It’s time for the first big event of the summer with the Teesside University Macmillan Cup T20 finals day taking place at Seaton Carew tomorrow.

The NYSD were the UK trailblazer for coloured clothing club cricket, and with four strong sides going head to head in a lively environment of music, black sightscreens and pink balls, another great day’s cricket is in prospect with the winner qualifying for the last 32 stage of the national T20 which boasts a floodlit final televised on Sky TV.

Marske to take on Stokesley at 10am before the host club meet with the new cup kings of the NYSD, Barnard Castle, in the second semi at 1.30. The winner meet in an early evening showdown for the first major trophy of the season.

Finals day will seem a bit strange without Great Ayton – they’ve been to the last five.

Stokesley brought a halt to the tremendous reign of the short format specialists, becoming the first team to defeat the Villagers since 2011 in NYSD T20 cricket, and also denying their rivals the opportunity for another crack at the national rounds they did so well in last year when they won the North of England title to reach national finals day.

That opportunity now awaits a new team as the winners of the Macmillan have the added incentive of hosting the area finals day when they will take on the Yorkshire Premier League, Central Yorkshire League and NEPL T20 winners in early August.

The opening game could hinge on how well the Marske overseas contingent do, with Pakistani pro, Saeed Bin Nasir the leading Premier run scorer in all forms this season, and Kiwi sidekick Ullrich Boshoff also shining.

Both featured heavily in their previous wins over Normanby Hall and Hartlepool, while former Yorkshire and Surrey player Lee Hodgson has also figured with bat and ball.

But the Seasiders, who should feel at home in the bracing early morning Seaton breeze, have a few problems in the bowling department with both Josh Carroll and Brett Roberts sidelined by injury.

There’s problems, too, for opponents Stokesley, as influential skipper Andrew Weighell, man of the match in the recent T20 representative thriller against Durham CCC, is struggling to overcome a hamstring injury, while top off-spinner James Beaumont is away.

Barnard Castle won their first majors in 2014, with a Kerridge and NYSD Premier Fifteens double, and they will take this new-found cup confidence into the early afternoon meeting with the host club, particularly as they will have a full squad at their disposal.

Seaton have thrown the formbook out of the window in their T20 exploits. Struggling desperately at the foot of the Premier Division - they are 50 points from safety - the Macmillan has brought out the best in them, hammering league champions Darlington in the first round after rattling up 184, and then holding their nerve at Redcar to edge past their hosts by just two runs.

The home team are also at full strength with Dave Braithwaite returning from a university cricket tour to Barbados. He may find just a little difference in the temperature at Hornby Park tomorrow, but there should be plenty of runs for spectators to savour throughout the day on a track renowned as one of the best for batsmen.

In today’s important league programme, leaders Richmondshire need to get over their shock defeat to Normanby Hall which cut their lead over Darlington to four points.

The Dalesmen entertain unchanged Hartlepool with Mike Fleming in for youngster Owen Kelly who played his first Premier game last weekend.

Quakers travel to Acklam Park where Boro opener Paul Johnston will be missing, however they will also have to cope without a key player, with skipper Matty Brown away for the weekend – Jack Vickerman replaces him.

There’ll be a new face on show for Marton against neighbours Normanby Hall, with batsman Tom Urwin having joined from Redcar earlier this week. The only other change sees veteran Graham Shaw, who took three wickets and scored 124 for Durham in an over-50s county championship win against Nottinghamshire earlier this week, replaced in the home team by his son Gareth.