The Bank Holiday double header provides Premier Division leaders Marske with the ideal opportunity to stretch their advantage over the chasing pack.

The Seasiders, 11 points ahead of champions Richmondshire, have two games against sides in the bottom half of the table, and are boosted by selecting Ullrich Boshoff for the first time this summer.

The New Zealand amateur is back for a second season at Windy Hill Lane after finally sorting out some visa issues, and if he repeats his 2015 form he will provide impetus to Marske’s title charge. The all-rounder scored 553 league runs and took 26 wickets last term, and his arrival is timely following a shoulder injury to Brett Roberts that is likely to sideline him for the next fortnight.

Paceman Charlie Helm replaces Roberts at Norton today and at home to Guisborough on Monday, with Boshoff slotting into the place vacated by Josh Carroll.

Norton have made a decent enough start even though they are currently eighth, but they have to reckon without the services of all-rounder Craig Symington, who is second in their league run scoring and wicket taking charts, as he is on holiday. However, returning from holiday are ex-Durham and Kent man Mark Davies and Harry Linton.

Guisborough, meanwhile, have had another eventful week. The arrival of Shani Dissanayake has lifted spirits at Fountains Garth, but he has now been pitched straight into the captaincy role vacated by Graeme Wrightson following a move to home club Sacriston prompted by family considerations.

Wrightson, an outstanding keeper, will be a big miss but young Hayden Bowman is showing rich promise and now gets his chance behind the sticks. The Priorymen struggled badly at Richmond last week with a weakened team, but they are boosted by the return of Martin Hood, Graham Murray and Richard Dunn for the double weekend which begins with a home game against Hartlepool.

Richmondshire only have the one game this weekend so they will be keen to make it count. They go to Hornby Park this afternoon to take on a Seaton Carew side who are also anxious to get points on the board, but for different reasons. The Dalesmen are name an unchanged side, although Seaton have lost youngster Reece Carr, the former Durham Academy player having decided on a return to his home club Sacriston after just four games for the Seasiders.

Seaton go to Park Drive on Monday to take on Hartlepool. Bank Holiday is traditionally derby day in the NYSD with large crowds the order of the day and this meeting will be fiercely contested, as will be the game at Leven Park where Great Ayton entertain Stokesley.

That is Ayton’s only game of the weekend and they hope Joe Marsay will have recovered sufficiently from his football-related ankle injury.

However, Stokesley’s James Weighell is missing – he enjoyed a career-best first-class performance when taking nine wickets for Durham against Warwickshire this week, so Stokesley are likely to be unchanged in both their matches which begin with today’s SCG encounter with Normanby Hall. They hope to have Ryan Gibson back if he is released by Yorkshire, but Martin Rose will retain his place after an impressive debut last weekend.

Barnard Castle’s Richard Borrowdale faces a fitness test after injuring an ankle last week, while opponents Billingham Synthonia will be at full strength for the first time this summer with the return of Elliott Holmes, and Middlesbrough will be missing both Mike Cook and Adil Ditta when they host a Darlington team that includes the returning Tom Sowerby.