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Scott Hackett, 15, claimed gold in both points fighting and continuous fighting in the World Kickboxing Council's English National Open Championships, making him the country's champion for both styles.

Little brother Kyle, 12, won silver in continuous and bronze in point fighting.

Both boys, of NFKA Guide Post club, have now qualified to fight for England in the World Championships in Portugal this November.

With just two points separating the top two sides before the start, there were numerous permutations of results in the heads of players in both camps.

But defending champions Alnmouth did what they needed to do by securing a maximum points return from their match at Blagdon Park.

With the former top dogs forced to take just the five points for their abandoned match, the door was left ajar for the Flames, and they duly burst through with a performance that earned them a maximum return and the leadership of the league by two points with one match remaining.

And visitors Blue Flames set up an enthralling end to the season when they rocked the champions on their own patch. Saleem Akhtar proved simply unplayable, sending down 11 overs and claiming 6-23, with Alnmouth routed for a paltry 63.

The target presented few problems to the Flames as they raged to an eight-wicket win in the 17th over.

Flames gave one of their best performances when they inflicted the first home defeat of the season on border boys Berwick. Stuart Laundy smacked 73 runs for the home team, and when he was together with Martyn Elliott (38) in a burgeoning second wicket stand, it looked like a big score was in prospect.

And Blagdon Park pulled off a 53-run home win over Berwick to move clear of the danger zone for the time being. Park's success was a real team effort with Russell Hughes (38) and Greg Senior (33) leading a posse of run scorers, who eased them up to a total of 192 for 8 in 40 overs.

Steve Oxley (4 for 49) then struck four early blows from which Berwick never really recovered - even though Sean Wales, with an undefeated half-century, tried to pull his team round.

Ross Symington and Mark Allan both scored clickety-click 66 for Bates.

But even though the Cottagers' total of 229 looked challenging, a second-wicket partnership of 163 between Tom Vickers and Robin Tudor eclipsed the visitors, the former smashing 139 in 126 balls.

And their task would have been even more comfortable if it hadn't been for mid-order half centuries from the home team's Andy Wood and Adrian Harrison.

But the result was never in doubt as Ian Pearson (79no) anchored the run chase, and Robin Tudor (53) ensured their were no time issues brought into the equation, the leaders victorious with eight wickets to spare.

Club chiefs at Guide Post Social Club FC, one of Northumberland's oldest Sunday League football clubs, claimed they were given just six weeks' notice to leave their pitch just off Morpeth Road.

Andy Thompson, 17, Guide Post Social Club FC's youngest player

Northumberland County Council say complaints had originally been lodged over people trespassing on the neighbouring plot of land to fetch footballs.

A team effort saw the Bedlington innings just reach the 200 mark for the loss of seven wickets, and the Bedlington bowlers then restricted Bomarsund to 196-7 in a close finish.

With Alnmouth and Lesbury going down to a shock home defeat to Clara Vale, Berwick used the opportunity to blast themselves into the title race.

Andy French was the Bomar's batting star, hitting 10 sixes and a four in a breezy 67. With Craig Robinson adding 33, and a healthy dollop of 41 extras, the home team reached an imposing 234-8 in their 50 overs.

Paul Howey (10 fours in 76) and Mark Walton (seven fours in 39) then threatened to make it the same old story for the home side, but Ben Heatley's 10-over spell, in which he picked up 3-28, did the trick as Kirkley slid to 192 all out in the 47th over.

Champions and league leaders Alnmouth and Lesbury, who found Blue Flames just too hot to handle as they went down by 104 runs.

Andy Storey, with five fours and two sixes, lit the fuse for Flames with an opening 70, and then number nine bat Krishna Thangavelu caused a late explosion with four sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 43 as the hosts scorched to 210 for seven.

In Division One, Concordia A were outclassed 19-11 by Prudhoe A while Division Two saw two games. Croftway A cruised comfortably passed Wansbeck B 32-17, while Amble A lost 20-15 to Hexham A.

When Kirkley went to the interval with 254-5 on the board their tea must have tasted particularly sweet, but a few hours later there was an altogether more bitter taste after the champions had pulled of a remarkable two-wicket victory.

The leading Kirkley batting heroes were Andrew Bazzo (57), Christian Rowe (54) and Johnny Ball (52), but then on a day the bowlers will want to forget Tom Vickers (63) and Jonny Denton (49) put Alnmouth in the mood with a bracing third-wicket stand.