ESH Winning, Tudhoe and Kimblesworth continued to set the pace in the Readers Durham County League. They all dodged the rain to chalk up maximum points although Esh retained the leadership with a game played more than their principal rivals.

Crook Town fell victim to the fine form of Esh who were set 168 to win and managed it with five wickets to spare. Five bowlers kept the Crook batsmen under control with Daniel Wilkinson top scoring with 40 and Farooq Hussain unbeaten on 31.

Crook employed even more bowlers - seven in all - when Esh Winning replied but it didn't subdue Carmody and Robson who shared in a third wicket stand. Carmody made 49 and Robson added 46. Then Farookh Iqbal (29 not out) went on to hit the winning runs.

Tudhoe 236-7, against Evenwood with Hodgson unlucky to be out just six runs short of a century and Davis, his opening partner, happy to contribute a half century.

But the man-of-the-match was Sachin Rana who hit 41 and then helped himself to six wickets cheaply to send Evenwood packing for a disappointing 91. Tudhoe won by an impressive 145-run margin.

Kimblesworth, like Tudhoe, have also started the season with a 100 per cent record with their latest success against Etherley.

They set their opponents a target of 191 with Andy Cochrane making an impressive 90 and Lee Wright adding 41. Then Aron Andritch got to work to subdue Etherley with four wickets for 30. Their visitors ultimately managed only 103.

Shildon and Willington share fourth place in the table after beating Hylton and Langley Park respectively. Shildon owed their maximum points to the batting prowess of bowlers, Chris Sawyer and Paul Garbutt who scored 37 between them as the last pair at the wicket to celebrate a nail biting victory.

Sawyer had earlier taken four wickets as Hylton were bowled out for 168 but not before Adam Zanotti had top scored with 40.

Shildon's opener, Mota also made 40 but then saw his colleagues fall to the guile of Williamson whose four wickets almost brought victory.

Willington had a trio of match winners in Lyle House (5-30), Clarke (53 not out) and Brown (47) as they disposed of Langley Park by seven wickets.

The Park were all out for 127 of which opening batsman, Home made 64. It didn't go unnoticed that Home was bowled by House! The only other match between Brandon and Mainsforth never got started because of the rain.