STOCKTON moved back into the top three as they rejoined the chase for the silverware after losing their previous week’s game.

The Teessiders took advantage of meeting bottom club Gateshead Fell to take the full 30 points while their main rivals for third spot, Benwell Hill, were embroiled in a tough battle with Chester- le-Street which ended their brief stay above them on the honours board.

Matty Brown hit a superb 91 runs as Stockton totalled 290-8 from their 49.3 overs against a Fell attack which offered little threat. His 112- ball knock featured 15 fours and a six and ended so close to his century when he misjudged a delivery which had him beaten and bowled.

Josh Bousfield (52 not out) spent just 39 balls at the crease providing excellent support. Richard Waite’s three wickets for just 27 runs led to the Fell’s poor response, bowled out for 148 in the 35th over.

Robbie Thwaites (2-21) and Joe Hewison (2-27) were the other successful pair for the Grangefield club.

Hetton Lyons, who are just 16 points behind the leaders, South North, had another impressive day in beating Whitburn.

The two sides were separated by 72 runs at the finish after Hetton reached 211-9 with 69 from Lal Kumar.

Jarvis Clay (44) and Chris Varley (35) provided the best support before Martin Pollard (5-33) gave a blistering display with the ball to have Whitburn out for 139.

Durham Academy couldn’t stop the onward march of South North whose sixth win in ten games was not only impressive but clinical. Despite 53 from James Thompson and 40 more from Reece Carr, the youngsters were bowled out for just 132 in 46 overs.

Asher Hart then took three wickets in conceding just 39 runs from 11 overs, but visiting skipper John Graham (46 not out) steered his side to a five wicket success.

Chester-le-Street got slightly more points than Benwell Hill in their stalemate finish but it was still a match full of incident. Benwell were slowed by a middle order collapse when they lost four wickets for just ten runs after Rammi Singh (57) and Zohaib Khan (49) looked set to power them to a big total. Then the Cestrians lost the top half of their innings for just 69 runs before a partnership of 60 between Chris Youldon (48) and Callum Thorp (37) took them into calmer waters.

Sunderland suffered defeat at the hands of Blaydon by nine wickets while Tynemouth (277-7) and Newcastle (224-9) ended drawn but with a nailbiting finale.

In Division One, South Shields returned to the top of the tabe after a dramatic encounter with Eppleton who took over the leadership from them just seven days earlier.

Shields looked doomed when they were bundled out for just 102, but they hit back to win at the death. Two runs was the winning margin.

Eppleton lost their first six men for a total of just nine runs between them before staging a recovery, but the final moments were nerve tingling as Shields, back in top spot, turned a one point deficit into a 14-point lead.