RICHMOND now appear to be the only thing standing between Marton and an incredible Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League grand slam.

The Teesside club have already completed two legs of their amazing journey and by the end of a cricket-packed Bank Holiday weekend it could well be that they have the other two remaining prizes wrapped up.

But Richmond will have a big say in that as they take them on twice in two days – firstly in the league tomorrow, and then in Sunday’s calypso carnival at Acklam Park, Middlesbrough, where the pair meet in the Premier final of the Fifteens.

August bank holiday Sunday is NYSD Fifteens Finals Day, and Darlington RA will meet either Hartlepool or Marske in the Division Two final at 11am, Stokesley get to grips with Yarm for the Division One trophy at 1.30pm, with the big boys of the Premier Division locking horns at 4.30pm.

After beating Boro in the semifinals, Richmond’s young side feel they can upset the odds again by ending Marton’s dream of a whitewash. Mike Fleming, Clive Layfield and Adam Hillary all return for the Dalesmen to put them at full-strength, although Marton are similarly endowed with record-breaking batsman and skipper Graham Shaw.

But the main prize is the league title and, with four games left, and a 27-point lead at the top of the table, the championship is Marton’s to lose.

Their second league game of the weekend is at home to Hartlepool on Monday, and if Middlesbrough slip up in either of their matches Marton could be crowned champions by Monday evening.

Boro attempt to keep the title race open with a home game against Northallerton, and a trip to Bishop Auckland. But they must compete without Kyle Coetzer, who is playing for Durham at Hove, although key bowler James Beaumont returns to the side from holiday.

Ian Gill will play for the Town, with Dave Wake and Ian Place coming in for the Fishburn brothers, while Bishops are missing the holidaying Danny Hardaker and David Turgoose.

Marton added the Kerridge Cup to the Macmillan won earlier in the season when they comfortably defeated Great Ayton in the final at Guisborough last Sunday.

The game was evenly poised with Marton on 60-4 and several big guns back in the hutch, but Yorkshire’s Lee Hodgson played a masterful innings of 72 to take his side up to 192, before Mohammed Zahid continued his superb bowling form with another five victims as Ayton were bowled out for 114.

The day before,Marton didn’t get the league win they wanted, but they managed the next best thing – a 16-point draw against Darlington.

They hit their highest score of the season – a spectacular 284 for the loss of three wickets – with century makers Jonny Spillane and Graham Shaw revelling in the sunshine.

Shaw created history with his knock – the century was the 50th of an NYSD career which stretches back 30 years,a record that puts him among the alltime greats in UK league cricket.

Darlington (177-6) fought hard to stop the leaders getting a 12th win with Lee Hutton (87 from 128 balls with 12 fours) living up to his illustrious name.

At the other end of the league, Billingham pulled back seven points on second from bottom Blackhall, but how easily it could have been 20 as they came within a wicket of beating Thornaby. And they had a chance to win it when their visitors were eight runs away from their one-wicket victory and a catch went down.

Marske’s Gary Lynch made his first ever century at premier level – 122 not out from 136 balls – and Chris Allinson got his second in three innings against Richmondshire (301-4), the season’s highest, with James Clarkson (93) and Shani Dissanayake (87 not out) on song.

Guisborough (154-2) brought an end to an excellent run by Northallerton (151-7), while at Bishop Auckland, teenage batsman Craig George hit his first-ever half century after watching the skills of Steve Pennock (89 not out) and Chris Batchelor (81) as Great Ayton also piled up the runs.

And the race for the Division One title took on a remarkable twist as Barnard Castle maintained their lead with their 11th consecutive victory.

Stokesley had kept up their part of the bargain by walloping a threadbare Seaton Carew in double quick time, but Barney looked to be down and out when they needed 18 to win off the last two overs at Richmond with their last pair at the wicket.

But the penultimate over proved disastrous for the home side as it lasted ten balls after four wides were sent down, one of which went for four. This opened a door that appeared tightly closed and the winning hit came with two balls to spare.

With a double weekend beckoning Stokesley will be hoping Barney have used up all their get out of jail free cards.