GRAHAM CLARK has admitted that he thought his cricketing career was nearing its end before the arrival of Ryan Campbell at Durham.

Clark has been a standout player for the North-East outfit at the top of the innings in the white-ball game, notably top-scoring in the One-Day Cup in Durham’s run to the final in 2021 with a staggering 646 runs in nine innings.

Despite his prowess in the white-ball game, Clark was overlooked for the 2022 County Championship campaign, making only seven red-ball appearances in four years.

It resulted in Clark looking at a potential career change beyond the 2023 season, but that would soon change with the arrival of Campbell.

Since then he has been one of the first names on the team sheet in all formats, including the Championship scoring 546 runs at an average of 45.50 and notching his first century in six years in Durham’s charge to the top of Division Two.

Clark has gone from strength-to-strength since by recording his first T20 century and continuing his white-ball form with three fifties in four innings in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.

“This season has changed my career completely” Clark said. “As sad as it sounds I was thinking this year would be my last in the game. I was looking at what jobs I could outside of cricket because I wasn’t getting the run in the red-ball game and I thought that my white-ball game is okay, but maybe not enough to carry me into another contract.

“So, to have Ryan come in and back me right from the start and to get a good run in the four-day team has been unbelievable. I’m so happy to be involved in the club and to be playing in every game that I can. It’s something I didn’t think would happen, especially after not being involved over the last few years. I couldn’t be happier!

“I didn’t say anything to anyone at the club. You see it sometimes around the club that lads that haven’t quite performed get pushed out. But as soon as Cambo came to the club, he sat me down and said that I like the way you play and I want you in my four-day team. That was the weight of the world off my shoulders. After that it has been so much fun. It has been a great environment to be around. The dressing room is bouncing and it’s a great place to be.”

Clark has added a further string to his bow by taking the gloves for the One-Day Cup following the selection of Ollie Robinson into The Hundred. After impressing Campbell in relief of an injured Robinson in pre-season, the 30-year-old was initially surprised to get the nod, but has not missed a beat behind the stumps.

He added: “It has been hard work! Keeping wicket was not something I was expecting to be doing. I spent all of last winter working on my bowling. So I worked on my medium pace bowling thinking that I might get a chance, but we were out in Zimbabwe and Ollie hurt his finger.

“So I got the nod to take the gloves for one T20 game. I did okay and it must have planted the seed. I’ve enjoyed the challenge and I like seeing the game from that angle. It’s hurting the body a little bit because I’m a bit old to start keeping now, but it’s been great fun.

“If I can help the team in any way, that’s what I want to do. I found out before the start of the competition that I would be keeping so Ollie was very helpful working with me before he went away and has given me a lot of advice. He’s been my keeping coach from afar sending texts, it’s good to have him if I have any doubts or need some advice.”

After five matches in the One-Day Cup, Durham are sitting in sixth place with three matches remaining in the competition. After beating Derbyshire Falcons and losing to Northamptonshire Steelbacks, the pressure is on Campbell’s side in their final home match of the campaign against Somerset. But Clark is determined to keep pushing for a One-Day Cup final return after falling short in 2021.

He added: “All you want to do is win trophies for Durham and you do that in this competition by winning as many games as you can. We want to win this trophy and then take that momentum into September into the County Championship and win the Division Two title.”