Sedgefield was well represented in the County Durham Schools Cross Country Finals in March. Pupils from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 at Sedgefield Primary School and Sedgefield Hardwick Primary School took part in the event.

Congratulations go to Jessie Davies and Karl Thompson who both ran brilliantly to come home with silver medals after their races. Meanwhile, the senior cross country season is nearly complete. Once again, Sedgefield Harriers’ men’s team has been competing in Division 2 of the North East Harrier League.

With one fixture to go, the team is in ninth position, three points above the relegation zone. The final race is scheduled for 13 April for nearby Thornley Hall Farm, so there are high hopes of fielding a big squad and securing a place in the division for a third year in a row, which will be a notable achievement when competing with some of the region’s biggest clubs.

Sedgefield District RUFC’s season is drawing to a close as the first team strives to preserve their position in Durham & Northumberland Counties League 2. Since the start of the year, their league position has been bolstered by a run of victories against DMP Elizabethans, Houghton and Whitby, along with a bonus point against Seaham, but there is still work to be done to avoid relegation.

The campaign will conclude on 6 April with a home fixture against Gateshead, followed by an end of season celebration at Sedgefield Cricket Club.

To kick off, there is some brilliant news for Sedgefield Squash Club. Every year, squash’s national governing body, England Squash, recognises the achievements of clubs and individuals involved in the sport. Sedgefield prepared a submission to be recognised as Club of the Year, and recently learned that it had been listed amongst the top four in the country.

The club was absolutely thrilled to receive this news and will hear at the beginning of April if it has won the award. 2023 was a busy year for Sedgefield in terms of fundraising for improvements to the building, which were carried out in November, launching a new junior coaching programme, and working with others in the community to improve the ground and environment around the club building.

It’s also been a busy time of competitions for the members of Sedgefield Squash Club. The club was well represented at the Durham & Cleveland Masters Competition for over 35s, hosted by Nunthorpe Squash Club. Patrick Billany and Chris Rowsby were winners in the plate finals for the over 50s (3-0) and over 60s (3-2) respectively.

Closer to home, the individual handicap competition, which runs from December to February, was won by Chris Bunting, beating Gary Ankers 11-4, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4 in the final. Last, but not least, rising star Huey Lamb achieved success in the recent U11 England Championships, and in the Junior Open Gold Event held in Warwick. He came second in the plate competition at the championships, and finished 10th (above his seeding) in Warwick.

The club is nearing the end of the season for the teams competing in the Durham & Cleveland County Leagues. I will report on their final placings and achievements next month. Finally, there are some key up and coming dates for the club. The Club Closed Championships will be held in April, culminating in the finals on 25 and 26 April. That will be followed by the annual presentation night in the Parish Hall on Friday 10 May, and the club AGM in Ceddesfeld Hall on Monday 13 May.

Anyone interested in joining or volunteering, please contact info@sedgefieldsquashclub.co.uk or visit the website at www.sedgefieldsquashclub.co.uk.

Saturday 20 April will mark the start of the local cricket season, with Sedgefield Cricket Club’s 1st XI beginning their campaign with a home match against Great Ayton.

Captained again by Ben Swindale, the team is confident of improving on last season's cup win and high league finish. The 2nd and 3rd XI begin their seasons the same weekend, away at Normanby Hall and Barnard Castle respectively, before both play at home on 27 and 28 April. Weather permitting, there will be a home match every Saturday until early September.

The club has invested in some much improved spectator seating around the boundary and with the bar open all day, also showing all of the major TV sport, it’s a great place to visit. More updates will follow as the season progresses, with cup ties and junior team competitions getting underway in May.

The local Sunday league season has been extended until Sunday 12 May due to so many postponements in recent months. At the time of writing this, the Sedgefield St. Edmund’s FC team still have 12 league games to play, as well as the Heart Foundation Cup Final, which they reached after beating a poor Horden side 9-0 recently.

By the end of March, St Edmund’s will have also played a League Cup quarter final against Aycliffe Iron Horse. So, with eight Sundays left and the possibility of 16 games still to play, the club anticipates playing two to three games a week until the end of the season.

As well as the excellent progress in cups, St. Edmund’s remain unbeaten in the league (again, at the time of writing this), having won six and drawn four of their 10 games. It will take a monumental effort to win the league as Ferryhill Dynamos have only dropped three points all season, but the two teams still have to face each other twice.