AFTER all the worry, all the doubts and all the near and not so near misses, the conclusion was glorious.

Seven years on from Gibson, Benkenstein and Chanderpaul playing the crucial roles to defeat Hampshire and bring Durham their first major silverware, the low scoring thriller at Lords was no less wonderful.

To win a cup final is always a joy, especially if you forlornly hope to see it from a North East football team, but for it to happen almost just how you dreamt it is such a rarity.

Seeing Gareth Breese wheel away towards his young children in his farewell appearance for the club was almost too much to take.

Even the most hardened Warwickshire fan would struggle to begrudge Breese such a moment.

Very much the unsung hero of Durham’s limited overs side over the last few years, Breese will be a huge miss in a squad badly lacking a frontline spinner.

But that’s to worry about another day, with the improbable journey to Lords seeming an afterthought as Saturday’s dramatic events.

September finals at Lord’s have always had that low scoring, sometimes autumnal feel but winning the toss this time was greeted with the same kind of relief as an early wicket in the Compton Stand, such was the importance of avoiding batting in the worst of the gloom.

It may barely have got beyond that level but the green seaming pitch in favourable overhead conditions felt like the old Riverside pitch before the drainage system flattened it out.

It suited Durham’s bowlers but regardless, you suspect Chris Rushworth may never have a better week in his sporting career after this and his exploits against Northamptonshire.

The abuse he suffered from armchair fans after the disappointing end to the Glamorgan game at the start of the tournament should hopefully make such tragic figures feel rather ashamed of themselves.

While wicketless, the contribution of Paul Coughlin cannot be underestimated in setting the tone early in the innings.

One of the biggest fears going into the game was just how Durham would cope without John Hastings and the Sunderland born youngster looked far from out of place, showing impressive composure despite his lack of first team experience.

That experience came, not just in the final, but throughout the tournament with Paul Collingwood’s hugely enjoyable white ball renaissance with bat and ball.

While he fluffed his lines a little with the bat, the wicket of Jonathan Trott before he’d got into his usually ominous rhythm was one of the game’s decisive moments.

Collingwood may not have seen Durham quite home but aside from Breese’s moment of glory at the end, the most mature performance of the game came from Ben Stokes, a man whose early career has not readily been associated with that particular frame of mind.

But after producing a glorious Yorker in the first innings to remove Rikki Clarke, his unbeaten knock in the second had all the hallmarks of a truly top class player.

Couple it with the semi-final rampage and the last month feels like he’s finally come of age.

After the muddled rain delayed finish of 2007, this victory felt all the sweeter to see the trophy presented that day.

The players serenading of the travelling fans with the ‘The Blaydon Races’ will live long in the memory.

And as we disappeared off into the night for further celebratory cold refreshment, all those cuts to the squad and the plethora of injuries meant this felt even sweeter.

With austerity firmly having taken grip at the club, we may have to enjoy these moments while we can but what moments they were.

JAMES TIERNAN