DISILLUSIONED Durham paceman Melvyn Betts will sign a three-year contract with Warwickshire today.

He has received help in negotiating the deal from his former Durham team-mate John Morris in his role as a players' agent.

Morris is still a Nottinghamshire player and after he batted against another of his clients, Steve Harmison, last season, Durham voiced their concern about agents playing the game.

"We have had no dealings with John Morris during Melvyn's move," said Durham chairman Bill Midgley.

"I don't like agents in cricket. They should realise that guidelines are already laid down for player movement and I just hope they keep within them.

"There is concern about people who are still playing county cricket acting as agents and I think we will see something coming from the ECB about this quite soon."

While Midgley says Warwickshire have done everything by the book, there is growing concern about players being unsettled by other counties approaching them before they are out of contract.

It has also happened with John Wood, whose request to be released from the last year of his contract has been turned down.

"It's disappointing that Melvyn should choose to leave after all the development we have put in with him," said Midgley. "I still don't quite understand his reasons for going. I would have thought the Durham track would suit him better than Edgbaston.

"It's true we get nothing in return, but a transfer market would give us more problems in retaining players and play into the hands of the wealthier clubs.

"It would be a bit like Manchester United, which would not be good for the game in the longer term as people like to see healthy competition between counties.

"We have a well-organised academy and I suspect we will see that system spread across all the counties, so they will concentrate on producing their own talent."

Having already signed Scottish paceman James Brinkley on a two-year deal, Durham hope shortly to announce the signing of an all-rounder.

They are also in the process of finalising terms with Australian left-hander Simon Katich, who has indicated his willingness to return next season.

Durham hope to put another Australian on stand-by in case Katich is selected for next summer's Ashes tour.

Midgley is unhappy that for the second successive season Durham will sit out the final County Championship programme next year.

"I know we are in a different division, but it still seems unfair and I will try to make sure it doesn't happen again for a while," he said.

"It could put us at a disadvantage if we are involved in the fight for promotion, which last season involved six teams in the final round of matches."

Although the fixture list shows that all home matches will be at the Riverside next season, Durham are talking to Stockton about staging a championship match.

As it costs over £15,000 to take a match to an outground, much is likely to depend on whether Stockton can secure financial backing from the borough council.

Durham's first match is a three-day game against Durham UCCE starting on April 16. It stands for University Centre of Cricketing Excellence, of which there are six, the others being Cambridge, Oxford, Loughborough, Cardiff and Leeds/Bradford.

They will each play three first-class matches against county sides.

Durham have no match against either of the touring sides, Pakistan and Australia, who will meet at the Riverside in a one-day international on Saturday, June 16