DURHAM coach Martyn Moxon is hopeful that with the help of new chairman Clive Leach Durham can find a winning blend next season.

Defeat by an innings and 26 runs at Leicester yesterday cast Durham even further adrift at the foot of the table and Moxon said: "What we have to get right next year is the balance of youth and experience.

"We have been trying to do that, but the financial situation has meant our potential signings have been limited.

"I'm confident that will change and we have been looking at the make-up of next season's squad for the last few weeks.

"I've had several chats with the new chairman and I'm very impressed with him. He hasn't come here to be second best. He wants a successful team, as we all do, and he's working hard to create the finance to bring a few players in. We have players who will become very good, but this season has proved we aren't yet good enough."

Moxon said he would discuss the captaincy with Jon Lewis at the end of the season, adding: "He has not been making many runs, which makes the job harder.

"We created opportunities earlier in the season and are now paying for not taking them. We have got into a downward spiral and it's very hard to get out of it.

"Nobody wants to finish bottom and with five games left there are still a lot of points to play for. But we also have to look to the future, and people like Liam Plunkett and Graham Onions are the future. We also saw Gordon Muchall and Kyle Coetzer bat very well at Leicester."

Moxon revealed that Muchall felt the ball had come off his pad when he was given out caught for 95 on Thursday.

"He was unlucky, but it's the third time he has been out in the 90s this season and he has to learn just to keep playing in the same way without looking at the scoreboard and becoming anxious.

"He is very keen to make big scores and he will do it. But it's very frustrating knowing that they are all capable of good performances. Winning teams produce those performances more than we do."

Durham lost their three remaining wickets for 16 runs in 24 minutes at Grace Road yesterday to be all out for 389.

Andy Blignaut played on for 56, Plunkett shuffled into a straight one and Neil Killeen was beaten by Mark Cleary's direct hit from the square leg boundary when going back for a second run.

The only higher second-innings score in Durham's first-class history was the 453 for nine they made to win at Taunton in May, yet they still lost by an innings.

They were on the back foot throughout after putting Leicestershire in and Moxon said: "It was a last-minute change of mind. There was more discussion about the team than about what to do if we won the toss.

"Then we noticed that the ball was swinging when we were in the nets and that started the doubts. In hindsight you should never change your mind, but if we had bowled better then the conditions might have helped us more.

"When you lose early wickets chasing such a big total it becomes a mental thing, and it was a poor performance all round until our second-innings batting helped us save a bit of face."

Durham stayed on at Grace Road to practise and will move on today to Cleethorpes, where they face Nottinghamshire in the totesport League tomorrow.

Nicky Peng and Gary Pratt will rejoin the squad and Graeme Bridge will also be in contention for a game Durham cannot afford to lose if they are to stay in the promotion race and keep their season alive.

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