THE NYSD season ended in further glory for Middlesbrough as they added the coveted Kerridge Cup to their league championship success, but there was also joy for Great Ayton as they scooped the accolade of the season's best cup side.

The two teams have dominated the honours and the gripping battles between the pair have determined where the four majors would end up.

Ayton bounced back from Kerridge Cup woe to thump them in the Premier 15s final in front of a massive audience, and then created yet more club history when they defeated the same opponents by 15 runs to win the Tall Trees Hotel Macmillan Cup.

The match, played at Marske last Thursday, was a triumph for the host club's groundstaff, the game the first to take place anywhere in the North-east for over a fortnight.

The villagers won the toss and decided to bat first, but they found life a struggle as Matthew Connolly picked up three early wickets. When Chris Batchelor then went for 14, Ayton were 37- 4 with only eight overs remaining, and it took some determined batting from Ant Doyle (18) and Colin Murray (11) to double the score before John Russell (11) added late impetus to take Ayton to 96- 8 in their 20 overs.

When Doyle, Ian West and Stephen Pennock then combined to remove the three Boro dangermen with only 30 on the board, it became an uphill struggle for the league champions.

Only James Lowe (20) looked comfortable and when he had gone Ayton skipper David Grainge (3-14) turned the screw.

The last over arrived with 21 still needed, and when Riaz Afridi (3- 14) knocked the stumps out of the ground three times in four balls the trophy was in new hands. And there was icing on the cake for the elated villagers as the talismanic Afridi then penned a contract that will keep him at the club for two more seasons.

Intense work behind the scenes last Saturday saw the Kerridge final switched to Marton after it became clear that Hartlepool would have to concede defeat to the elements. And with little cricket being played elsewhere in the region, the NYSD became one of the very few leagues to complete their full cup programme when the 24- hour efforts of the Marton groundstaff enabled the game to go ahead, albeit with a halfhour's delay.

And on this occasion Middlesbrough held all the aces after being invited to take first knock.

A carefully-constructed innings gradually took the game away from opponents Billingham as James Lowe dominated. He joined with Paul Johnston (34) in an opening stand of 87, and then Kyle Coetzer (41) stepped up the pace with some glorious off-driving.

The only shame for Lowe was that he fell two runs short of a well-deserved century when he attempted to reach the landmark in spectacular fashion by hoisting a steepling ball to the mid-wicket boundary where Synner's James Wiggins pulled off a staggering diving catch.

Nevertheless, his 98, made from 121 balls, allowed Boro to set a formidable 40 over target of 192.

And when Billingham slumped to 30-4 the writing was on the wall. Steve Purcifer (43) and Keith Hewson (32) looked as though they could pull things round, but when they fell in quick succession the game was up, off-spinner James Beaumont (4-56) bowling right through the innings which ended on 153.

The league season ended with yet another virtual washout, with only two games in all Saturday divisions taking place. In the Premier Division Redcar bade farewell to the top flight - for the time being - against Blackhall.

In Division One, there was a remarkable bowling performance when Stokesley's Thomas Atkinson holed visitors Yarm below the waterline, the visitors sinking to 57 all out. Atkinson's eight overs returned figures of 7- 1, the single conceded being a wide. Jonny Weighell (35no) then took the home side to a tenwicket win.

Yarm's pointless return from their game meant Darlington RA would have been able to avoid relegation if they had played and won, but they had already been consigned to their fate when their game, like virtually all the others, fell victim to the waterlogged ground.

Their place in Division One will be taken by Marton who were confirmed as champions when all Division Two matches were abandoned.