THERE’S nothing more painful than to become the “whipping boys” of the league’s premier division while the professional signed some time ago is stuck in Pakistan awaiting a visa to enter the country. But the delay is threatening to derail Thornaby’s return to the top level of local cricket after an absence of five seasons.

On Saturday they not only lost for a second time, but were dismissed for only 45 as Blackhall’s spin bowler, Masood Mirza, exploited the pitch at Mandale Bottoms to collect six wickets in 12 overs for 12 runs.

Blackhall also know how frustrating it has been this season to obtain clearance to come from overseas to play in the UK as their South African opening batsman, Warren Swan, only arrived last week having missed the first two games.

With Mirza joined by Farrukh Iqbal (2-18) and Jack Ward (2-15) Thornaby’s innings lasted just 36 overs and the game was over in less than three hours. The former Colliery club needed just ten overs to complete a ten-wicket triumph.

This was their second win and it moved them into joint second place in the league table, their highest position at the start of a season for several years. They share the distinction with Normanby Hall who overcame a batting collapse to beat Billingham Synthonia, yet another club waiting for their professional to arrive.

It needed a sixth-wicket partnership of 116 between David Cross (75 not out) and Nasar Hussain (41) to rally the cause for Normanby, who recovered from the loss of five wickets for 46 runs to reach 169-7. It was the first senior game of the season for Cross who smashed nine fours and two sixes from 96 balls. When Billingham were bowled out for just 98, new professional, Gary Scott (5-34) and Keith Martin (4-31), playing against his former team, had them in trouble on 49 for 5, but there was no repeat escape.

League leaders, Hartlepool, underlined their new found power with an exciting six wicket win over Great Ayton.

Both their professionals, Janaka Gunaratne ( 5-55 from 21 overs) and Marc Symington (44) played important parts, but the final run chase between John Cannon (50 not out) and Steven Purcifer (28 not out), who scored 72 for an unbroken fifth wicket stand, clinched the victory. For Ayton, David Grainge (34) and Stephen Pennock (31) put on 72 after losing a wicket in the first over of the game, before Matt Wilkinson (41) got them to 169-8.

Champions Middlesbrough were held for a second successive week and have dropped to seventh below Guisborough, Marton and Bishop Auckland. It was Darlington who frustrated them as they took few chances in reaching 152-8 in reply to Boro’s 195-8.

Simon Guy, on his return as professional at Feethams, top scored with 45 and 16-year-old James Dobson with 35 showed great tenacity as Quakers lost four wickets in six overs late in the game. Boro’s Kyle Coetzer with 79 and James Beaumont (66) put on 120 after Boro lost both their openers for just 21 runs. Doug Mulholland (5-97 from 25 overs) provided excellent line and length for Darlington.

The season’s first centuries were the features of the games at Marske and Marton.

Steve Chapman, with an unbeaten 151 from 138 balls including 20 fours and a six, shared in an opening stand of 176 with Neil Pratt (62) for the Seasiders, who were just 11 runs short of 300 against Bishop Auckland, while Rashmi Parida (118 not out with 58 in boundaries) kept Northallerton in the game with Marton.

Guisborough’s Tariq Aziz missed out on a century by eight runs at Richmond but set up a six-wicket win by sharing a stand of 134 with Graham Murray (61 not out).

In Division One, table toppers, Barnard Castle and Stokesley played out a nail biting draw which enabled Middlesbrough’s second string, who won at Guisborough, to become the outright leaders.