full internationals and Neil Killeen as an experienced county pro. All three of whom are also local products of the Durham development policy.