IF cost-cutting is in danger of sending Durham towards a tipping point, they have not reached it yet.

They climbed into second place in the Specsavers County Championship this week, 13 points behind Middlesex with a game in hand, and continue to compete strongly in one-day cricket.

With seven of the 16 four-day games left, the next is at Taunton, starting on August 4, followed by the crucial trip to Lord's nine days later.

At Lord's last season they were bowled out for 71 in their second innings, hinting at the batting frailties which ultimately saw their title challenge fade badly.

Partly because of improved pitches, there have been no such problems this year, with 11 centuries chalked up already, compared with eight in the whole of last season.

Barring injuries to any England bowlers, Mark Wood should be available for Durham once he has completed his England Lions duties on Monday.

With the exception of the two England-qualified South Africans, Keaton Jennings and Michael Richardson, plus Irishman Barry McCarthy, Durham are relying on home-grown talent. A third South African with England ambitions, paceman Brydon Carse, featured in the early games but is out indefinitely with a foot injury.

While Australian John Hastings was expected back this season, the wealth of bowling talent means he has scarcely been missed and his absence has allowed Durham to make another saving on their playing budget.

With the debt continuing to rise, the need for such savings has prompted the release of Phil Mustard, and with Gordon Muchall retiring at the end of the season batting cover starts to look very thin.

It will be approaching crisis point if any of the top three batsmen accept the bait from elsewhere, or Paul Collingwood calls it a day.

The captain is seriously considering continuing for a third season beyond his original intended retirement and it is hoped the team spirit forged under his leadership will help persuade the others to stay.

It was inevitable once Michael Atherton's prediction of Durham's financial doom appeared in The Times that a queue would form for the services of Scott Borthwick, Mark Stoneman and Jennings. Wood will also be a target if he loses his central contract.

It will take substantially more money to lure them away, however, as they all feel a strong bond with the county and acknowledge the opportunities they have been given.

Lancashire are rumoured to be interested in Borthwick and he was spotted at Southport talking to Neil Fairbrother, the former Lancashire batsman who is now an agent for many players.

It seems someone in authority at Durham has told the players not to discuss contract matters with the press, although Borthwick earlier said: “I want to stay as loyal as possible. Durham is my home and I never want to leave.”

The fact that wealthier counties can offer more was brought home several years ago when Durham thought they had signed Ryan Sidebottom before he took the much greater riches offered by Nottinghamshire.

The Trent Bridge club are frequent poachers from other counties, yet they continue to under-achieve. They flirted with relegation last season and after an ignominious collapse against Somerset this week they dropped to next to bottom.

The last player Durham signed from another county was Ian Blackwell, who arrived from Somerset in 2009. And they would prefer to keep it that way as they continue to nurture players through their successful academy.

Esh Winning's Jack Burnham has emerged this season as a batsman with a big future, and Darlington-born Adam Hickey made a promising debut this week.

Stokesley's James Weighell, who took nine wickets in the remarkable win at Edgbaston, was becoming established in the side until he was injured.

Graham Onions and Chris Rushworth will not go on forever, but with Paul Coughlin developing well and his brother Josh in the England Under 19 side, there are no fears for the future bowling-wise.

The batting may become a concern, but the current top four could be a strength for years to come if they stick together. And a fourth county title in nine years would be very persuasive.