DURHAM City No 8 Darren McKinnon is to captain the Durham side in the County Championship Shield, which kicks off today against Cheshire at Gateshead Fell.

The former England colt, who has also played for West Hartlepool and Darlington Mowden Park, will be joined by clubmate Mark Cammiss, making his county debut at loose-head prop.

Other debutants are Mowden lock Iain Robinson, Durham University's Rob McDermott and the centres, Gateshead's Dave Tate and Mowden's Tim Visser.

Coached by the Consett pairing of Tasi Tuhana and Mick Kent, the county's other games over the next two weeks are against Warwickshire at Coventry and Cumbria at Aspatria.

Cheshire will provide a tough test as they include players from Manchester, Waterloo, Sedgley Park, Halifax and Orrell, who have all operated at a higher level this season than any of the Durham team.

Orrell's Simon Mason, who played at Newcastle in the pre-professional era, is preferred at fly half to Teessider Ross Winney, the Macclesfield No 10, who is selected at full back.

Three Darlington players who have trained with the county have been named in the side but are also selected by their club for the final match of the season at home to National Three North champions Bradford and Bingley.

Darlington always knew that lock Richard Snowball would be playing for Yorkshire in the County Championship proper, but will be surprised to know that winger Frankie Coulson, lock Stuart Palmer and back row man Michael Taylor are named in the Durham team.

Durham: R McDermott (Durham Univ), I Coulson (Darlington), D Tate (Gateshead), T Visser (Mowden Park, O Brennand (Durham Univ), I Dixon, A Foreman (Mowden Park), M Cammiss (Durham City), A Dixon (West Hartlepool TDSOB), D Sinclair, I Robinson (Mowden Park), S Palmer (Darlington), T Irwin (Sunderland), M Taylor (Darlington), D McKinnon (Durham City, capt). Replacements: M Thompson (Horden), R Curry (Durham City), S Powell (Harrogate), H Iles, T Basey (Durham Univ), R Knowles (Durham City), D Taylor (Durham Univ).

Although it looks as though player-coach Craig Lee, who was wanted by Mowden, will stay with Darlington, he and his brother Paul are standing down today, along with Alan Brown and David Andrew, as they look to the future.

Brown will be on the bench and will be joined by prop Dan Miller, making his comeback after being out for most of the season with a knee injury suffered while playing for the Newcastle Falcons Development XV.

Rotherham Academy product Andy Hartson is given a chance in the second row, while Rob Stewart switches from centre to scrum half with two more Barnard Castle School products outside him in fly half Gareth Davies and centre James Beattie, who will be partnered by Ben Snook.

As Jonny Wilkinson captains Newcastle for the first time this season in today's final Guinness Premiership match at home to Leeds he might reflect that at least he has survived better than the man with whom he shared captaincy duties last season, Ian Peel.

The prop is now on the coaching staff after a neck problem forced him to quit playing, but in his first start since November Wilkinson hopes that all his troubles are behind him.

He leads a squad of 22 England-qualified players, among them 22-year-old Teessider Geoff Parling, who will be making his 23rd start of the season after leaping ahead of Scotland international Stuart Grimes in the second row rankings.

Newcastle need a win to ensure they don't finish with only their relegated visitors below them and Parling said: "We want to restore a bit of pride after the season we have had.

"Leeds will want to bow out of the Premiership by making a statement and it's our job to make sure that doesn't happen."

As the man given responsibility for the line-out calls, Parling said: "Our line-out gets a lot of stick but it has been quite good for most of the season. There have just been two or three games where it has fallen apart.

"Fans ask me why we throw to the back at certain times - it's because it is often totally unmarked. Our execution is the issue and we will continue to mix our game at the line-out.

"I have learned loads this season, especially through the responsibility of having to call the line-outs. It's part of the game I really enjoy and I think we have the ability to be consistently effective in that area."

Mathew Tait will present the trophies at the Newcastle Festival of Rugby, taking place at Kingston Park and the adjoining Bullocksteads ground on May 27.

After their hat-trick of victories at sevens tournaments in the Borders, the Newcastle Development team will compete in the Spinnaka Falcons Sevens, along with Blaydon, Tynedale, Northumbria University and several guest sides, including London Welsh and an Army team.

The festival also features the Audi Student Sevens and the Suio Northumberland County Sevens, from which proceeds will go to the Ali Johnson Fund. Admission will cost £5 or £2 for under-16s.