BACK in the big time, Northumberland kick off their top-tier county championship challenge with their toughest task on Saturday. Coach Tom Borthwick told Nick Purewal how National Two campaigns for his mainstays will stand the county side in fine stead.

“We have three tough games and to progress to the final we have to top the group of four. To win the competition, you have to beat the best at some point, though, so there’s no reason at all why we shouldn’t do that first game up.

“From a personal standpoint with Tynedale, we have had a pleasing season, and certainly if someone had offered us fourth at the start of the year, I would have taken that without issue. The players have spent the season realising they are good enough to play at the level, and not just compete but beat and dominate teams, and we need to replicate that confidence in ability on the county stage. Blaydon had a good first half of the season but fell away, but there is a lot of talent there that we can tap into for the county squad. The experience of last season’s captain Dave Guthrie and guys like that is invaluable, he is the kind of player you want on the field. And he will know just as much as anyone that the squad is capable of making an impression. But how much of an impression we just have to wait and see, it might sound boring and clichéd to take one game at a time, but honestly that’s all we can do.

“When you come together with not a lot of time at the end of a long, tough season, then you have to get your act in order without delay.

“We have a home game against Warwickshire the week after the Yorkshire game, and then the last group game is against Lancashire.

“So there couldn’t be a tougher task really, but that is the kind of challenge that the group of players we have assembled will be very keen to meet head on. Last year’s Twickenham success was fantastic, but that was last year and a lot has happened since then. We’re now back at the top level and we intend to stay where we are.

“All the players who are in the squad are there on merit and there’s a lot of talent, not just from the Blaydon and Tynedale players.

“I will be more than happy for any of them to play and any one of them can take a chance at any point.

“They wouldn’t be involved if they weren’t good enough, and there are bound to be a few guys who sneak their way in when they might not have been expected to get the nod. We’ll know a lot more after Saturday though, that’s for sure.”