A CAREER first hat-trick for Guisborough’s Paul Goodchild produced a double celebration as his team returned to lead the championship for the first time since they last won it three seasons ago.

The Priory club’s seam bowler hit top form to take four Blackhall wickets without conceding a run after his first over was hit for 12 runs. He finished with 5-28 including the hat-trick, his first in a playing career of 23 years.

The victory by 83 runs over came on the day when neither of the joint leaders, Marton and Middlesbrough, were able to get the success they expected.

Marske produced the biggest shock by defeating Marton and Great Ayton, with a defiant last-ditch batting stand, drew with Boro.

As well as the brilliant Goodchild, Guisborough had a couple of batting stars, Martin Hood, who hit a superb unbeaten 115 from 153 balls, and Neil Russell who made 53. Hood hit 16 fours to Russell’s eight and together they made short work of the Blackhall attack as they sent the scoreboard spinning to 244-3. In Blackhall’s reply of 161, Stuart Lobb enjoyed a remarkable 66 from 25 balls, including half a dozen massive six hits.

Middlesbrough looked like beating Great Ayton until last pair John Grainge and Ian West played out the final five overs. James Beaumont (5-53) inflicted the damage after Liam Botham (67 from 67 balls) and James Lowe (58 from 117 balls) showed contrasting styles with Boro reaching 224-8.

Riaz Afridi (5-103) took his season’s wicket haul to 35 in seven games, but even so Botham’s dazzling innings included 58 in boundaries.

Chris Batchelor produced his fourth half century in seven knocks before Ayton drifted from 95-0 to 155-9.

Marton suffered an even more disastrous batting collapse losing their last three wickets in an over from Josh Carroll to finish on 161 while needing just 26 more for victory against Marske.

Lee Hodgson (73 from 71 balls including 15 fours) gave them a swashbuckling start but it fell apart as Carroll (5- 44) and Chris Nicholls (4-36) proved a magical duo. It didn’t help Marton’s cause that they could only bat ten men as Gary Knight broke a collar bone while fielding on the boundary.

Billingham Synthonia are isolated at the foot of the table after losing their fifth game. They were heavily defeated by Richmondshire (285-5 declared) after being bowled out for 105 in a game dominated by the two home professionals.

Shani Dissanayake hit a brilliant unbeaten 126, with his century coming from just 90 balls, and he shared in a stand of 132 with Ziafat Ashraf (43). The pair then demolished the Synners with the ball, Dissanayake taking 4-21 and Ashraf collecting 4- 32.

In contrast another of the strugglers, newly-promoted Thornaby, picked up their second win of the season to move above opponents Northallerton in the lower reaches of the table. Leigh Beaumont (4-33 from 19.4 overs) did the damage to leave the Teessiders with 138 to score, and they did it with the loss of just one wicket.

Neil Coverdale (52) and James Roberts (45) were both unbeaten as they ended a worrying spell without their new professional.

Hartlepool beat Bishop Auckland (197-4) by eight wickets after Janaka Guneratne (97 from 105 balls) and Mike Gough (76no) sprayed 25 boundaries around Park Drive. Gary Pratt hit an unbeaten 76 for Bishops from 116 balls sharing in stands of 94 and 49 with Dan Conway (31no) and Ben Usher (33).

A nail-biting finish at Feethams saw Normanby Hall miss out on victory by two runs after needing five from the last over.

Simon Guy (43) top scored for Darlington before Paul Wiseman (5-68) and Keith Martin (3-62) teamed up for Normanby, but when Dave Cross turned up the heat for the Hall with 64 from 67 balls, Doug Mulholland (3-53) and James Sutton (2-20) earned the Quakers an unlikely draw.