The five best moments of the Ryan Campbell era so far

The opening round of County Championship fixtures marks three years since he first took charge of a game in the competition. 

There’s been some highs, there’s been some lows, but it’s fair to say there’s been more positives than negatives since Campbell came in and despite relegation, Durham are arguably in a better position than they were when he arrived. 

What better time to reflect on the Campbell era so far by going through five of the best moments from his tenure. 

Not the first of Campbell’s wins, but likely the most important in 2023.

Durham’s one-wicket win against Yorkshire demonstrated grit and determination, something which they lacked in the latter stages of 2025.

Brydon Carse demonstrated this, coming out to bat while injured and helping Ben Raine see Durham over the line. 

That was the water tester for Durham in their 2023 promotion campaign, with Matthew Potts starring with match figures of 8/110

Jubilant scenes greeted Durham’s players in the final game of 2023, with them romping to victory against Leicestershire and underlining their status as Division Two's dominant side that year. 

Centuries from David Bedingham and Graham Clark handed Durham an imposing total of 457/8dec in just 103 overs. 

Raine then picked up a five-wicket haul as Durham strolled to an innings victory. 

Derbyshire in 2024 was the first step to establishing Durham as a white ball force. 

Without a quarter final appearance in the shortest format since 2018, it was the perfect opportunity for Durham to banish their white ball woes. 

They had a mixed-bag of performances in the 2024 Blast, for every debacle at Yorkshire, there was a thrilling win against Lancashire.

That form set up a final game shootout in Derby and Durham prevailed, winning the game by eight wickets.

Alex Lees and Colin Ackermann led a successful chase of 156, after an excellent bowling effort restricted Derbyshire to a below-par score.

Despite eventual defeat in the quarter-final to Surrey, it cemented Durham's spot as an emerging white-ball side.

Durham's home fixture against Lancashire in the 2024 County Championship served up plenty of memorable moments.

The innings and 63 run thrashing had THAT 425 run partnership between record-breaker Bedingham (279) and Ackermann (186), but that may not be the most impressive thing about that game, with Potts taking 9/68 in the second innings with a Kookaburra ball.

It gave him match figures of 12/126, but it also virtually secured Durham's safety in Division One in 2024.

Performances like this are what Durham aim for with Campbell, but they were all too rare in 2025, ultimately costing them the spot in the top tier that they worked extremely hard to gain in the first place.

Arguably the standout moment of an otherwise disappointing 2025 season was Lees' maiden T20 century in a crushing win over Northants, which secured a first home Blast quarter-final since 2018.

Chasing 200 in T20 is usually a tall order, particularly at CLS, but Lees ably supported by Clark, powered Durham over the line with plenty of time to spare.

Rarely have we seen such a display of brutal hitting on the banks of the Wear, Lees produced a once-in-a-career knock that night and it'll be remembered by all who were there.

It secured Durham a home quarter-final against Hampshire, which they ultimately lost, but it continued their progression as a good T20 outfit. Could 2026 be the year they finally make it back the finals day?