Hussey the hustler

At last all the planning came right for Martyn Moxon with promotion on two fronts. After four years spent bumping along the bottom of the Championship the big difference was having a settled side led by Mike Hussey, arguably the best captain in either division. Durham even overcame the loss of Mick Lewis, the Australian paceman, for the last month of the season, and injuries to Mark Davies, the extraordinary seamer, and Graeme Bridge, the left-arm spinner.

Five wins in the first seven Championship matches - and no defeats - gave them a lead they did not lose until the later stages. They still picked up £15,000 for taking the runners-up spot. Three players topped 1,000 runs - Hussey and the allrounders Dale Benkenstein and Paul Collingwood - but, more importantly, Steve Harmison, Davies and Lewis took 100 wickets between them, at 17.37 each.

Lewis is being eyed by several other counties and impressed Collingwood with his performances. "He's a clever bowler who adapts his style according to the kind of pitch we're playing on. When it's hard he'll hit the deck and then on softer surfaces he'll skid it through at a fuller length. Add to that subtle variations of pace and it adds up to a class act." "He did a tremendous job for us," says a delighted Moxon, "and we hope to have him back next year. The skipper also did a fantastic job in helping all the younger players to realise their talent and he proved a canny captain on the field as well. Given a clean bill of health there's no reason we can't do well in the first division. It was nice to see our plans realised after the disappointments of earlier seasons but there's nothing to do about that, it's all history."

Player of the Year Mike Hussey Championship average of 76.71 and tremendous leadership.
High Thrashing Lancashire at Old Trafford. Low Losing to Derbyshire in the C&G Trophy.