PAUL COLLINGWOOD yesterday shrugged off the blow of losing the player he has groomed to succeed him as Durham captain by leading the team to a much-needed win.

Speaking of Mark Stoneman's decision to join Surrey, Collingwood said: “It's really sad. You never want to see a good player who has been brought up in the North-East leaving the club.

“We have to make sure we don't lose any more, stick together and stay strong. We always seem to be battling adversity in some way, but we always respond to it well.

“It feels like a family club and the camaraderie in the dressing room is second to none. Phil Mustard has been the heartbeat of the team. I always look to the wicketkeeper to keep the energy and the humour going, and Stuart Poynter has come in and done that today. He kept wicket tidily and was quite vocal.

“People on the outside will try to come up with reasons why Mark is leaving, but it's his personal decision.

“We have a lot of ambition. We have provided a lot of good cricketers and we will continue to do that.

“It's a good environment to play in and there's a lot of pride and passion in the area.”

The ups and downs of sport have been encapsulated in the joy of Durham's championship win at Southport last week being followed by four one-day defeats and the news of Stoneman's departure.

Collingwood added: “We enjoy playing at outgrounds. We had good support today at South Northumberland. It's totally different in terms of how close the spectators are and it creates a good atmosphere.

“The club is going through a hard time and I want to help them get through it. I'll keep the one-day captaincy for the rest of the season, but I won't do it long-term.

“Credit to Mark Stoneman for the way he played today. He seemed relaxed, he fielded well and built his innings nicely.

“We were confident that on a small ground we could chase that total down and all the boys contributed really well.”