With all the major cup silverware now dished out for the season following last weekend’s festival of cricket at the NYSD Fifteens finals day, the focus will now be on championship, promotion or relegation battles.

In the Premier Division, the heat is on Barnard Castle if they want to stay in a title race they looked like winning a few weeks ago. Just one victory in their last five outings has seen them drop 28 points off the pace being set by rivals Richmondshire, and they face a tough encounter today when they entertain a Hartlepool team buoyed by winning their first NYSD trophy in 19 years last Sunday.

There are two batsmen currently dominating the headlines, and one of them is Pools Jonathan Rickard who enjoyed the best three days of his career over the Bank Holiday period, hitting scores of 88 not out, 80, and 125 not out in the three matches, the middle knock winning him the man-of-the-match award as Pools triumphed in the Premier Fifteens.

The man of the moment will head up a powerful batting line-up at Vere Road with Dave Seymour, a century maker himself a month ago, available again alongside Neil Coverdale, who missed Monday’s draw with Middlesbrough. Barnard Castle keep faith with the team that lost by just six runs at Normanby and with Pools in fourth, 14 points behind Barney, it’s a must win game for both sides.

The two leading teams enjoy home advantage, with pacesetters Richmondshire entertaining Normanby Hall, and the rapidly-advancing Great Ayton welcoming Norton to Leven Park.

It’s one in and one out for the Dalesmen with Andy Fleming away but Craig Swainston returning from his holidays against a Hall side harbouring a doubt over skipper Leigh Beaumont who suffered a leg injury while bowling on Monday.

With Jon Grainge working Henry Shelton is brought in to keep wicket for Ayton, while David Grainge returns for the in-form villagers who are on a ten-game unbeaten run which has included five 25-pointers amongst the seven wins. And in Chris Batchelor they have the other star turn with the bat, the former Yorkshire player now standing on 1,226 league runs, almost 200 more than any other player.

Ayton have turned their season around dramatically since the turn of the year, and at the opposite end of the table the same can be said about Seaton Carew who, after a summer spent propping up the rest, edged their way out of the bottom spot on Monday, and now look set to complete the great escape after a six-game unbeaten run which has included their only three wins of the campaign.

Youngster Paul Braithwaite, a key figure in that revival, says the team have regained belief in themselves and now feel confident they can escape relegation. “We’ve got our positive attitude back,” he said. “When we got our first win the team’s confidence returned in abundance. We’ve started believing in ourselves again and we must have a great chance of getting out of the mess into which we’ve got ourselves.”

And they will start as favourites against fellow strugglers Redcar who are the visitors to Hornby Park today.

The Seasiders have suffered one blow after another in a run of 12 games without a win, and are hoping that their most recent piece of bad luck, a back injury to Muhammed Zahid, will have cleared up in time for him to play. Jonny Scott misses out for the home team after picking up a calf injury in their last game.

With Seaton having vacated the bottom spot on Monday, Marton took over the unwanted mantle and in the dogfight which sees three teams separated by just three points they know they must get something from their game at Marske.

They are boosted by the return of Jack Hardy and Jonny Spillane against a home side who bring in Ben Walker for the unavailable Charlie Helm.

In Division One, Whitby’s title credentials are set to be tested when they entertain third-placed Bishop Auckland, with Billingham, second on the table, hoping that sufficient points will be spilt at the Turnbull Ground for them to regain top spot if they win at relegation threatened Saltburn.