A DRAW against the powerful leaders of the NEPL would normally be considered a great result for the teams languishing in the lower reaches of the Premier Division, but for Blaydon it was not a cause for celebration as their truncated match with South North left them with a modest return and saw them slump to the foot of the table.

It started late and finished early, and with almost 33 overs lost from the day’s play Blaydon were only able to garner six points from their home game against the Bulls, and with the resurgent Gateshead Fell winning at South Shields they moved off the bottom for the first time this season having won one more game than their hapless rivals.

The heavy downpours of the previous day meant that it was 1pm before the Denefield game could start, and with the first innings reduced to 52 overs Blaydon decided to insert their opponents when winning the toss, a decision that looked set to reap unimagined rewards as the leaders slid to 27 for 4, and then 103 for 6.

But the cornered Bulls fought back through Stephen Humble, 5 fours and 4 sixes adorning a counter attack which saw him crack 86 from 92 balls before a declaration on 150-7 to allow 48 overs to try and bowl out the home side. A clear measure of the value of Humble’s innings was that the next top scorer had 13 to his name as Graeme Bridge (3-27) spearheaded the home attack.

As with Humble’s batting colleagues, Blaydon had no one who was able to prosper on a bowler’s day and they crawled their way to 95-6 in 40 overs before the sun, which was shining directly in the batsmen’s eyes, caused play to be abandoned for the day with eight overs left.

Gateshead Fell’s fourth win in eight matches came at South Shields, and it was inspired by the most unlikely of sources. Malik Javed had not taken a single league wicket this season before Saturday, and only 52 in his previous eight years with the Fell, but his career best six wicket haul cost him just 7 runs in a devastating nine over stint which saw the Shieldsmen rolled over for just 120. Gateshead took 39.1 overs to overhaul their hosts modest total, but it was well worth it as the distant light at the end of the relegation tunnel suddenly became a lot brighter.

Now level on points with Blaydon, they are also within touching distance of Whitburn who had to settle for a home draw against Stockton which left them just ten points clear of the relegation slot. But it could have been worse as the Teessiders looked almost certain winners after reaching 122 without loss in pursuit of a target of 251, Richie Waite the driving force with 87. But once one went the wickets started tumbling, Mark Elliott’s 6-48 leaving Stockton teetering on the brink of defeat as their last pair blocked out three overs on 217-9.

In the First Division the day started with just 12 points covering the top four, and it ended with the congestion easing only slightly, 16 points now separating leaders Eppleton from fourth-placed Willington. Washington were the team gaining most ground in the leading quartet, a remarkable game at Tudhoe, which was marked by late runs for both teams after early struggles, ending in a 73-run success which lifted them to within two points of the summit.