Northern Counties Cricket Club crowned North of Scotland Senior League champions for first time in 18 years after nearest challengers Forres lose to Ross County

Northern Counties Cricket Club can breathe a sigh of relief after being crowned North of Scotland Senior League champions without playing.

The Meeting Park outfit were unable to find a replacement home for their final scheduled match against Fort Augustus, meaning the match was cancelled.

Nobody knew what effect that would have on the Nosca title race, with Counties in pole position but still not quite out of Forres' reach going into what should have been the season's closing weekend.

However, the uncertainty surrounding Counties' last match turned out to be a moot point as Ross County beat Forres by seven wickets.

Forres needed to win to have any chance of an unlikely title, and their failure to do so at Castle Leod meant Northern Counties' lead at the top became unassailable.

It is still unclear whether the match between the champions and Fort Augustus will be played, but regardless of whether Counties are forced to forfeit, a venue can be found or who wins, the Inverness club can start celebrating a first title since 2004.

Counties have seen their players be some of the star performers in the league this year, with Shannon Thorp, Lewis Pacey and Shaun Thomas all in the top tier of bowling averages for 2022, with skipper Will Ford up there in the batting averages too.

Northern Counties are not the only cricket club in Inverness with reason to celebrate their performances in 2022, as Highland Cricket Club won a league and cup double in Nosca's reserve competitions.

An imperious run of form saw Highland win all seven matches they completed in the league, while they saw off Buckie by three wickets in the Reserve Cup final.

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