CHAMPIONS Burnmoor recovered their composure yesterday after a Saturday setback, and a convincing 84- run victory over close rivals Dawdon took them 15 points clear at close of play last night.

With Dawdon losing for the second time in 24 hours, and Esh Winning beaten by Tudhoe, it was the latter who emerged as the only team amongst the leading pack to pick up two victories in the double header, and they are now Burnmoor’s closest challengers, with just 15 points now separating them from the summit.

Paul Craig inspired the Moor to their success, hitting 11 fours and one six on his way to 73, and despite Mark Ewart picking up four wickets the leaders were able to declare on 197-6 after 45 overs.

Dawdon then found Brydon Carse too hot to handle, the South African picking up 5-39 in 10.3 overs as the visitors crumbled to 110 all out. Two defeats in two days left them almost 40 points off the pace.

Jalat Khan was once again the Esh Winning star, hitting three fours and five sixes in making 89 out of a total of 176 against Tudhoe, but Danny Thexton then steered the home team to success, cracking eight fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 78 scored from 91 balls faced. Tudhoe won with seven wickets and more than ten overs to spare.

And there was a new force in Division Two last night as Bill Quay knocked Durham City off the top spot they had occupied all summer.

Micky Orridge and Anoop Pai shared six cheap wickets as City fell for 119 in 35 overs, and then Jeff Tudor (45 not out) eased Quay to the top of the pile.

The opening exchanges of the weekend’s double header on Saturday witnessed some remarkable results with both leading teams at the start of play crashing to surprise defeats.

Boldon CA had only lost one game prior to their clash with Burnmoor, so perhaps their four-wicket win was less of a shock than Dawdon’s capitulation to lowly Easington, and the Moor could have no real complaints after their batsmen failed to get to grips with a wicket favouring the bowlers.

Stephen Meek (40 from 53 balls) was the only man to look capable of breaking the shackles imposed by Ian Male (4-13 from 12 overs), and when he was trapped by the incoming Male the visitors could only post 123 in 39 overs, a total the remarkably recovered professional, Shashank Singh (58 not out from 73 balls, eased his team past inside 33 overs.

Just a few days before Dawdon’s home clash with Easington the visitors had signed Adrian Hedley from Ryhope, and what a capture it proved to be with the former Horden hitter taking star billing on debut.

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Sanjaya Rodrigo batting for Seaton Carew against Richmondshire in the NYSD League

Dawdon looked to be in a good place at the interval after posting 178-9 in 45 overs, this despite Jordan Wilson’s magnificent 12 over spell of 6-27. But a rapid century opening stand between Hedley and David Tarn (57 with 11 boundaries) set home nerves on edge, and with Hedley going on to make a splendid 79 Easington raced past the target in just 25 overs with seven wickets to spare, victory lifting them well clear of the drop zone.

Esh Winning didn’t need any second invitations to join the top table, feasting on an 88 run win over Marsden that lifted them into second place on Saturday night, just seven points adrift of the summit.

But it could have been different as they lost their first seven batsmen for a total of 23 run. Jalat Khan and Paul Chivers were the saviours, Khan hitting 12 fours and a six on his way to an undefeated century scored from 117 balls, and Chivers blasting 52 from 45 balls. The result was 197-9, and despite a half century from skipper Chris Mann the Marsden team crumbled to 109 all out.