AT the first time of asking, North Tyne newcomers Wark have gained promotion.

This week brought the news that both Wark and Haydon Bridge Social Club, who were relegated from Division One last term, will play in the top division of the Hexham and District Sunday League due to a slight restructuring of the league.

With just eight teams in Division One, and 11 in Division Two, last season, the league management has decided to split the divisions into 10 teams in the top division and nine in the bottom.

As a result, Wark and Haydon Bridge will take the step up.

Division Two leaders Crawcrook Social Club may have been in the running, however, they have handed their resignation into the league.

They are one of three casualties from last season with the league’s oldest team, Hexham Hearts, and fellow Division Two side Ponteland Cairn Group Hotel also dropping out.

Their places have been filled with three new teams, with the small village of Heddon filling two of the vacancies to take the amount of teams in the village to three.

Newcomers into the league have been confirmed as Heddon United and Heddon U23 who are both set to join Division Two, one division lower than neighbours Heddon St Andrew’s.

Other new boys into the league are Winlaton Up The Street which will be operated out of the micropub ran by James Thear, a former player in the league with Chopwell Phoenix.

When the season was brought to a close in early March, Bardon Mill Bowes Lyons looked certain to retain the Division One title they captured in 2018/19 as they started to pull away from their rivals.