Ian Botham has been elected as honorary president of Durham after completing a seven-year tenure as the club chair while Phil Collins has been named as Durham Cricket’s chair.
Botham was appointed in 2017 has played for Durham in the club’s maiden seasons as a first-class county in 1992 and 1993 and has been involved for his scathing response to the report into cricket’s racism crisis by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) which he described as ‘nonsense’ and claimed he ‘threw down on the floor’.
Meanwhile, Collins who became vice-chairperson and a director in Durham in 2017, enters the role with over 35 years of commercial and marketing experience in various industries, along with a lifelong passion for cricket.
He takes over with Durham restored to the top flight of the County Championship which has been relegated back in 2016 as punishment for a financial crisis that required the ECB to bail them out.
With Scott Borthwick stepped down from captaincy and took over player coach role within Durham, the new appointment in leadership has brought attention among England fans.
The Board of Durham Cricket are pleased to announce that Phil Collins has been elected as the Club Chair taking over from Lord Botham. ⬇️#ForTheNorth
— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) December 20, 2024
Botham said, “I am delighted with what has been achieved at the Club during my tenure both on and off the field.
“Our successful Tier 1 bid is huge for the region and we are absolutely delighted to bring professional women’s sport to the region.
“It’s a huge endorsement of the pathway we already have at Durham and the potential of the region and our squad and coaching staff is coming together very nicely.
“I look forward to working with Phil to achieve our goals and build on our successes, as I wish him all the best as our new Club Chair.”
Collins added that, “I’m delighted to have taken on the role of chair in what is a very exciting time for Durham Cricket.”
“Lord Ian and the board has laid strong foundations for many years and I am looking forward to building on the work which has been achieved.
“The response to my election has been magnificent and everyone has been very supportive. “I can’t wait for the season to start and for our men’s and women’s teams to get competing on the field, while we work on some exciting projects off it too,” concluded Phil Collins.
