Stockton fixture secretary Mike Syson is under no illusion as to the importance of today's match at Tynemouth with just three points separating the pair at the bottom of the table.

"It goes without saying that the result is crucial for both of us. In the first two years of the competition there was no relegation, but this season one side could go down," said Syson.

That scenario is unlikely, however, because the only side to have applied to join the League is Hetton Lyons and currently they are 42 points adrift of Burnmoor in the Federation Special Durham Senior League.

Not only would they need to overtake the leaders but also pass two other sides above them in the table, South Hetton and Eppleton.

"Admittedly, at this stage it looks as if nobody will be relegated but we cannot rest on our laurels and must go all out to win every point," added Syson.

Tynemouth have hovered around the bottom all season but they keep alterations to a minimum with the returning Andy Turner taking over from Derek Whiteman. Norton have pulled away from the relegation zone in recent weeks and now look relatively safe, going into their difficult match against top-of-the-table Benwell Hill.

A boost for the visitors is the availability of Marc Symington, who was 12th man for Durham County in their one-day game against Yorkshire at Headingley last Monday. Benwell Hill, 24 points in front of South Northumberland, name the side which defeated Philadelphia last Saturday.

South North host Sunderland and the feature of the game could well be the form of the two professionals. Dewalt Pretorus has been among the wickets for South North, but no bowler has matched the feat achieved by Sunderland's Franklyn Rose last weekend when he took 9-22.

South North include Richard Brook while the Wearsiders have a near full-strength side on duty, their only absentee being wicketkeeper Simon Brown.

Philadelphia lost just one of their first 12 games but have tasted defeat in three of the last four fixtures. They need a winning result against Gateshead Fell at Bunker Hill to enhance their chances of finishing in the top four which was their pre-season objective. Captain Andrew Roseberry cannot play and the side will be led by Graham Hoban. The Fell rely on the same line-up which was selected for the game washed out at Chester-le-Street.

Newcastle, third-from-bottom, will need to bat better if they are to show profit from their match with Chester-le-Street.

The Tynesiders bring in the experienced Keith Porter, a former Cestrian, who was in sparkling form with the bat in two matches last weekend. Blaydon make a rare appearance at the Riverside for their fixture with Durham Academy. Geoff Stewart will don the gloves and youngster David Bailey is included in the side to be captained by Mark Drake.