By Andrew McKenzie

Durham embark on a trip into the unknown when they make their domestic final debut against Hampshire at Lord's on Saturday.

The Friends Provident Trophy climax caps a remarkable turnaround from a side who have spent much of their existence as the country's whipping boys.

BBC Sport spoke to head coach Geoff Cook and academy graduate Phil Mustard about the club's fluctuating fortunes.

Former Northamptonshire and England batsman Cook played for Durham in their final season as a minor county and has been there every step of the way since.

"I was lucky enough to be invited to help them in transition from a minor county side to a first-class club," said Cook, who began as the club's director of cricket.

"For the romantics it was good fun to be involved in at the start but in terms of laying down the right principles and values it was very difficult being an itinerant county."

FROM MINOR TO MAJOR Durham were formed in 1882 - eight years before the County Championship - and gained first-class status in December 1991 They became the first club to gain first-class status since Glamorgan in 1921 They were the first Minor County side to beat a first-class side when they defeated Yorkshire in the Gillette Cup in 1973 Set a record with their ninth Minor Counties title in 1984

Durham cricket club was formed before the start of the County Championship, but it took 110 years before they made their debut in the competition.

They finished bottom in their first two seasons and were without a home in their early years while the Riverside was being built.

They attracted plenty of interest - and some big names like Ian Botham and Dean Jones.

But more often than not it was their woeful results that made the headlines - from spectacular innings defeats to being on the wrong end of Brian Lara's 501.

"Those early days were a struggle," added Cook. "We were a team that was always going to change every two or three years until the youngsters could form the backbone.

"There's been low points and there have been even lower points I can assure you of that."

The rocky road continued despite the opening of the Riverside in 1995.

In 1996 Durham went the entire County Championship season without winning a game - but that was also the year when the club laid the foundations for their future.

In 1999 an eighth-place finish earned them a surprise place in Division One of the newly-split County Championship.

The Durham-born Simon Brown, who had often been the one shining light in those early years, finally got some seam support from a young Neil Killeen and an even younger Steve Harmison.

606: DEBATE Discuss the final with other supporters

The academy formed at the end of the 1996 slump was starting to bear fruit.

However it was to be a false dawn - they were relegated the following season - and only in the last few years has Cook's plans to take shape.

He added: "The initial aim was to give local lads an opportunity and stop them going to other counties but many found the transition from talented youngster to hardened professional difficult.

"The academy has given people some breathing space in the developing period, making it easier to move into the professional ranks and the club has slowly reaped the benefits.

"The likes of Graeme Onions, Liam Plunkett, Mark Davies and even Steven Harmison at the outset to name but a few. Now we have the likes of Ben Harmison and Kyle Coetzer emerging.

Cook has performed a number of roles at the club since 1991

"The coaching staff work exceptionally hard to develop whatever talent is there.

"The right blend of experience and ability is important and we have some terrific senior players in Ottis Gibson, Dale Benkenstein and Michael Di Venuto."

Durham are not the only ones reaping the benefits, with Harmison, Paul Collingwood and Plunkett forming a regular triumvirate for England.

To put it into some sort of perspective, their opponents on Saturday have been a first-class county side since 1895 but had to wait until this year for Chris Tremlett to become the first born and bred Hampshire player to represent for England in a Test in this country.

Onions heads a list of potential youngsters who could be the next to make the jump.

Sunderland-born wicket-keeper Mustard, who joined the academy at 15, is another to have prospered off the production line.

He said: "There is a hell of a lot of talent up here - all the way from Cleveland to Northumberland and even across to Cumbria.

"They have a large area to choose players from and the way it is going they are choosing well."

It seems Durham has everything in place to be one of English cricket's contenders for the foreseeable future.

It's amazing the progress we have made Phil Mustard

"The people behind the scenes have been absolutely fantastic. They have realised forming a cricket team and a cricket club is a long process," says Cook.

"They have done a wonderful job providing the ground and the facilities for international cricket.

"It's up to us as the cricket people to ensure the little bit of success we have had this season is not a one off and build on it."

But having experienced the lows, Cook is not one for bold predictions about the highs ahead for Durham.

The confident Mustard is more willing to stick his neck out.

"I think this is just the start of something," said the 24-year-old. "With the players we have and the way the club has gone in the past three years things are looking good.

"They have looked to bring in high-profile players to blend in with the youngsters.

"Durham's only been around for a few years so to be in this final and looking good in the Championship and Pro40 has come as a bit of a rush.

"It's amazing the progress we have made and winning on Saturday will put us on the map - it would be a remarkable achievement for Durham and for the north-east."