A DURHAM benefit has never offered a ticket for retirement aboard a luxury yacht in the Bahamas, but if Neil Killeen is to have one next season he should at least have more time to organise events than Jon Lewis did last year.

Durham have never officially announced what anyone has made from a benefit, although they would doubtless do so if asked. John Morris is believed to have been the greatest benefiiciary with around £90,000, but in Lewis's case the figure would probably be an embarrassment.

He probably erred in taking his benefit year while he was still captain and virtually lost interest in it while concentrating all his efforts on trying to lift his team away from the foot of the table.

Glen Chapple apparently made over £300,000 from his benefit at Lancashire last season, some of which has gone to charity. This is a reflection partly of a bigger membership but also of their long-established tradition of supporting popular and long-serving players.

As questions are increasingly asked about the wisdom of having benefits, it's possible that the tradition will never become established at Durham.

Greater publicity would obviously help, but little attempt is made to seek it. It has never been announced that Killeen is to have a benefit, but in this year's handbook under proudest career achievement he offers: "Getting my first county cap and being awarded a benefit year in 2006."

Killeen will be 30 in October and is the longest-serving member of the current squad, ahead of Paul Collingwood, who must be next in line.

As a 16-year-old Killeen was taken out of Greencroft School near his Annfield Plain home to go on Durham's pre-season tour to Zimababwe after John Wood broke down ahead of their first season in first-class cricket.

He made his first-class debut in 1995, but after enjoying a superb season in 1999 with 58 first-class wickets at 18.44 he had some injury problems and has since increasingly become a one-day bowler. The fact that Callum Thorp is preferred in the current match indicates that Killeen has slipped down the pecking order.

He has one year left on his contract, after which Durham will have to decide whether a one-day specialist is worth a place on the full-time staff. He has some coaching credentials, so he could conceivably double up.

AMONG those whose contracts are up at the end of the season are Jon Lewis, Nicky Peng and Gary Pratt, plus Gavin Hamilton.

As Hamilton's initial one-year deal was extended because injury had hampered his rehabilitation, it now seems unlikely that he can survive purely as a batsman. Martyn Moxon signed him on the understanding he would have to perform as an all-rounder, but his depressing misfortunes with the yips have forced him to abandon bowling.

It seems inconceivable that Durham will release all the other three as that would leave them short of batting. At 35, Lewis does not have age on his side, but Peng is not 23 until next month and Pratt is only nine months his senior.

Two years ago Pratt was Player of the Year after scoring 1,055 first-class runs and topping the one-day league averages with 510 runs at 42.5. He has always been a brilliant fielder.

But after averaging 18.2 in the first eight matches last season he hasn't played a championship match since. This suggests he has somehow muckied his ticket, but it would be a great shame if Durham were to give up on him.

There will also be a reluctance to chuck in the towel with Peng, described by Adam Hollioake as the best young player he'd seen after his 98 on debut against Surrey in 2000.

As with other products of wealthy backgrounds, who have benefited from all the best coaching as schoolboys, there have been questions over Peng's natural sporting ability and his dedication. Plenty have overcome lack of the former because they have possessed the latter, but Peng has yet to aspire to that category.

MIKE Hussey's brilliant running has produced two all-run fours for his partners against Leicestershire, both times with Hussey going to the danger end.

The first to benefit was James Lowe with the push wide of mid-on which got him off the mark after 20 balls. Then a drive by Paul Collingwood bisected the bowler and mid-off, who chased the ball to within inches of the rope, only to find Hussey was already coming back for the fourth.

It would be impossible to run four, however, to the short boundary on the river side of the ground. Collingwood easily cleared it with his three pulled sixes, two of which had to be retrieved from the bushes overlooking the Wear, 30 yards beyond the boundary.

The pitches at this side of the ground always seem to play better, and pitch inspector Phil Sharpe declared himself perfectly happy with this one.

THIS promises to be a crucial week for Durham, even though they again have four days off. While they have a floodlit totesport match tomorrow at home to Leicestershire, who have edged above them into third place, their promotion rivals will be in action in the championship.

There's the Roses match at Old Trafford and Essex visit bottom club Derbyshire, where a maximum haul could see them close to within 12 points of Durham, assuming Durham draw today. The four-horse race for three promotion places would then become very interesting.

Read more about Durham here.