'It's unfinished business' – Ryan Campbell reflects on Durham's triumphant return to Division One

Durham secured promotion back to County Championship Division One at the first time of asking after beating Middlesex by 93 runs at Chester-le-Street in the 47th Match of Division Two. The victory came with two games to spare, confirming the club's immediate return to the top division following relegation the previous year.

Head Coach Ryan Campbell reflected on the promotion and the club's response to the disappointment of the previous season. Campbell noted the emotional toll of relegation and how the club responded to that setback.

"There was so much disappointment last year, on that last day. It feels like yesterday, to be honest, but I'm pretty proud of how the club didn't panic. I know there was a lot of emotion at the time, and I was right at the forefront of it, but together with Marcus North, who's not here now but must be commended for the way he led the group and Tim and Phil on the board, we sat down, and we made a plan, and we kept working, and we thought of everything. I think everyone was sick of my whiteboard at one point, but we came back with a way to get our players playing the best cricket that they can individually, and we knew that if we did that, we're a good team, and what I've seen this year is us heading in the direction of where we want to be. So, happy and proud at the minute," said Campbell on Durham Cricket.

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Campbell described the promotion as unfinished business for the club. He explained that the relegation had served as a wake-up call and that returning to Division One was essential for the development of the squad.

"It’s unfinished business. The disappointment of getting relegated when we all believed we had a really good squad and things would go our way. So that was a massive wake-up call for us, and to be the best, you’ve got to go up against the best. “Our players as individuals need to be facing the best bowlers in the country, and the best batting has to go up against it, and all our guys want to play against those really good players. We’ve had some great tussles this year, and I know there’s improvement to be had, but that’ll be for another day," Campbell said.

“Let’s enjoy what we’ve done. Having done it with two games to go, for instance, just takes a lot of pressure off everyone. We can relax and enjoy each other’s company for these last two games. But it feels pretty good, to be honest," he added.

Campbell on the club's response to relegation

Campbell analysed the match performance that secured promotion. He highlighted the key moments that shaped Durham's victory over Middlesex.

"It was a workmanlike performance. I thought what changed the game was Ben Raine and Callum Parkinson with the bat. That 90-run partnership in the first innings really gave us a bit of leeway, and it proved, when we had our turn to bowl, that 250 was just a tad above par. “This wicket is our best wicket; we know it plays true. It gives everyone a chance, if you’re bowling and if you’re batting," Campbell said.

"So, we just had to stay in the game, and then Ben McKinney comes out and bats the way he does, which again is another moment where you look and think that kid continues to improve, and he’s exciting. I thought Brydon Carse was fantastic with the ball. I always felt we had enough. Harry Duke batted beautifully, and great stuff to him for his first hundred, but I think we always had the game well in hand. We always think both teams need to bat, but there was enough sideways movement that I thought we were going to be a handful on this, and again there were moments when their guys batted quite well. There was that partnership on the second morning, but we stayed patient, and when we started to roll, it went really quickly. You always want more, but I think that one little batting bonus point just gave us a little bit of a pep up. But ultimately, you got to bowl well, and that’s what we did," he added.

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Maintaining standards after promotion

Campbell addressed the challenge of maintaining standards in the remaining matches of the season. He indicated that senior players would return to the squad and that Durham aimed to achieve a record points tally for the year.

"That’s going to be a challenge for me. I’ll be honest, because I reckon there’ll be a lot of smiles and happiness going around, but the fact is we’re here to win games of cricket. We’ve come so far that we don’t want our standards to slip. “We’ll probably welcome back Ben Stokes and Matthew Potts into our team next week," Campbell said.

"We won’t be taking our foot off the accelerator. If teams want to come here and take on the so-called champs, they’re going to have to be good because we’re going to come all guns blazing. After all, there are little things we want to get the most points for the year of any team; that’s something we can aim at and with one eye on next year, our preparation is about that for individuals. Look, I say that it’s going to be a bit of a fun couple of weeks as well, but I’m pretty sure we’ll play some good cricket in between," he concluded.