Darlington 21st Allstars - The club's first tournament for a number of years took went to plan and was regarded a success.

It took place over a weekend at Longfield School, Darlington and involved seven-a-side teams from Darlington itself, other areas of County Durham, Teesside and North Yorkshire.

The competitions for the Under-8s and the Under-9s were held on the Saturday and involved 30 teams, with 15 teams competing in the Under-10s section on the Sunday while Graham Bland was the main sponsor.

A last minute panic concerning the disappearance of the white lines on the pitches because of heavy rain the previous Friday led to the Dunkirk spirit and all hands on deck providing a very early Saturday morning solution.

As far as the football was concerned, nobody was disappointed with some brilliant skills on show, breathtaking team football and a commitment given by all which was second to none.

The Under-8s competition saw a very strong Marton FC side victorious, beating Brinkburn of Hartlepool in the final. A home victory just eluded the Under-9s, the Allstars team going down 2-0 to Hartlepool St Francis in their final.

However, the Under-10s' competition was a different story with the Allstars coming out on top with a 1-0 victory over Darlington Albion in their final.

The three players of the tournament were: Under 8s Arran Noble (Marton FC); Under 9s Jordan Wenn (Hartlepool St Francis); Under 10s Matthew Haymer (Darlington Albion).

l Credit for the success of the tournament goes to organisers Steve Pattison and Lynn Johns who worked tirelessly to ensure that everything ran smoothly.

They were ably assisted by Paul Bielby, Angela Curtis, Geoff Johns and Graham Stacey while there were many others who also pitched-in

In addition, an army of newly qualified referees, many aged 15 or 16-years-old, provided marvellous and efficient support throughout the weekend.

Organisers said it was the sheer enjoyment on the faces of all the lads, and their supporters, which was the main lasting memory. Roll on next year!