WITH a total of 922, Richard Darling sits proudly in the top three of Tynedale's all-time wicket takers.

The fast, medium seamer has been an important player for his hometown club, helping the first team to 10 league titles and copious amount of cup trophies during his long service.

Having spent the past three years playing for the club's second team, the 46-year-old postman has delivered his last ball as he has called time on his playing career.

The popular club man has played senior cricket at Priors Flat for the past three decades, moving up through the ranks after starting out as a junior at U13 level.

Darling did have a brief spell away from the club when he moved to Haydon Bridge when he couldn't break into the Tynedale second team, but he returned home after two seasons.

After one year in the seconds, which wasn't the best in Darling's own words, he was trusted to bowl for the firsts, and he remained there for the next 25 years.

And he was a hugely influential player during that time, whittling the wickets down in addition to scoring 6,164 league runs to put him sixth in the club's all-time list.

He said: "I have loved every minute of playing for Tynedale, and it was like my second home. In fact, I even bought a house on Kingsgate Terrace opposite the ground!

"When I was 18 or 19, I would be at the club seven days a week. Even when I wasn't playing, I was down practising with my mates or playing darts, pool or whatever for the cricket club.

"It has been huge part of my life and I used to be here more than I would be at home.

"To be third in the list of wickets taken for the first team is an honour I'm pride of, and I'm pleased to have stayed at one club because not many people do that these days.

"It has helped me record the figures I've got because they all start again when you move club, but I've loved it here and it's quite nice to look back on my time and reflect on the success."

Darling recalls his first ever bowl for Tynedale's first team all those years ago, being hit all over by Percy Main openers Graham Morrison and Jim Purvis, who also opened for Northumberland.

But he soon got used to the jump in standard of cricket and the rest, as they say, is history.

Among the many league titles, the successes in the Northumberland Priory League rank highest.

He said: "For me, the cricket was at its best when we were in that league as you had five to six really good teams, such as Ashington, Benwell Hill and South Northumberland, although the rest of the division was pretty much a walkover when you played them.

"When you used to play these top teams, it was a proper hard battle and winning the league titles against them were always the most pleasing.

"Ashington were always our biggest rivals and, more often than not, they would win the league if we didn't. It was always the hardest game on the pitch, but after that we'd always stop for a drink and the social side was great back then."

Darling has played with and against some players, and has had the good fortune to play in the same side as some top professionals at the Hexham club.

The best of the best, in his eyes, was Trinidad native Kelvin Williams who enjoyed three separate stints at the club.

Nolan McKenzie, who went on to hit 1,000 league runs and take 50 wickets, in 1993, ranked high up the list, as did Philip Hearle who Darling became good friends with both on and off the pitch in 2000.

In more recent years, he lined up alongside Mark Stoneman (2010) and Mark Wood (2013), both current England test cricketers.

Darling looks back fondly on a great career with Tynedale, but was certain that the time to retire was right.

He said: "In the past few years, I have hated cricket from Sunday morning to Saturday morning and I haven't wanted to play.

"But when I cross that white line, I'm the most competitive bloke in the world and I've loved it when I'm on the pitch.

"But my body tells me, usually three balls in, that I need to stop playing, especially when I struggle around my post round!"