NOW it is getting interesting!
While leaders South North were held to a draw at Gateshead Fell on Saturday, second-placed Chester-le-Street’s victory over South Shields cut the Bulls’ advantage to just 13 points.
To crank matters up a notch more, South North host the Cestrians on Saturday. Talk about a championship 60-pointer!
A South North spokesman said: “Next week’s match could be crucial in deciding the outcome of this year’s competition.”
A wet outfield at the Fell reduced the game to 94 overs and the conditions made for difficult scoring.
Adam Heather (39), John Graham (43) and Stephen Humble (29 not out) were the main contributors as South North posted 172-5.
In reply, the Fell were never in the hunt as Stephen Humble (3-16) dismissed their top three batsmen but in the end they foiled South Norh’s five-pronged attack as they ended on 123-7.
Having contained Shields’ potentially big-scoring batting order to just 124, thanks largely to Quentin Hughes’ 4-18, a team effort saw the hosts to a four-wicket, 21-point win – so the two-horse race is on.
Below it, Blaydon took advantage of Shields’ defeat at Ropery Lane to reclaim third-spot with a 69-run win over Benwell Hill.
A Hill spoksman said: “After bowling out Blaydon for 190, and with Dave Rutherford returning figures of 4-35, we were handily placed at 87-3 with Ali Maiden and Zohaib Khan at the wicket.
“However, a collapse of wickets saw us bowled out for a paltry 121.”
Aside from the title race hotting up, perhaps the biggest story came at Station Road, where Norton beat Sunderland to edge further from the bottom of the table.
Norton’s Teesside neighbours Stockton remain rooted to the foot of it after Mark Wood’s 6-25 saw Durham Academy romp to a 35-run win.
Tynemouth’s six-wicket victory over Newcastle left the Osbourne Avenue outfit in the bottom two.
::TYNEMOUTH’S Under-13 and Under-15 sides took part in a sponsored walk from Whitley Bay lighthouse to the club’s Preston Avenue base to raise funds towards forthcoming tours to the West Midlands.
