DURHAM are sorry to see Martyn Moxon go as no-one connected with the club has a bad word to say about him on a personal level, writes tim wellock.

As they fall back, however, on the traditional philosophy of accentuating the positive and continuing to move forward, some might observe: "Nice guys don't win prizes."

Moxon was always a pleasure to deal with and there can be no doubt that he leaves the club in a much stronger position than when he arrived six years ago.

But most of the progress has been achieved in the last two years and the captains in those two seasons, Mike Hussey and Dale Benkenstein, have had a huge input.

If there is a stain on Moxon's record as a coach it is that, Paul Collingwood apart, Durham-born batsmen have not progressed as expected.

It was hoped that by now Durham would have a prolific top order reading: Gough, Peng, Pratt, Muchall.

It wasn't Moxon's fault that Michael Gough decided to quit through lack of enjoyment, but it must have been galling for him that he was unable to conquer whatever defect there was in Nicky Peng's character which prevented him from realising his huge potential.

Gary Pratt seemed to have made it, only to slip backwards, and he now appears to be lost to the game, while Muchall began last season with a double century and ended it out of the team.

Lack of runs has always been at the root of Durham's struggles and it still applied even when they enjoyed their highest finish in the championship last season.

While every other county in Division One, bar Warwickshire, had at least three batsmen averaging over 40, Durham had only Benkenstein, with 1,427 runs at 52.85.

Durham finished next to the bottom of division two in Moxon's first season but gained promotion in the one-day league, only to be relegated during a disastrous 2002.

That was the year when they suffered dreadful luck with injuries. Jimmy Daley's seventh broken finger ended his career and he was another unfulfilled batsman who might still have provided a middle-order rock but for his jinx.

The casualties also included Collingwood, Steve Harmison, Jon Lewis and Martin Love, whose replacement, Brad Hodge, broke his thumb in the nets after one match, prompting a rare show of rage from Moxon.

The following year he had the satisfaction of a championship double over Yorkshire as Durham finished fourth from the bottom.

The total of five wins was four more than in the previous season, but any chance of promotion vanished as they lost the last three games, each time failing to reach 250 in their first innings.

This was what sparked the wider casting of the net as Gareth Breese became the first of the seven imports Durham now have on the staff who do not have to be considered overseas players.

Moxon said at the time: "We have a policy of encouraging local talent, but there are areas we need to strengthen."

Breese hit 165 not out to win the match at Taunton in May, but the return to the root problem at Riverside saw Durham develop a deep dislike of playing at home. Their only other win came at Scarborough in September and they finished bottom again

The arrival of Hussey and Benkenstein sparked the transformation and after gaining promotion in 2005, Durham clung on to top-flight status by half a point last term.

As it turns out the draw in the final match at Headingley was the perfect result for Moxon as it meant both teams survived. Now he has to face the fact that both meetings are early this season - at Headingley on April 25 and Riverside on May 23.