Junior football club Spraire Lads have received a double-boost after winning two national competitions.

The Darlington-based club have won an Under-16s tournament in Great Yarmouth and have also taken receipt of a £200 cheque from Gillette after winning a poster competition.

They received the Gillette award, which was their second in three years, before Darlington's home game with Hull City last Saturday and were guests of the club.

The club won the money after submitting the highest number of entries for the Gillette poster competition which is linked to the Gillette Cup, an inter-county Under-16 football competition organised by the National Association of Clubs for Young People (NACYP).

Three years ago Darlington Spraire received the top Gillette award, a complete set of football kit and television equipment for club use in a presentation at Darlington FC.

Spraire secretary Dave Scott said: "We very much appreciate the support Gillette provide for football and youth work at grass roots level.

"Funding is crucial to our work and the award will be put to good use. We have achieved considerable success with our boys' teams and are now working on developing girls' football in the area."

Meanwhile, the Under-16 team swept all before them at the Great Yarmouth Cup, and they did the hard way.

Held over Easter with teams competing from all over the United Kingdom, Spraire entered with a 13-man squad which meant it was always going to be difficult - and after only 20 minutes of the first game they lost captain and leading scorer Andrew Blenkharn through injury. At this stage the task of qualifying seemed daunting.

However, the first game was the team's only defeat in the entire tournament.

In the final, Spraire played Danesmore Casuals from Wolverhampton and in a tense game neither side could break the deadlock in normal time.

With four minutes of extra time remaining, Spraire won a corner, taken by Richie Allan who delivered a superb ball for Mark Ralph to head home.

In a total of seven games over the three days Spraire scored 16 goals conceding only three.

A Spraire spokesman said: "We would like to thank all the parents who gave up their Easter holidays to help as well as team sponsors Elementis Chromium."

* Anyone interested in playing for Spraire at Under-17 next season please contact Peter on (01325) 332892. Players must be under 17 on August 1, 2001