Rollercoaster ride continues in the NYSD with Marske going top

WITH the leadership changing for the second time in the month, there's just no end to the twists and turns in what has become the one of the most unpredictable seasons on record, in the NYSD League's premier division.

Marske returned to the top when they made a new all-time record score on their home ground and then defeated fellow championship challengers Great Ayton, while the slide of Richmondshire, who held the lead for just three games, is starting to cause concern after being strongly tipped to take the league title for a fifth time.

Richmond's latest defeat - their second in three games - was against Middlesbrough, who have lost more matches than they've won and it pushed them down the ratings into third place, as Barnard Castle moved just above them following another superlative display of batting.

Marske, who turned a six point deficit into a 12 point advantage as the new leaders, scored an amazing 342 runs from 50 overs, one run more than the previous club record achieved five years ago. Ayton's bowlers faced a disheartening onslaught as Lee Hodgson smashed 15 fours and nine sixes in a season-long top score of 169 and fellow professional, Saeed Bin Nasir produced 46 more in boundaries in scoring 91 from 95 balls. This remarkable pair have now scored 1,870 league runs between them in the 16 games played and lead the averages convincingly. Ayton, who were bowled out for 169, to lose by a 173 run margin, had to play with 10 men after teenager Mark Lewis was hit in the face while practising and taken to hospital.

Barnard Castle's run of success was extended to eight games, including five victories, which many counted as their season's best, as rivals Seaton Carew had been enjoying remarkable form themselves. They had gone six games without defeat, but in a sensational display of aggression, Karl Turner smashed 180 runs out of 257 needed, to inflict only the fourth defeat on their hosts.

Seaton might have expected a better result when Usman Arshad hit a breezy 96 runs and shared a stand worth 104 with Paul Braithwaite, who was unbeaten on 82. But Turner had other ideas and in maintaining the form he showed a week earlier – he scored 133 against his former club, Guisborough – rattled up his fourth century in the league. Lachlan Pfeffer (69) was his partner in a stand worth almost 200, as they won with five overs still unused.

Middlesbrough's match winner in the largely unexpected defeat of Richmondshire, was Steven Reeves (5-13) who took his wicket tally to 32, as his eight overs destroyed the heart of the home team's batting. Their first four wickets fell at the same score of just 36 and the last four went for 11, as they collapsed for 129 to lose by 53 runs. Only Steven Mather (35) and Oliver Kelly (22) showed anything like form. Middlesbrough produced a challenging total of 182, with 71 from Paul Johnston and 52 from Sam Gaudie, while Craig Marshall took four wickets and Gary Platt bagged three for the Dalesmen.

More drama came in the clash between the teams most threatened by relegation with Normanby Hall beating Billingham Synthonia to change places at the foot of the league table. Third bottom, Stokesley, also won and in picking up maximum points have put a 32 point cushion, between themselves and Normanby who moved off the bottom for the first time all season.

The Weighell brothers, Andrew and Jonny, led the good fight against Hartlepool where the victory by 76 runs ended a run of ten games without a win, which had included eight defeats. But a solid double for Andrew (44 and 4-28) and a top score of 63 for his sibling, has given the injury hit club some welcome breathing space in their unaccustomed lowly league position.

Normanby's win was a personal triumph for skipper, Leigh Beaumont, who made a top score of 42 and then took seven Billingham wickets for just 25 runs in 15 overs. His undefeated spell with the bat, added 50 in ten overs for his side to reach 132-6 and Normanby went on to dismiss the home side for 109 to win by 23 runs. Close on 450 runs were scored with just 14 wickets falling in the game between Guisborough and Norton, which ended drawn. Shani Dissanayake (76 and 3-46), Martin Hood (65) and Graeme Murray (53 from 26 balls) showed star quality for the hosts, while David Cross (72) and Nick Thomas (57) headed Norton's reply.

In Division One, Bishops won again taking 25 points from their game, while Marton and Thornaby kept the pressure on, by both winning, but by only 20 points.