Dukes North-East Premier League

CHESTER-LE-STREET, the most fancied team in the Dukes North East Premier League to take some of the glory away from South Northumberland, achieved the start to the season they had practised for and planned.

Visiting Tynemouth, they amassed 242 for eight, with the league’s player of the year last season, Richard Waite, starting where he left off with a superb innings of 80.

It was his debut for the Cestrians after moving from Stockton.

In Tynemouth’s reply, four players fell in the 20s as Liam Simpson (6-28 in 10.5 overs, including five maidens) was largely responsible for tying them down to 143. Chester won by 99 runs.

South North wasted no time in showing opponents why they have won six consec utive championships as they swamped Norton with their all-round power.

Like Chester, they took the maximum 30 points after Brendan Ford (66) led the run spree. Adam Cragg fell two short of his half century as the Bulls reached 242, despite the bowling of John Kean (4- 86) and Andy Fawcett (3-47) for Norton.

Lee Crozier (3-13), Ford (3- 18) and Stephen Humble (2-19) made sure the Teessiders collapsed for fewer than a hundred.

The league’s other Teesside connection – Stockton – were badly mauled by Blaydon, who made an impressive 257- 5 with half centuries from Graeme Bridge and Stephen Gale and 46 from Geoff Stewart.

Three wickets gave Stewart a splendid afternoon, while Jon Malkin (3-31) and Bridge (2-16) restricted Stockton to 114 as they lost by 143 runs.

Durham Academy got slightly the better of the exchanges at Sunderland, where the draw seemed a fair result in a match which produced 548 runs with only 13 wickets falling.

Academy rattled up 305-6 with a brilliant 142 from Ben Stokes, the day’s highest contribution in the league.

The Wearsiders had more than enough talent to offer a smart fightback, reaching with 243 for seven thanks to 93 from Ashley Thorpe and 72 from Stewart Walker.

Paul Muchall was another top performer with 130 for South Shields in a close finish with Gateshead Fell, where just ten runs separated the teams at the close.

John Foster (64) and Pete Towner (53) made a great fight of it but were pegged back by Matthew Muchall (4-61).