THE bank holiday double-header provides Premier Division leaders Marske with the ideal opportunity to stretch their advantage over the chasing pack.

The Seasiders, currently 11 points ahead of reigning champions Richmondshire, have two games against sides in the bottom half of the table, and they have the added boost of being able to select Ullrich Boshoff in their starting line-up for the first time this summer.

The New Zealand amateur is back for a second season at Windy Hill Lane after finally sorting out some visa issues and, if he repeats his 2015 form, he will provide useful impetus to Marske’s title charge. The Kiwi all-rounder scored 553 league runs and took 26 wickets last term, and his arrival is timely following a shoulder injury to Brett Roberts that is likely to sideline him for the next fortnight.

Paceman Charlie Helm replaces Roberts in the team to play at Norton tomorrow and entertain Guisborough on Monday, with Boshoff slotting into the place vacated by Josh Carroll, who is moving house this weekend and therefore missing from both games.

Norton have made a decent enough start, even though they are currently eighth, but they have to reckon without the services of all-rounder Craig Symington, who is second in their league run-scoring and wicket-taking charts, as he is on holiday. However, returning to the side from holiday are ex-Durham and Kent man Mark Davies and Harry Linton.

Guisborough, meanwhile, have had another eventful week. The arrival of Shani Dissanayake has lifted spirits at Fountains Garth, but he has now been pitched straight into the captaincy role vacated by Graeme Wrightson following a move to home town club Sacriston prompted by family considerations.

Wrightson, an outstanding keeper, will be a big miss, but young Hayden Bowman is showing rich promise and now gets his chance behind the sticks. The Priorymen struggled badly at Richmond last week with a weakened team, but they are boosted by the return of Martin Hood, Graham Murray and Richard Dunn for the double weekend, which begins with a home game against Hartlepool.

Richmondshire only have the one game this weekend, so they will be keen to make it count. They go to Hornby Park tomorrow afternoon to take on a Seaton Carew side who are also anxious to get points on the board, but for different reasons. The Dalesmen are able to name an unchanged side for this one, but Seaton have lost youngster Reece Carr, the former Durham Academy player having decided on a return to his home club Sacriston after just four games for the Seasiders.

On Monday, Seaton go to Park Drive to take on local rivals Hartlepool. The bank holiday is traditionally derby day in the NYSD with large crowds normally the order of the day and this clash is always fiercely contested, as will be the game at Leven Park, where Great Ayton entertain Stokesley.

That is Ayton’s only game of the weekend and they hope Joe Marsay will have recovered sufficiently from his football-related ankle injury to feature. But one player who will not feature is Stokesley’s James Weighell, who enjoyed a career-best first-class performance when taking nine wickets for Durham against Warwickshire earlier this week, so Stokesley are likely to be unchanged in both their matches, which begin with tomorrow’s SCG encounter with Normanby Hall. The visitors hope to have Ryan Gibson back if he is released by Yorkshire, but Martin Rose will retain his place after an impressive debut last weekend.

Elsewhere, Barnard Castle’s Richard Borrowdale faces a late fitness test after injuring his ankle last week, while opponents Billingham Synthonia will be at full strength for the first time this summer with the return of Elliott Holmes, and Middlesbrough will be missing both Mike Cook and Adil Ditta when they host a Darlington team that includes the returning Tom Sowerby.