The Durham captain, Paul Collingwood, has described the ECBs decision to relegate his county, and mete out further punishment through the docking of points in all three competitions next season, as a massive kick in the nuts for the Durham players, who are 100% innocent of the financial troubles that have sealed the clubs fate.Durham had been in the top flight since the summer of 2006, making them the longest-serving Division One side since the introduction of two divisions in 2000 - a proud record for a club that did not even attain first-class status until 1992.In that period, they won three Championship titles between 2008 and 2013 and two limited-overs competitions. This year, they reached the final of the Natwest T20 Blast and finished fourth in the Championship following their final-round victory over Hampshire, who now survive relegation at their expense despite also accruing large debts of their own (albeit manageable).Next year, Durham start with -48 points in the Championship and -4 and -2 in the Blast and One-Day Cup respectively. Furthermore, the Riverside can no longer host Test matches and Durham have a revised salary cap until April 2020, all in exchange for a ￡3.8 million bailout from the governing body.Speaking in Dhaka, where he has joined Englands coaching staff for the tour of Bangladesh, a visibly emotional Collingwood said: To be the only team ever relegated, since two divisions came in, [to be] actually penalised because of financial reasons, theres a lot of emotion about. The players are seriously unhappy. Theres a lot of anger, a lot of whose fault is this?What we want is for Durham CC to be a place where homegrown talent and first-class cricketers and international cricketers emerge, which is what weve done over the years, and what we are supposed to be. We want to be an establishment that wins things, and weve done that. To be penalised like this is a massive kick in the nuts.Negotiations between Durham and the ECB began in November 2015, and Collingwood and his team-mate Ben Stokes met with the ECB chief executive Tom Harrison and director of cricket Andrew Strauss in Dhaka on Saturday evening to discuss the situation. I dont think the players were aware of the problems to the extent that they have been, said Collingwood. Obviously when you get penalised like this, you soon realise that this is a lot more serious.From the players point of view, we have to try and get our heads round it together and try to get the club back to where it should be, which is the top division. I know that sounds ridiculous but we are two wins down already for next year, and to take an emotional hit like this ... I know from my point of view I want to keep fighting for the club through these tough times.I cant believe we are in this position. I dont understand how it can go so far down this road for us to be penalised like this, and how it hasnt been picked up and brought into a sustainable business like it should be.The fact is that the players are 100% innocent here. The players have fought from the start, time and time again. We get asked to win things, and give our best, and stay in the first division, and thats what the club is all about. In the background, it hasnt been run as efficiently as it should have been.The extent of how it has been run has probably been brought across to the players, and unfortunately we are the ones who have to take the brunt of the decision. Thats why its such a kick in the teeth because we know how hard its been to continue our first-division status with all the strains that have been on our team in the last few years.Nevertheless, Collingwood remained determined to find positives in a bleak situation. Asked if he feared for the future of cricket in the north-east, he said: We need first-class cricket, and we still have first-class status. And that to me is the most important thing. Speak to some people, with our financial difficulties being that bad, we should be five leagues down, not just one league down.In many ways we are in a good position and can start rebuilding. We can get back to the financial state that we should have been all these years. And actually start to get back into a position that we should be, which is the top division. The talent around the north-east is second to none and I have seen that first-hand. The amount of international cricketers that we produce shows that the north-east is an important part of English cricket.I dont think its the end of the world, he said. When I first heard about it I did, but in some ways you have to understand that the ECB have given us an opportunity to rebuild and refocus.Id have felt a lot more sympathy for the players if the club had gone down the drain, and all the jobs of the chefs and the waitresses and everyone else had gone too. We all still have jobs and the cricket club is still going forward. It could have been a lot worse, I guess. Cheap San Francisco 49ers Jerseys . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. nflcheapjerseysfromchina . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. 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PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Boston Red Sox were down to their last strike when Will Middlebrooks made the most of a mistake. Middlebrooks had a three-run double off closer Fernando Rodney with two outs in the ninth inning that lifted the Red Sox past the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Thursday night. "He hung me a changeup and normally he buries that pitch, and he left it up," Middlebrooks said. Middlebrooks lined a shot to left on a 1-2 pitch from Rodney (1-2) with the base loaded, giving the Red Sox the lead. Rodney, who blew just two saves last year, is 7 for 10 in save opportunities this year. "This game is difficult," Rodney said. "Sometimes when you think youve got it in your hands, its gone. Thats how Im feeling tonight. Sometimes you lose control for a little bit, and you can find your way back to finish that inning." After walking Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz, Rodney struck out Mike Napoli before loading the bases with a walk to Daniel Nava. Stephen Drew struck out, but Middlebrooks then came up with his bases-clearing hit. "The approach by everybody in the ninth inning ... we took some close pitches," Boston manager John Farrell said. "We load the bases via the walk. Even though were going up against a guy thats got tremendous stuff, there was no give up, there was not letdown." Rodney finished with four walks, which is a career high. Junichi Tazawa (3-2) pitched two scoreless innings for the win. He retired James Loney on a grounder with two on and two outs in the ninth. The Red Sox had been 0-12 when trailing after eight innings. "Awesome ... get us some momentum," Middlebrooks said. Felix Doubront gave up two runs, three hits, six walks and had seven strikeouts over five-plus innings for the Red Sox, who are 6-9 in May. He threw 104 pitches, including 54 strikes. Doubront pitched once in relief since his last start May 3 as the Red Sox have worked on the left-handers delivery. His 1-0 pitch in the third to Luke Scott slipped out his hand and ended up in foul territory between home and first. "I felt a lot better," Doubront said. Tampa Bays Alex Cobb allowed one run and three hits over 6 1-3 innings. He struck out six and walked two. Cobb struck out 13 in 4 2-3 innings last Friday night against San Diego, becoming the first piitcher in major league history to fan that many batters and fail to make it through the fifth inning.dddddddddddd The Rays went up 3-1 in the sixth on RBI singles by Desmond Jennings and Scott. Before the game, Tampa Bay put AL Cy Young Award winner David Price on the 15-day disabled list with a left triceps strain and recalled left-hander Alex Torres from Triple-A Durham. The Rays are hopeful that Price, who departed in the third inning of Wednesday nights game against Boston, will only miss two or three starts. Doubront was pulled after walking Loney to start the sixth. Clayton Mortensen entered, got an out before issuing a pair of walks to load the bases. Desmond Jennings then singled to put Tampa Bay up 2-1. Andrew Miller replaced Mortensen and allowed Scotts run-scoring single that made it 3-1. Ryan Roberts gave the Rays a 1-0 advantage on his homer in the second. Cobb retired his first 10 batters, including four on strikeouts, before Shane Victorino doubled down the right field line with one out in the fourth. Victorino scored to tie it at 1 on Ortizs two-out single. Victorino left after the eighth with lower back tightness. "Well check him tomorrow," Farrell said. "Hes a little banged up right now." Ortiz has 69 RBIs at Tropicana Field, which ranks second behind Manny Ramirezs 72 for the most by a visiting player. NOTES: Boston closer Andrew Bailey (right biceps strain) had a 15-pitch simulated game. The right-hander will make a minor league rehab appearance Saturday for Triple-A Pawtucket and could be activated from the 15-day disabled list on Monday. ... Red Sox RHP Joel Hanrahan, who had been the closer, had right elbow ligament replacement surgery and had his right flexor tendon repaired by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. .... Rays manager Joe Maddon said a decision has yet to be made on who will make Prices next scheduled start Monday in Toronto. Among the options are right-handers Jake Odorizzi and Chris Archer, as well as Torres, who made his major league debut in 2011, when he appeared in four games -- all in relief. ... Farrell said the team has not discussed moving struggling RHP Daniel Bard from Double-A Portland to extended spring training. Bard walked five and threw just 8 of 30 pitches for strikes in one-plus inning for Portland Wednesday. 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