The Readers' Durham County League: Tudhoe secretary Dave Linford forecast before the game with Kimblesworth that the side which failed to win would go out of the race for the championship.

Despite the fact that there was no intervention by the weather, neither side won as the match was timed out at 8.00 pm when Kimblesworth needed just four runs for victory with six wickets intact. There was one over remaining to be bowled.

Faced with a target of 191 in what should have been 45 overs, Kimblesworth attacked from the start through openers Stephen Meek, who carried his bat for 75 and Lloyd Cochrane with 57.

Tudhoe though fought back, restricting runmaking and claiming a couple of wickets with run-outs so that following 45 overs, the visitors only managed to total 187-4.

Simon Davies was again in excellent form for Tudhoe and his contribution of 82 was crucial to the total of 190. Brendan Clancy and David Showler both took three wickets in the Kimblesworth attack.

Evenwood are still ahead after seeing off the challenge from Brandon by eight wickets. Michael Tinkler finished unbeaten on 46, with seven boundaries when Brandon made a modest 131-7 from their 45 overs.

In contrast, it took Evenwood just 19.1 overs to complete another crucial victory as John Maughan slammed three sixes and nine boundaries in 71 and Billy Teasdale added 39 not out with seven fours.

Willington are second, 14 points behind Evenwood with a game in hand. They had six wickets and four overs to spare overtaking the Esh Winning total of 172. Gary Cummins stroked ten fours making an undefeated 75 and Gary Wyatt contributed 39. When they batted first, Esh made a good start through a second-wicket partnership between John Carmedy, who recorded three sixes and seven boundaries making 62 and Atta-ur-Rehman with 33.

The introduction of Andy Coe into the attack as third-change halted the flow of runs and in 6.5 overs he claimed five wickets for just 31 runs.

Despite being forced to field a weakened side, bottom-of-the-table Shildon almost sprung a surprise at Etherley who had just 13 runs to spare. Replying to a target of 151, Shildon were indebted to Gary Davies who scored 60 of his 83 runs in boundaries.

In the end though Yassas Tillakaratne and Chris Renshaw both took three wickets to close the innings.

Carl McGregor recorded no fewer than 11 boundaries in 52 for Etherley but Shildon performed well in the field and no bowler in the game did better than Trevor Henderson whose 12 overs produced 4-38.

Mainsforth made the highest score of the day, 201-3 defeating Crook Town by 81 runs. The platform for their total was an opening stand of 120 between Robert Chismon (72) and Gary Purcell with 41. Wayne Firbank maintained the momemtum ending unbeaten on 38. Crook never looked like mounting a winning challenge and although Lee Morton contributed 37, the innings stuttered to 120 all out from 37.5 overs.

David Fishburn captured four wickets for 36 runs from the ten overs he delivered.

Langley Park were another side to make a good start to their innings but they lost by eight wickets to Ushaw Moor.

David Leslie (45) and Tyrone Beaton (33) were in good form but when Sanjay Raul (5-25) and captain Michael Hayton with 3-34 took over in the attack, the innings ended with just 142 on the board.

Raul then completed a man-of-the-match performance making 52 which together with an unbeaten 45 from David Armstrong propelled Ushaw Moor to victory for the loss of just two wickets.