Seaham Park go head-to-head with Consett in play-off final
Two teams who won their respective league titles pair up, with the winners entering the Dukes ECB North East Division One.
Consett, who won the Northumberland & Tyneside Cricket League and Seaham Park, who won the Readers Durham & North East Cricket League Division One, meet at The Spa Grounds on Saturday (12noon), the home of Shotley Bridge CC.
Seaham Park skipper Dale Shaw said :“The club this season have had a massive success as a whole. We have achieved what we have wanted to do, not only with the first and second teams, but right through to our junior teams who have done very well this season.
"This game and great opportunity is a testament to the club, and the committee for all their hard work and efforts this season.”
Consett skipper Stuart Graham said: “We are looking forward to the game, but unfortunately, we will be withoutour professional, AzimKazi who has returned to India for the start of their domestic season and also absent are Robbie Winn and Andy Stokoe.
"Their replacements are Steven Turnbull, Andy Forster and Ewan McCabe.”
Elsewhere, Barnard Castle, from the Darlington Building Society NYSD ECB Premier League, have done brilliantly to make history as the first club ever to reach the final from their league, where they will meet Tunbridge Wells from the Kent Cricket League Premier Division, at Northamptonshire Cricket Club.
Barney have beaten some top teams on their way to the final, including Alderley Edge, Westhoughton, South Northumberland, Richmondshire and Marton.
Their opponents Tunbridge Wells is an amateur cricket club, based in Kent. It was founded in 1782 and they play their home matches at Nevill Ground.
They celebrated their bicentenaryin 1982 and has hosted Kent CC C for a Cricket Week since 1902, and they manage to put out four senior teams on a Saturday every week.
They finished their league in third place after a tough run in, losing their last two matchesto the champions Bexley and runners up Sandwich Town. Barney skipper James Quinn said: “There is no doubt that this is the biggest game in our club’s history.
"Then we will be looking to have a training session at North ant sin the afternoon, before sitting down for an evening dinner at the Hilton Hotel for dinner, kindly covered by the ECB.
“This season has been a squad effort, everyone chipping in throughout the season, particularly the club professionals Karl Carver and Samarth Seth, who have lead the way in the national rounds with bat and ball respectively.
"Overseas Indian professional Seth returned back to Delhi two weeks ago and we are delighted to announce he has had approval from his Delhi camp that he can travel back over for the final, so Seth will fly in on Saturday.
“The squad and the club can’t wait for this weekend.
"For the squad, the amount of hard work gone into training and competing on all fronts in league, cup and national competitions this season has been truly exhausting, but the lads are raring to go for one final push to write our names in our clubs history books."