Richard Darling's six-wicket haul for Tynedale rubbed salt into a miserable relegation wound for Ryton as the bottom club in the Wellstream NTSL were bowled out for just 75, with the visitors 20-6 at one stage.

Tynedale lost their first two wickets with just three on the board, but that was as good as it got for Ryton with the Hexham outfit romping to an eight-wicket win in just 13.4 overs.

With Swalwell powering on towards the retention of their title, attention turned to the other end of the table, where Benwell and Walbottle failed to make it a hat-trick of last-minute escapes by falling through the relegation trapdoor.

Hexham 1 Stobswood Welfare 1

This fixture has a history of close encounters and this match in the Pinpoint Northern Alliance prove no different.

With early season injuries starting to bite into the squad striking options was to prove difficult in this match. New signings Jamie MacNamee and Thomas North were both ruled out and with Iain Strachan still on holiday the only striker available was Tom Phillips.

He only made it after a taking a late decision on his foot injury just before the team sheet had to be given to the referee. Alongside him was Scott Robson who was asked to play in a very unfamiliar role but to his credit he stuck to his task for the entire ninety minutes and took a lot of pressure from his partner's shoulders.

Hexham 4 Willington Quay Saints 1

The latest midweek encounter for Hexham in the Pinpoint Northern Alliance brought Willington Quay Saints to the Wentworth Leisure centre on Wednesday.

The Saints had had a poor start to the season with defeats against Wallsend Town and League new boys Swallwell before picking up a good point at home to Stobswood, after having numerous chances and failing to put them away. So at Hexham they planned on putting things back on track.

New player Thomas North is surrounded

Hexham had late team changes with two players delayed in traffic so a re-plan was needed before team sheets could be handed into the referee.

After a packed summer of family events around Northumberland, the final weekend of the summer holidays is beckoning, with another busy programme across the county.

The event likely to attract the biggest crowd is the Glendale Show (pictured), now in its 117th year, featuring a host of rural attractions and stalls. Spectacular carriage driving and falconry displays and a Ready Steady Cook style cooking competition are some of the highlights of the event on Bank Holiday Monday.

In the bottom corner of the county on the same day, Blanchland & Hunstanworth Show (see link below) will be taking place, and two days before on Saturday Bellingham will also be welcoming visitors to its Show to take part and watch various traditional competitions.

A new look for Northumberland online is being fronted by TV presenter Wendy Gibson.

The BBC personality features in a video on Northumberland Tourism's relaunched website, offering potential visitors to the region a virtual tour of some of its highlights.

Among the sites explored from spectacular aerial views are Hadrian's Wall, Bamburgh Castle, Berwick, and Lindisfarne.

The first round draw for the Northumberland Minor Cup has been made and Hexham have received a bye. The ties will be played on Saturday 3rd October so no day off; we will have a League game that day.

Teams from our division who have not been so fortunate are Forest Hall who have to travel up the A1 to Lowick. Willington Quay Saints have drawn the cup holders and travel to Blakelaw to take on Crofters Lodge.

An all-Division Two tie is between early season pacemakers Wideopen and North Shields. Three more of our compatriots Amble, Cullercoates CP and Wallsend Town all have home ties against Gosfoth Bohemians, Berwick United and Cullercoates Reserves.

Three of our neighbours are in the Senior Benevolent Bowl played the following weekend- both Wark and Stocksfield have home ties against Shankhouse and Newcastle University, both sides we have met in the recent past and enjoyed some success.

Heddon have been pulled out to travel to the coast and will meet Cullercoates.

Tynedale could become a top filming venue for movie and TV crews in the future. This is part of the ambitious plan of a group that wants to promote the area and make the most of its burgeoning arts scene.

Members of Tynedale FM want to expand the currently closed district radio station and are looking into many possibilities to promote the area, including an arts magazine.

They have even discussed cutting-edge technology to keep locals engaged with what is going on in their part of Northumberland, including getting the radio through the mobile and having podcasts for people to download.

Football-mad youngsters in Northumberland will be able to try out their skills at a series of free football coaching taster sessions.

Children will benefit from professional coaching at the sessions, courtesy of the Northumberland Football Partnership (NFP).

The NFP will hold sessions, led by the NFP's qualified coaches, in Prudhoe and Hexham, where children from five to 14 can take part.

Northumbrian leisure centre staff will be competing alongside 5,000 swimmers at the British Gas Great North Swim.

Staff from North Country Leisure's head office, Wentworth Leisure Centre and Prudhoe Waterworld will all be putting on their swimming outfits for the popular event.

After a hugely successful launch last year, the Great North Swim will take place over two days, September 12 and 13 to accommodate the large numbers.

A major review of local government boundaries in Northumberland is entering its second phase.

The Boundary Committee for England has started a second round of public consultation on future arrangements for the county's new unitary council.

The main purpose of the review is to ensure "electoral equality" following the restructuring of local government last year.