Sunderland are staggering from one big game to another but loving every minute of it.

The Bank Holiday weekend saw them shake off the mantle of title hopefuls and establish themselves as one of the favourites.

The game that made everyone sit up and take notice took place on Monday at Gosforth where they overcame South Northumberland.

After spectacularly routing the South North batting line-up, they came out of it with a 15-point cushion at the top.

A new challenger emerged in second place and Blaydon are the new kids on the block, on the back of a weekend where Alan Worthy scored a staggering 276 runs.

They get an immediate chance to test their title credentials when they visit Ashbrooke today for another cracker of a game.

Sunderland are waiting on a fitness test for Simon Brown who has been carrying a calf injury, while Blaydon expect to have Mark Stoneman returning as their Durham contracted player in place of Ben Harmison. Aussie Dave Wood will also return.

South Shields have been slowly slipping down the table after their dream start to life in the top flight and while they remain in third position their game at Tynemouth will be tough - the home form fluctuates match by match.

Benwell Hill remain one of only two undefeated sides but the fact that they have drawn five of their six games to date tells it's own story. If they can discover the ruthless touch they will be a force to be reckoned with and their home game against struggling Gateshead Fell provides an opportunity to kick-start their season.

However, they are going to have to do without Pakistani Abdur Rehman who will not now be arriving as international commitments have taken precedence. They are not currently looking for a replacement.

Durham Academy are proving difficult opponents, with all their batsmen capable of scoring big runs and Paul Hindmarch on song with the ball. The outcome of the match at Maiden Castle, where South Northumberland are the visitors, will carry particular significance as an indicator of whether the champions less than convincing recent form is merely a blip.

Adam Heather remains a long-term injury worry for South North, and Sam Jobson continues as his replacement.

Chester-le-Street will have been heartened by recent form, which included a welcome first league victory as they bowled out Norton. They visit Grangefield today to take on the other Teesside outfit, Stockton, who are battling hard but are extremely brittle at the moment.

The enigmatic Newcastle team hope Durham's Paul Wiseman will be available for their home match with Norton.

Russ McLaren returns with Nick Tomlinson and Mark Turnbull making way.

Norton hope Durham's Garry Park will play - his value to them underlined when he masterminded their first win of the season last week. Chris Atkinson and Chris Tait win call ups in place of Lee Dalby and Chris Fawcett for the Teessiders.