Darlington and District League
VILLAGE cricket returns to the dale on Saturday with start of the Darlington and District League season.
Defending champions Raby Castle start as strong favourites to retain the title the won by almost 100 points last year.
Joe Dent will once again lead a side that looks full of runs and will be confident of chasing down any total.
The biggest talking point during the winter has been the loss of Lands CC.
What makes the club’s demise particularly disappointing is that 2017 had been such a good season.
The club, led by Mark Little, finished fourth in the A division and won the Eggleston Cup.
However, Lands’ loss could be Haughton’s gain with Little taking his all round skills to Great Burden as the side looks to improve on last year’s third place.
Barningham will do well to repeat last year’s mid-table finish. This season, wicket keeper batsman Dan Swires will be at the helm of a side that will rely as much on experience as youth.
The withdrawal of Lands CC has handed Middleton-in-Teesdale another season in the A division. The upper dale side was just seven points off safety last season and will be hoping for an improvement this time round.
Promoted from the B division are Cliffe CC, at Piercebridge, which always makes for an excellent afternoon out, while it will be interesting to see how West Park RA go in the top flight.
The side has romped through the C and B divisions with ease since joining the league in 2016 – losing just one 40-over match last term – and will benefit from sterner challenges ahead.
Last season’s runners-up Aldbrough St John are bound to be there or thereabouts once again, while Barton will be hoping to mount more of a challenge this time round.
As a result of the off-season changes, the B division now comprises just ten teams, including Raby Castle and Barningham’s second XIs.
The C division also feature ten teams, with Spennymoor introducing a second XI to the league and Etherley and Cliffe II out to show what they can do.
This Saturday’s fixtures:
A Division: Barton v East Cowton; Haughton v Raby Castle; Middleton-in-Teesdale v Barningham; Middleton St George v Aldbrough St John; Richmondshire IV v Nunthorpe; West Park RA v Cliffe.
B Division: Barningham II v Witton le Wear; Cockerton v Barton II; Raby Castle CC II v Haughton II; Spennymoor v Catterick.
C Division: Aldbrough St John II v Spennymoor II; East Cowton II v Middleton Tyas; Eryholme v Etherley; Oxbridge v Cockerton.
Stuart Laundy
