PAUL Collingwood last night celebrated Durham's "fairytale" success in the final of the Friends Provident Trophy, and claimed that the club's first piece of first-class silverware was a fitting reward for 15 years of hard work.

Durham completed a comprehensive 125-run victory over Hampshire at Lord's yesterday after heavy rain had prevented them from breaking their trophy duck on Saturday night.

Having reduced their opponents to 158-5 as they defended a record 50-over total for a final at Lord's, the North-Easterners needed just 51 balls to wrap up a resounding win.

The current generation of Durham players will enter the history books as the county's first trophy winners but, after celebrating with his team-mates, Collingwood was quick to pay tribute to his former colleagues who had worked tirelessly to put Durham on the map.

Recalling the days when Durham once went an entire first-class season without winning a four-day game, the England international insisted that the struggles of the past had been an integral part of the success of the present.

And he also hailed coach Geoff Cook's role in transforming the North-Easterners from minor-county nobodies to first-class champions.

"This victory hasn't just been secured over the last year or so, it's been achieved over the last 15 years," said Collingwood, who finished the final as the game's joint leading wicket-taker with figures of 3-33. "There have been a lot of ups and downs at this club, but we've learned a lot in a short space of time.

"It's a reward for all the tough times.

"When I started in 1996, we won one one-day game in the whole season and that was pretty tough.

"When you look back, though, they were the building blocks to where we are now.

"All the players who have been involved with Durham through the years to Dale Benkenstein have all had an impact, and seeing Geoff Cook lift the trophy was a special moment.

"He was involved in the transformation of Durham into a first-class county, and so to be the first coach to win a trophy is really deserved. It's kind of a fairytale really."

Collingwood might be the captain of England's one-day side, but it was South African Dale Benkenstein that became the first Durham skipper to lift a trophy above his head.

Benkenstein's 61 runs from 43 balls helped his side set an imposing target of 313, although he was just one of three Durham batsmen to score half-centuries against a Hampshire attack boasting five internationals.

With Collingwood, man-of-the match Ottis Gibson, and Middlesbrough-born Liam Plunkett all claiming three wickets, Durham's success stemmed from an impressive team performance.

At the start of the season, Benkenstein had claimed that Durham boasted one of the strongest squads in the country. At the end of a Friends Provident Trophy campaign in which everyone had played their part, the 33-year-old was delighted to have seen his judgement proved correct.

"I thought at the start of the season this was the strongest squad we've ever had, and it has got better and better as the season has gone on," he claimed.

"There have been difficult decisions along the way, leaving out players, but the effort has always been fantastic and that's the main thing for me.

"There has been a lot of hard work at this club and I think we've got the right balance in the squad between youth and experience.

"You can't just have youngsters learning from youngsters, you have to send the right messages to the young players coming into the side."

Despite only making their first-class debut in April 1992, Durham's rise through the county ranks has been relentless.

Off the pitch, Riverside hosted its first Test match in June 2003 and this summer welcomed the West Indies for a successful five-day game against England.

On the field, Durham have cemented their status in the first division of the County Championship - a trophy they could yet end up winning this season - and nurtured the talents of Collingwood, Plunkett and Steve Harmison, three established members of England's Test team.

This weekend's success has elevated them to the rank of domestic trophy winners, but Benkenstein is confident that the Friends Provident Trophy will merely be the first in a long line of Durham triumphs.

"It's difficult to predict the future, but we hope this is the first of many trophies," he added.

"We know that success can be a double-edged sword because, the more good young players we produce, the more we could lose because they'll go away and play for England.

"That's the next challenge though and it's one that we're ready to take on.

"This is a proud day for me and a proud day for Durham, but hopefully it's just the start of something even more special."