Following the trials and tribulations of football teams in the North East can be a taxing pastime full of disappointments, anti-climaxes and shattered dreams so why don’t you start supporting Durham County Cricket Club instead?
Look, I know it’s only cricket and this is a hotbed of football blah de blah de blah, but for once, get off the football message boards, tear yourself away from the European Championships and stop waiting for me to tell you about another player Newcastle are interested in signing, but who is about as likely to come to St James’s Park this summer as Elvis and get yourself down to Chester-le-Street.
At times you probably wonder why you do it, why you spend so much time, money and energy concerning yourself with the fortunes of a collection of individuals whose actions you ultimately cannot directly influence. This is common for most football fans, but it’s the cricket season so take a break.
And then there is the abuse you have to take as a result of your misguided, but unavoidable love. Newcastle are ridiculed more often in the national media than Gordon Brown as they lurch from one failure or scandal to the next, while Sunderland barely raise an eyebrow of interest away from Wearside unless the story contains the words Roy and Keane.
But still you come back for more and season ticket renewal forms are sent back with a renewed sense of optimism or a begrudging acceptance that some ties cannot be broken.
Perhaps there is something in the water up North which makes you such a hardy and loyal bunch, perhaps there is an element of sadomasochism involved - the more it stings the better - perhaps it’s just the way it is and so that’s the way it will be.
But I’d like you to enjoy yourself for a change, to revel in success and, if you whisper it, perhaps even celebrate the odd piece of silverware.
Durham are playing local rivals Yorkshire in the Twenty20 Cup on Tuesday night and they are at home again on Friday, when they will face Andrew Flintoff’s Lancashire in a game which could decide whether they reach the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in their history.
So far they have won four, drawn two and lost one of their group games and currently lead the North Division by one point.
As you may be aware, Twenty20 cricket is (going to be) massive and, if Durham reach the final this year, they will qualify to play in the Champions League against sides from South Africa, India, Australia and Pakistan later this year.
Unfortunately, for all of the added interest Twenty20 has brought to the sport, Durham’s crowds remain around the 5,000 mark, while others like Surrey, Middlesex, Hampshire and Warwickshire have attracted more than 16,000.
While football’s transfer market has stagnated, Durham have quietly reached the semi-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy - the competition they won at Lord’s last year - are well placed in the County Championship with a game in hand on those above them in the table.
They are an exciting team full of international stars, but still football, even when there aren’t any competitive games, even when there aren’t any pre-season friendlies, rules the roost.
Durham deserve our support, they are community orientated, progressive and ambitious so isn’t about time we gave it to them rather than continue to reward those who perennially underachieve? Just a thought!
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