Horden finally clinched the championship when they defeated Hetton Lyons and their only challenger, Burnmoor could only draw at Marsden.

The Colliers have been powering their way to the title, especially in recent weeks and there was no way they were going to slip up against the Lyons, whose roar was considerably weaker with the absence of influential South African Gerry Strydom. Captain Adrain Hedley and Nadeem Khan again provided the backbone to the innings, but a modest total of 150 was achieved from 40.1 overs.

In the event, it was more than sufficient once the tried and trusted partnership of Andrew Robson and Nadeem Khan went to work.

The pace of Robson, with 4-28 from 12 overs and the spin of Khan, whose 11.2 overs yielded six wickets for just 38 runs, proved too much for the Lyons, who were back in the pavilion with only 70 on the board.

Earlier, Ian Male bowled a good end for the Hetton side, picking up four wickets for only 20 runs in 13.1 overs and Gary Adey assisted with three wickets, but the day belonged to Horden, who have now won the title three times in four years.

Burnmoor intervened last year but will have to settle for runners-up position this time.

They needed to win at Marsden to have any chance of finishing at the top, but in the end, they were lucky to claim a share of the points.

Yet when they took the wicket of Marsden's star batsman Sean DeKretser for just 23 their hopes of victory rose considerably until Mark Scott took up the challenge.

He plundered no fewer than four sixes and seven fours, making 80 and at close of play, Marsden were only three runs short of victory with two wickets remaining.

Mark Benfield made the biggest score of the game, his 82 including 13 fours while for the home side, Graeme Fox took five wickets for only 30 runs in an excellent spell of 19 overs. Scott captured three wickets.

Seaham Harbour look like ending the season without a win. They suffered a nine-wicket defeat at home to Eppleton, who bowled them out for only 69 when Sean Birbeck returned 6-35 and Gary Hulme 3-20. The target was meat and drink to Birbeck, who struck 40. South Hetton were comprehensive winners at Felling. Colin Brammer (70 not out) and Peter Nord (56) led their side to 166-7 before Stephen Merrington took four wickets for just six runs and Stephen Massey returned 3-18 as Felling were reduced to only 88 all out.

Boldon had 25 runs in hand of South Shields in the local-derby at Wood Terrace. Philip Shakespeare (5-27) broke a potentially troublesome second-wicket partnership when introduced into the attack and from then on, the Shields' innings struggled replying to a total of 164-8.

Durham City, who are second from bottom, shared the points with Whitburn, who declared at 205 for five which included 39 by man-of-the-match Neil Johnson and 63 from Eden Elstob. It was Johnson who caused City's batsmen their problems as he captured six wickets, but resistance towards the end took the total of 150-8.