Smith puts champagne on ice

Will Smith struck 201 not out against Surrey at Guildford - his highest first-class score

After convincing himself over the winter he was drinking in the last chance saloon, Will Smith will be sipping champagne if Durham win the LV County Championship for the first time in their history.

The last of the 18 counties to achieve first-class status, Durham face Kent tomorrow knowing they need to win and hope results go their way if they are to snatch the title from under the noses of Nottinghamshire and Somerset.

The right-handed batsman might have cause for a double celebration as he turns 26 on Sunday but life has not always been this rosey.

Leaving Nottinghamshire for the North-East at the end of the 2006 season, Smith endured a frugal first year with his new county, scoring just 551 runs at under 24.

Following a winter of soul-searching and hard work, a revitalised Smith began the new campaign with fresh enthusiasm and soon started rattling off a string of impressive scores as Durham became title contenders.

Smith has hit three of Durham's seven centuries this year, including a double ton against Surrey in July. Only the prolific Michael Di Venuto has scored runs but Smith's average, a shade under 50, is comfortably the best in the Durham dressing room.

"I'm proud of the runs I have scored," said Smith. "Over the winter I was worried this year might be last chance saloon. Maybe that has helped me. I've really enjoyed playing my cricket this year. It's given me a taste of what I want to achieve in the game. It's proved to me I can do it."

Durham are currently ten points adrift of leaders Nottinghamshire and two behind Somerset, who host Lancashire, as the county championship reaches a thrilling conclusion this week.

Hampshire, in fourth, have an outside chance of snatching the title if they thrash Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge but the likehood is that the champions will emerge from the top three.

Smith has hit three centuries for Durham this season

"We have to be optimistic," insists Smith. "Every round of games there has been a different leader. Teams have been beating teams. There are a couple of twists to come.

"It's a case of concentrating on what we are doing. It's just another game really. It places an added emphasis on it but we have to do what we have been doing all season."

Should the trophy not end up at Durham then Smith and his team-mates might look back and wonder if they let slip a glorious chance to win their first-ever championship.

When they clocked up their fifth win of the season after edging a low-scoring affair against Kent at Chester-le-Street at the start of August, Durham were just one point behind Nottinghamshire with a game in hand.

However, since then they have yet to taste victory with a loss to Hampshire and four draws, including a complete wash-out with the leaders, stalling Durham's charge to the summit.

"We might have been thinking we could be slightly closer to Nottinghamshire given our position halfway through," admitted Smith. "If you had given us the opportunity to be in the shake-up we would have taken it.

"With the weather, it's something that has come into the equation. We are not going to moan about it. It's not something we can make excuses about. Other teams have had similar rough periods."

Smith played a small part when his former county Nottinghamshire won the championship in 2005, featuring in three games towards the end of the year as the title went to Trent Bridge.

Although he has fond memories of that triumph, winning with Durham would eclipse that.

"The last game that season was at Canterbury," he recalled. "I was 12th man but fielded for most of the time. It was great to see what it meant to the others. If we can get the same result it mean a similar amount to me."