A DOUBLE act with enormous crowd-pulling potential promises to provide the highlight of Durham cricketer Neil Killeen's benefit year.

The 30-year-old seam bowler has persuaded Andrew Flintoff and Ian Botham to team up at Newcastle's Civic Centre on June 23, the night before the England v Sri Lanka one-day international at Riverside.

"Freddie was going to come to my launch dinner but in the end he couldn't make it, so I'm sure he'll be at the Civic Centre, " said Killeen. "These are two of the greatest all-rounders the world has seen and I've not heard of them teaming up together before."

The organisers are looking to attract around 40 tables of 12 at £60 a head and further details about this and all the benefit events can be seen on the website, www. neilkilleen. co. uk.

With Hampshire due at Riverside on September 7-10, Killeen is also hoping to persuade Shane Warne to speak at a dinner at Ramside Hall, while Alan Shearer has agreed to do a talk-in and there will be a dinner with Sir Bobby Robson at the Federation Brewery in December.

Durham benefits have never been a ticket to vast riches, but Killeen said: "Nobody has tried to do it properly. Jon Lewis, for example, found it very hard because he was still captain at the time.

"I'm finding it difficult to find the time to organise things, which is why I've put a committee together so I can concentrate on my cricket.

"I'm probably fitter now than I've ever been and I want to play for another six or seven years. I was back in training in November and I've worked very hard in the winter.

"I felt the benefits with the number of overs I bowled in our first match at Canterbury. I knew if I was going to force my way into the championship side I would have to keep bowling the overs.

"My one-day record in recent seasons is one of the best in the country, but I want to play fourday cricket and competition for places has never been higher.

"I've worked on a slight change, turning my wrist round like Matthew Hoggard so the back of the hand faces the batsman. It's designed to get the ball moving more consistently away from the right-handers."

Killeen, who was raised and still lives in Annfield Plain with his wife and two children, boasts the most appearances (135) and most wickets (193) in the one-day league for Durham.

Easily his best season in the championship was 1999, when he came into the side for the fifth match and ended with 58 wickets, bowling Durham into the inaugural division one.

Killeen has also become a coach and is currently studying to become one of 80 people in the country with the level four award, Martyn Moxon and Ottis Gibson among them.

"I've been involved with Durham since they took me out of school as a 16-year-old to go on their Zimbabwe tour in 1992, " he said. "If anyone had said I would have a 13-year first-class career I would have bitten their hand off.

"I've got a picture from Zimbabwe in the benefit brochure, which is a bit embarrassing. I've changed a bit since then and seen enormous changes within the club."

Killeen has set up a company with former team-mate Martin Speight called Sckill4sport, which offers coaching in clubs and schools from Hexham to Middlesbrough.

Based at Langley Park, where Speight lives, they are opening a shop there and are branching out into other sports and also run summer camps.

Golf features heavily in the benefit programme and although the first golf day at Ramside went well last month Killeen is hoping there will be no repeat of ten teams pulling out, mainly because of the weather.

Other golf days will be held at Slaley Hall, Matfen Hall and Wynyard and there is to be a five-day trip to the Algarve in October. The all-inclusive cost is £600 and ten of the Durham squad have signed up for it.

A corporate six-a-side cricket tournament will be held at Riverside in September, followed by a barbecue, and Killeen has chosen the one-day game against Essex at Riverside on September 17 as his benefit match.