e committed to a new challenge: the chairmanship of Durh

Sir Ian Bothams inspirational qualities on and off the cricket field have been well chronicled. Cheap Nike Air Max Shoes . The great deeds that won him the reputation as one of the greatest England cricketers in history have been followed in retirement by indefatigable charitable commitments approached with the same gusto. Now those energies will be committed to a new challenge: the chairmanship of Durham, a county that needs leading to a secure and lasting future.Durhams tired old board was sacked in its entirety last month as part of the punitive measures imposed by the ECB after the games governing body reluctantly provided the financial assistance, and expertise, they needed to stop them falling into bankruptcy.Botham, an English cricketing icon, not least in the north-east, has now accepted a largely figurehead role for a restructured county which will operate as a community interest company; the man expected to bang the drum, rouse the spirits and help bring in the money, while the rest of the new board, as yet not divulged, work on the small print of recovery.Not that there is much money to be had. Unemployment in the north-east is among the highest in the country and figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest the region has been worst hit since the credit crunch of 2008. But Durham have a knack of uncovering cricketing talent which must be preserved whatever challenges present themselves.Ben Stokes - an allrounder in Bothams mould who has welcomed his involvement as brilliant - Mark Wood, Paul Collingwood and Steve Harmison have all made the grade at England level. And, unlike some other counties, they draw their talent from all social classes.Harmisons past comments help keep the response to Bothams return in proportion. I would love to help out in any shape or form but its easy for ex-players like me to say that, he said recently. What we need are financial experts.Daily involvement will not be Bothams remit, rather more the need whenever he can to inspire, bully and cajole businesses and individuals in the north-east to prove their affection for Englands newest and most northerly first-class county. As someone who has raised more than ￡12m for charity, largely for leukaemia research, and predominantly by the method of yomping into the sunset down hills and dale until he could yomp no more, Bothams emotional right to request a little largesse from others cannot be questioned.His love for the region, especially its big-heartedness and open spaces, is unquestionable. He lives a few miles over the border, in North Yorkshire, in a 17th Century farmhouse which has led him to be fondly dubbed the Squire of Ravensworth, but his affinity is with Durham. He spends much of his leisure time in country pursuits such as fishing on the nearby River Tees which rushes across untamed Pennines valleys and forms the historic border.His association with the north-east stretches back to the time he joined Durham for their inaugural county season in 1992 - a host of injuries finally silenced him as he retired the following season. He will hope that his second coming is more triumphant because then his body hurt, his career was almost spent and his reputation could not be matched by performance. He described his last hurrah as one of the worst decisions he had made and, as various studies of his cricketing career have made plain, he made one or two.These were bleak times for Durham as they struggled to adjust to life as a fully-professional county and, mistakenly in hindsight, committed to building an international-sized stadium in the relatively small market town of Chester-le-Street. From there, their financial problems have grown.Chairman Botham: the very thought will bring smirks around the cricket circuit, although not in his line of sight. After all, he is the least governable of men. At the height of his fame, during one of his many wars with officialdom, he once stood up before a cricket dinner to condemn cricket administrators the world over as gin-soaked old dodderers.Approaching his 61st birthday, English crickets greatest roisterer has now joined them, even if his preferred tipple is likely to be a decent swig of good red wine.It is tempting to remark on this fine example of poacher turned gamekeeper, except that any image concerning Botham and country sports is dangerous. Chris Packham, the mild-mannered presenter of BBC Springwatch, attracted his ire earlier this year, for condemning the deliberate killing of birds of prey on grouse moors to protect the stock of birds. Botham took to the airwaves to condemn him as an extremist.That he will be an absentee chairman for large chunks of the year is inevitable, certainly as long as his Sky TV commitments persist - and, as if to illustrate that, he will not take up the role until he returns from Englands Test tour of India. Having attracted a chairman of world repute, Durhams next task is to find a vice chairman of complementary qualities - someone more taken with the minutiae of life.Botham, as his cricket commentary reveals, is a man of unyielding opinion and not overly obsessed by facts. He has never coached, not held an administrative or business post. But he is perfectly placed to attract star names to fund-raisers, to shame the business community into supporting the county once more, or to lobby support for Durham in the NatWest Blast and turn around some of the most disappointing T20 crowds in the country. And his rebellious air, in a county that feels mistreated by the ECB, will also not go amiss. He described himself as privileged but warned of challenging times ahead.If you care about Durham cricket - or even if you dont, but Sir Ian Botham thinks you should - you may be hearing from him soon. For the good of English cricket, it is to be hoped that this second coming is a good deal more successful than the first. There is a valuable job waiting to be done. And the red wine will be very palatable. Air Max Cheap Sale . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. Air Max 2018 .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. http://www.airmaxtrainerswholesale.com/ . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons.An additional fourth substitute will be allowed in extra-time in matches played at this summers Rio Olympics and at the Club World Cup later in the year. The idea was first mooted by the International Football Association Board and the world governing body have now decided to experiment further in Rio de Janeiro this summer.The games law-making body the International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved trials of an extra substitute when games go into an additional half-hour at their meeting in Cardiff in March, and the executive committee of footballs world governing body has now announced plans to introduce it into a number of its competitions. A FIFA statement read: Following the recent decision by The IFAB to allow experimentation with a fourth substitution in extra time, the FIFA Executive Committee agreed for such experiments to be conducted this year at the Olympic football tournaments, the FIFA U20 Womens World Cup in Papua New Guinea (in November) and the FIFA Cluub World Cup Japan (in December). Nike Air Max Mens Sale. At their Cardiff meeting, IFAB also approved a two-year trial period allowing technology to be used in four cases; to determine if a goal has been scored, red cards, penalties and mistaken identity. However, further trials on that front are not expected until the 2017-18 season. Great Britain had a team at London 2012 - but will have no representation in Rio The FIFA ExCo was meeting for the final time before it is replaced by the new-look FIFA Council at the organisations next Congress in Mexico in May.It also supported the governing bodys efforts to reclaim funds lost due to the corrupt conduct of former FIFA members, agreed kick-off times for matches at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and approved the 2015 financial and governance report. ' ' '