Norton back where they left off

posted by John Winn

Norton, a village within the borough of Stockton on Tees can boast of a cricket club since 1847 and no idle boast for they have been champions of the NYSD 11 times, a total only exceeded by Darlington and Guisborough and yet the club has been absent from the top division since 1999. At that point they decided to try their luck as founder members of the North East Premier.

Things at that higher level did not work out and they were relegated to the Durham Senior League. Two seasons ago they rejoined the NYSD but have had to work their passage to the Premier Division. In an exciting finish to the season they clinched the Division One title with a victory over Hartlepool II finishing clear of second place Normanby Hall who will join them in the top flight next year. It feels right that the Station Road club, who joined the NYSD in 1898, just the sixth year of its existence should resume local derbies with the likes of Middlesbrough and Redcar. A year after becoming the fourth County Durham club to join the NYSD they hit up 549 against Darlington in a cup match at Feethams: not for nothing were they known as 'Invincible Norton'. The meetings of these two sides next season will be keenly awaited next season.

The mention of Normanby Hall above also adds a nice touch for in a posting in May 2013 I described how the Middlesbrough suburban  club had to play all their matches away that season following storm damage to the square at Cricket Lane. Not surprisingly they were relegated but having  finishing runners up to Norton they too will be back where I suspect they think they belong, for their name appears five times on this trophy, the last being in 1997.

To finish on a sadder note I refer to the experience of another NYSD club, members since 1919 and three times champions, Darlington Railway Athletic who last year celebrated their centenary. Formed as its name suggests to cater for Darlington's large population of railway workers the club played originally as Darlington North Road but became RA on moving to their present Brinkburn Road ground in the Cockerton area of the town in 1913. They were elected to the NYSD in 1914 but there was no league cricket until 1919. They were relegated from the top division for the first time in 1996, and things have not been quite the same since. This year for the second time they have been relegated to the league's third tier and more worryingly had to withdraw their second XI from the league. What has happened to the optimism expressed in the centenary publication in 2013? A town the size of Darlington (100,000+) should be able to support two teams at this level. Let's hope things pick up for RA in 2015.