CHESHIRE were made to look chumps instead of potential champs as they crashed 12-6 against lowly Northumberland at Bromborough.

Skipper Graham Brown stormed: ''We lost the plot. Now we've got to pick ourselves up for our last match against Cumbria next month.''

His side had already done the hard work by beating Durham, Lancashire and defending champions Yorkshire to take pole position in the Northern Counties League.

And Northumberland were so striken by injury that captain David Faulder was forced to play himself for the first time in nine years.

But any thoughts Cheshire had that they'd be a pushover were dispelled when they lost the foursomes 4-2.

Well beaten

The tale of woe continued as only James Holmes ground out a win in the first seven singles - unsurprisingly despatching Faulder four and three.

Former Manchester Evening News champion James Murphy, from Shrigley Hall, briefly stopped the rot by beating David Ross two and one but when Reddish Vale teenager Adam Stott saw off Ben Taylor by a similar margin, Cheshire were already well beaten.

Their only hope to is beat Cumbria, who lost by three points to new leaders Yorkshire at Huddersfield, at Silloth, and for Lancashire to tan the Tyke at St Annes Old Links in the closing fixtures.

Lancashire gave themselves a lift by cruising to an 11-7 win against Durham at Hexham, Manchester's Roger Smithies making sure of the points when he strolled to a five and four success over Anthony Black.