Take me to the Riverside 2026

[Durhamfootman]

I don't know why, I support you like I do
All the disappointment, you put me through
You take my money, my self respect
Have I even seen the worst of it yet?

I wanna know, can you tell me
You'd love me to stay...........

Down by the River
Losing every over
Down by the River
Losing every over
Taking us down....... Taking us down

I don't know why, you treat me so bad
All of the good times, I thought we'd have
10 years of heartache, time to regret
And then a season I just want to forget

I wanna know, won't you tell me
Will it come good in the end?

Down by the river
Batting out the overs
Down by the river
Batting out the overs
Stop taking us down.... taking us down

Bowling, Fielding, Batting, Losing
Till I can't, till I can't, I can't take it any more

Down by the river
Wasting all these overs
Down by the river
Wasting all these overs
Sending us down.... sending us dow ow ow ow own

I don't know why I support you like I do
All of the changes you're bringing through
Durham Defenders there on our wall
Are we the biggest fools of them all

I wanna know, won't you tell me
Will we ever return...........

Down by the river
Taking wickets every over
Down by the River
Wickets every over
Stop taking us down........Taking us down

Nah, nah, nah
Nah, na, na, na, na, na
Nah, nah, nah
Nah, na, na, na, na, na
Nah, nah, nah
Nah, na, na, na, na, na

Stop taking us down........................................................

[Durhamfootman]

haven't done this for a while

[Durhamfootman]

David Bedingham has extended his contract to at least the end of this season

Lovely fella, great player, been very good for us, but his new status as a SA player screwed us last year. He was hardly ever here and when he was he had his mind on other things. A total waste of an overseas player. I had hoped that his contract was up at the end of last season, so that we could find an alternative player who would actually be around and not missing CC matches because he had to fly to JoBurg for a SA team dinner

It feels to me as though we are about to repeat the very many mistakes we made last season...... we'll know if it turns out that we are going back to Zimbabwe for a pre-season jolly again and end up losing the first 2 matches because we aren't ready to play after a handful of T20 matches against poor opposition

of course, the new contracts were handed out before the sh1t actually hit the fan last season, so perhaps the people in charge can afford to kid themselves that what happened last year was just a bit of bad luck.... one of those things..... just a bit 'perplexing'

[andy]

Bas De Leede has left to focus on the netherlands

[Durhamfootman]

well I won't miss him, tbh. He bowled more like a drain than even Carse did for us in the hit and giggle

[Durhamfootman]

We've re-signed the Afghan spinner Ghafari, who was drafted in from Richmondshire to try and keep us up last season.... drafted in from Richmondshire

I don't recall him tearing up any roots, but at least, hopefully, it's a commitment to playing spin and he's qualified as a homegrown player now and won't take up an OS spot

lets hope he's the long term solution to our spin woes. Maybe the two games at the end of last season were simple an opportunity for us to stake a claim to him? Lets hope it works and lets hope it signals the end of a succession of utterly appalling pitches. I can't ever remember a time when we just prepared green top after green top. It started in response to the kookaburra matches and by the time we'd screwed all of the four matches up completely, we were in such a desperate position in the league that we clearly felt obliged to take drastic measures in the pursuit of the totally elusive 10 second innings wickets required to actually win a *modded* game. Sadly, although we still couldn't do it to them, everybody else's bowlers had no trouble taking all 10 of our wickets from us

[Durhamfootman]

he's a leggie as well, which I didn't realise

Looks like Parky will get relegated to white ball again, like last season

Old George is, at least, a right handed finger spinner and he can bat, so maybe we'll play 2 spinners a bit more often...... yeah, right!

[captaincolly]

Should be interesting. We should come straight back up but the bowling is a concern. Have x feeling Minto might have a major role.

[Durhamfootman]

Stokesy has posted a selfie after one of the academy players smacked a ball into his face in the nets. He's had a winter to forget, on the whole

[captaincolly]

Stokesy has posted a selfie after one of the academy players smacked a ball into his face in the nets. He's had a winter to forget, on the whole

Definitely! Apparently might play for Durham on the opening rounds of the Championship. Although we might have heard that before!

[Durhamfootman]

England have made Crawley available to Kent for the opening spell of matches in the CC, beginning and ending with games against us

which is just great and almost certainly the only big runs he'll score all blooming year

[Durhamfootman]

It feels to me as though we are about to repeat the very many mistakes we made last season...... we'll know if it turns out that we are going back to Zimbabwe for a pre-season jolly again and end up losing the first 2 matches because we aren't ready to play after a handful of T20 matches against poor opposition

UAE seemingly, 3 day T20 festival followed by a 2 day red ball v Yorks. The women are going after the men return, so hopefully not just a team bonding jolly

The men play a 2 day warm up fixture v Sussex at Hove followed by the Uni game. The women warm up with a 50 over game v Warks

members forum after COP on the final day of the Uni match

[captaincolly]

England have made Crawley available to Kent for the opening spell of matches in the CC, beginning and ending with games against us

which is just great and almost certainly the only big runs he'll score all blooming year

Yes!