A sensational last-over victory kept Barnard Castle in the running for the championship which looks set to become a four-club fight in the second half of the season.

Barney's exciting finish against Stokesley - they needed 23 runs from the last 12 balls and got them with three to spare - underlined their willingness to chase leaders Marske and, at the same time, keep at bay the chasing pair of Richmondshire and Great Ayton.

Marske stretched their lead to 27 points by virtue of a maximum points win at Hartlepool.

Stokesley set the pace with a 155-run opening partnership between their skipper, Andrew Weighell, who scored his third century of the season, and former pro James Beaumont who dug-in for 64 from a vintage 131 balls with just seven fours. Weighell, by contrast, faced 122 balls and hit 68 of his 103 in boundaries.

The visitors posted 221 for five, one of their best batting displays of the summer, and might have expected to have done enough to win. But Karl Turner, who, like Weighell, made a brilliant hundred – his second of the season – put Barnard Castle on top before a ninth-wicket stand featuring wicketkeeper Phil Merryweather and battle-hardened skipper James Finch, put on 52 to win the game in style.

Merryweather, who had only batted once before this season, was unbeaten on 42 from 23 balls with five fours and two sixes, while Finch made a run-a-ball 24 with two fours.

Marske's win came against a Pools side which had been tipped pre-season to be among the championship runners but have failed badly with just three wins in their 11 games.

They slumped to 110 all-out after pinning down the Seasiders to a less than impressive total themselves. But the 168 they scored was more than enough to give them their eighth win in 12 and the extra five batting bonus points in four of them.

Leading scorers Saeed Bin Nasir (55) and Lee Hodgson (40) were back at their best and, when Pools replied, Josh Carroll (4-46) and Jonathan Pickard (3-29 on his 150th consecutive Premier League appearance) showed what an outstanding bowling combination they can be.

Hartlepool's former pro Jonathan Rickard ended the day in hospital, checked over for a facial injury after being struck by the ball while fielding.

Richmondshire had to fight hard against a revitalised Billingham Synthonia who took them to the last two overs before defeat was conceded. Gary Pratt was out one run short of a century as the Dalesmen, with the added help of Matt Cowling (53 not out), reached their target of 203 for four wickets.

Billingham's Alston Bobb made 68 – and took two wickets in a 15-over bowling spell – to show how much he has grown among the League's newest professionals, while Shahid Mahmood (56) and Faisal Hussain (31) are also showing what good players they are.

Pratt's misfortune in missing out on his third century of the summer came when he was caught on the legside boundary. Cowling went on to win the game with his eighth four from a 46-ball half century.

Fourth-placed Great Ayton found Norton showing their best fighting spirit by taking their match to the last six overs before admitting defeat by 58 runs. Whalid Ghauri (69) and Phil Holdsworth (38) shared a partnership worth 83 for the third wicket after both their high scoring openers were dismissed relatively cheaply.

Ghauri hit 12 boundaries in his 80-ball innings before being fourth out at 151 as Marc Symington (3-51) and Mark Binks (3-69) impressed for the hosts. Craig Symington (43) top scored in reply as Lewis Harper (4-32), Chris Allinson (2-25) and Parth Patel (2-44) proved accurate rivals.

Darlington dropped behind the championship challengers when held to a low-scoring draw at Seaton Carew who were 20 runs short of winning but played out the overs with eight wickets down. James Dobson (47) top scored for the Quakers (157 all out) as Aussie newcomer Tom Ewing (3-46) impressed for the hosts, but Seaton went into their shell as Connor Whitelock (3-47) hit back.

Guisborough's game with Normanby Hall was abandoned without a ball being bowled, a victim of several earlier days of rain.