Barnard Castle in final day bid for promotion

But in a catastrophic afternoon at Acklam Park they went down to a defeat that earned them just eight points to allow Stokesley to leapfrog them into the big time. Almost exactly one year on there is a genuine feeling of deja vu as Barney head the Division One table by eight points from second-placed Marton, with unbeaten Redcar just a further four back in third.

The mathematics this time are only slightly less demanding – a 12-point return from this weekend’s home game against Seaton Carew would be enough to spark the celebrations for a team who have finished second in each of the last two campaigns.

Providing there are no weather complications, Barney will start as heavy favourites against a Seaton side who have surprisingly struggled having suffered 13 defeats to date, a record which sees them languishing in the lower reaches of the table.

The leaders hope to be at full strength for their date with destiny, the only doubt being over Andrew Toulson who faces a late fitness test.

Marton won’t be too far away from the proceedings at Vere Road as they play their final game at Feethams. Having already got one piece of silverware in the locker after securing the inaugural Second Teams Salver last week, they will hope to beat the Quakers and then pray for other results to go their way. They show just the one team change with Whalid Ghauri returning to the side.

Redcar have gone through the campaign without losing a single match, the only team in any of the divisions to do so. But after 11 draws they find themselves looking for a slip-up by the two teams above them as well as a win in their match at Cricket Lane where they meet relegated Normanby Hall. Star man Tim Hood is their only absentee.

One club praying for a Marton title success are Premier Division Thornaby – if that happens then they will be reprieved from relegation after finishing bottom following last weekend’s final round of top flight matches.

With long-standing favourites Middlesbrough finally clinching the championship as Marton, last year’s champions, wilted on the final lap, a frenetic last day of the season saw Northallerton save their Premier Division status with Thornaby now facing the drop.

Boro’s 11th league title, their third in four years, was achieved when Marton were beaten narrowly at Hartlepool while their own game at Normanby Hall was still in session.

But, as it happened, they took enough points from their drawn finish to have celebrated, even if their closest rivals had won rather than lost.

The real excitement of the final day came at Bishop Auckland where Northallerton were beaten and looked likely to be relegated until Darlington beat Thornaby an hour later.

In Thornaby’s all-important final match, the Quakers posted 144-8 with their skipper Doug Mulholland hitting an unbeaten half century after Ian Daniel (3-38).

Thornaby, at 73-2 in reply with Daniel (57) leading the way, looked like getting the win to ease their worries but they lost five wickets in adding just 32 more runs and were all out 13 runs short of their target.

Peter Armstrong (4-25 from 18 overs) and Mulholland (4-77 from 22.2 overs) proved the match winners.

The Kingsway wicket proved a handful for batsmen as Bishop Auckland tottered on 82 for nine before reaching 145 and then bowling out Northallerton for 106 after having them on 39 for six. Phil Holdsworth was Bishops’ face saver with 62 from 38 balls, including five fours and two sixes, and he did it batting at number ten!

Richard Chandler (6-56) and Jon Barnes (3-57) were in form for the visitors but they suffered their fifth successive defeat. Nevertheless Thornaby’s defeat brought survival for their rivals.

In the championship deciders Marton made a valiant attempt to put Middlesbrough on the ropes as they came within eight runs of beating Hartlepool. Lee Hodgson (51) led the way after Pool had set them a target of 195 with Saman Jayantha making 98 including 12 boundaries from 107 deliveries. He shared in stands of 76 and 51.

Marton’s reply got to 112 for four before the alarm bells sounded.

But Tom Chadwick (48) figured in a 29-run last wicket stand which almost changed the result. In the end Pool won by seven runs with Marc Symington (5-68) ending as the league’s top wicket taker.

Middlesbrough’s Alex Roberts missed out by just 13 runs in reaching 1,000 for the season after making 68 against Normanby Hall.

James Lowe hit 61 and shared a stand of 102 as Boro totalled 207-5 but they were outshone by Brett Roberts, a former team-mate, who sparkled with 86 from 121 balls with 11 boundaries in Hall’s reply of 154-7. Nevertheless Boro took 16 points from their bonus filled draw and ultimately won the championship by a greater margin.

Elsewhere, Lewis Stabler grabbed a hat-trick for Richmondshire in the last over at Marske, Billingham’s skipper, Martin Cull (3- 26) became the leading amateur bowler with 67 wickets, although his side narrowly lost a low-scoring match at Great Ayton, and Guisborough captain Paul Goodchild hit 51 from 47 balls against Stokesley but his side lost for the seventh time in eight games.