IF anybody told you that Durham County Cricket Club could secure promotion this season you would be forgiven for shooting them an incredulous look.

But Sir Ian Botham isn’t just anybody.

Why the Echo supports Beefy's bid to restore Durham pride 

Thanks to financial problems and an overly zealous governing body the club will begin the upcoming County Championship season in Division Two on minus 48 points and carry penalty deficits into the cup competitions. 

There is no doubt that pride and morale have taken a battering but the time for self pitying is over. The club has a veritable mountain to climb both on the pitch and in ensuring it gets back on to a sound financial footing. Who better then to issue a defiant rallying cry than the man who led teams to victories that cricketing experts had written off as lost causes?

Durham are cricket's newest county team having been granted first-class status in 1992. Since that time they have made a huge impression on the first class game, winning the title three times between 2008 and 2013. They have also produced several of England's star players, including all-rounder Ben Stokes and three-time Ashes-winner Paul Collingwood. 

Botham played a fundamental role in the county being taken seriously as challengers to the established order. In his new role as chairman he can become a driving force behind a new era of success at Emirates Riverside.

A financially robust Durham County Cricket Club is good for the game, good for England and good for the development of new talent at a grassroots level in the North-East. It is also good for the local economy. 

The club’s debt to Durham County Council – and to the taxpayers of the county – means local people have a vested interested in their success. 
Botham’s never-say-die spirit can give Durham a crucial edge. 

The Echo will be 100 per cent behind him and the club on the long road that lies ahead.