Mouth of the Tyne

 The last month of Tynemouth CC press reports; not much else to tell as I've not seen any other teams in action -:

May 16^th:

 

After the previous weekend’s total washout of all fixtures, Tynemouth CC managed to complete a full slate of games, with some notable successes with both bat and ball across all the teams.

The first XI hosted Washington and eased to an untroubled 61 run win. Captain Matt Brown won the toss and opted to bat. The loss of Ben McGee in the first over was only a minor irritant as it brought Mike Jones to the crease. Partnered initially by Ben Debnam, who was caught behind with the score on 45, the Durham man compiled a superb 106, before being stumped when seeking to increase the scoring rate. Jones was partnered by Muhammad Saad, who Washington would have caused to regret dropping first ball, as he contributed a pugnacious 40 and Brown with 29. When the skipper was out, the scored stood at 204/6, but David Mansfield (38*) and Andrew Smith (20*) combined to add 59 through a series of lusty, aggressive blows, fine running between the wickets and no little luck, to post an impressive 263.

When the Washington reply started, Smith was quickly back in the game, having Wilson well caught by Josh Koen. Similarly, Mansfield was also quickly involved, bowling Hooker in his first over. Dan McGee claimed the next two victims, having James Thompson contentiously given leg before and his brother Joe stumped. Saad’s involvement was even more decisive as, from his first ball, Mansfield pulled off a glorious diving catch to dismiss Scott. In his next officer the Pakistani bowled Nunn to leave Washington 102/6 and a quick resolution was expected. However, in glorious late afternoon sunshine, former Durham man Ash Thorpe and Thomas College each claimed unbeaten half centuries, putting on an entertaining, unbeaten partnership of exactly 100, to see Washington end on 202/6.

Sadly, Tynemouth 2s didn’t have such good fortune in the reverse fixture. The home side batted first and compiled 185/9, with James Carr claiming 4/32 and Sam Robson 2/28. Despite a solid 27 by opener Niall Piper and a fighting 33 by Tony Turner, they came up short, being dismissed for 171, with 6 overs left unused.

The third team travelled to Benwell and Walbottle, where they encountered a bowler’s wicket. Batting first, Tynemouth were dismissed for 136, with Rashid “The Power” Hassan top scoring with 35, supported by Richie Straughan with 28. Excellent bowling from skipper Richie Hay (4/6) and Dan Storey (3/8) meant Benwell and Walbottle never looked likely to reach the required total and subsided to 68, giving the 3s their third win of the season.

On Sunday, the Academy XI hosted South North, but lost by 8 wickets. A score of 78 was never enough to defend and the visitors reached the total in short order for the loss of only 2 wickets.

Finally, the Midweek Social XI continued their unbeaten start to the season when they defeated Percy Main 3s by 8 wickets. Having lost the toss, Tynemouth restricted the visitors to 73/5 from 16 overs, before reaching 77 with 3 overs to spare. Jack O’Keefe and Lewis Robson gave the former Bad Boys a solid start by taking the score to 30, before falling in successive balls. At this point Lee Reed (29*) and Jim Scoffham (16*) saw the team home without further mishap.

Next week, Tynemouth CC 1st XI begin their NEPL 20:20 campaign, hosting Benwell Hill on Friday 21st May, with a 6pm start. On Saturday, they travel to Burnopfield for the last of the current tranche of 50-over games, while the 2s welcome Gateshead Fell to Preston Avenue and the 3s host Riding Mill. The Academy have two games against their Blaydon counterparts; home on Wednesday evening in the Banks Cup and away on Sunday in a league game.

 May 23^rd:

Inclement weather once again hampered Tynemouth CC’s first team, when their NEPL game away to Burnopfield was washed out on Saturday morning, without a ball being bowled. This means that their slim chances of a top 4 place in the league and a consequent spot in the quarter finals of the Banks Salver knock-out competition were dashed. Coming on top of their opening T20 game at home to Benwell Hill falling victim to the weather on the Friday evening, this is proving to be a frustrating campaign, during what is set to be the wettest May on record. However, this means a theoretically crowded fixture card, if the rain ever ceases, with a home game against Backworth in the Northumberland Charity Bowl at 6pm on Wednesday 26th May, followed by a T20 contest away to Boldon on Friday 28th May, also at 6pm. On Saturday 29th, Tynemouth travel to Felling for the first of 11 consecutive 110 over win, lose, draw league games. The start is at the slightly earlier time of 11.00am at High Heworth Lane.

With the first team inactive, the spotlight fell on Tynemouth 2s who faced a redoubtable Gateshead Fell team. The visitors outplayed their hosts in every department and came away with a thoroughly merited 96 run win. The morning began badly for Tynemouth when skipper Andrew Davison sustained a broken wrist, after being struck by a ball from Neil Bennett during warm-up. Lifelong Sunderland fan Davo’s day would get immeasurably worse of course; poor fella.

Batting first, Gateshead Fell started rapidly, forcing Tynemouth to juggle their bowlers to the extent that Chris Beever was the fifth bowler used, in only the 16th over. It was an inspired choice as he took the wicket of Michael Dicks with his third ball. Tynemouth’s sixth bowler was Club Chairman Graeme Hallam, who had answered the club’s call and deputised for the stricken Davison. He too took a wicket in his first over and another soon after, to post admirable figures of 2-26 from his 10 overs. Hallam also distinguished himself with a catch off the bowling of Dan Thorburn, who took the final Gateshead Fell wicket to fall, ending with a more than respectable 2-32. Gateshead Fell’s impressive total was largely as a result of Michael Elliott’s unbeaten 86 and an exciting 53 by Malik Javed, ended prematurely by Sam Robson’s runout.

In reply, Tynemouth never seemed likely to chase down the total, with only Niall Piper’s dogged 52 displaying both aggressive intent and solid resistance, though it must be said that some excellent Fell bowling was augmented by some questionable leg before verdicts that went against the home side. The 2s have a chance to bounce back with an away fixture against Washington in the James Bell Cup on Tuesday night; 6pm start. Next Saturday Newcastle 2s are the visitors to Preston Avenue for a noon start.

Meanwhile, Tynemouth 3s sit proudly on top of the NTCL Division 5 South after a solid home win over Riding Mill. Batting first, the visitors were restricted to 144/8. While the wickets were shared around, mention should go to Ed Snelders and Captain Richy Hay for combining accuracy with brace of victims each. In reply, Tynemouth 3s knocked the runs off with plenty of overs to spare for the loss of 4 wickets. Rashid “The Power” Hassan contributed an explosive 26, but the real star was 13 year old Robbie Bowman’s unbeaten 67 that settled the contest definitively in Tynemouth’s favour. Next Saturday sees the return of former Tynemouth stalwart Don Catley, who is now appearing for Whitley Bay 2s. The game begins at 1.

Tynemouth’s Academy team are now known as the Sunday 3rd team and their new nomenclature saw a positive result, as they overcame Blaydon in the first round of the Banks Cup by 87 runs. Finally, the Midweek Social XI host Ponteland in a league game on Thursday 27th with a 6pm start.

May 30^th:

The Bank Holiday weekend began early for Tynemouth Cricket Club, with an away fixture for the first XI against Boldon in the NEPL T20 Group B on Friday evening. Having suffered a washout in the home encounter with Benwell Hill the week before, it was imperative that the visitors took maximum points from this game. Indeed, they did so, and the final victory margin of 29 runs does not do their supremacy justice, as a disappointing total of 15 wides sent down by Tynemouth bowlers made the final totals seem more competitive than they were in reality.

Batting first, Tynemouth accumulated 145/4, where Muhammad Saad top scored with a fluent 48, ably supported by Stuart Poynter’s pugnacious 31 and a studied 22 from Ben McGee, while a couple of trademark late lusty blows by David Mansfield helped make the total an imposing one. Aside from the problems with wides, the Tynemouth bowlers remained on top throughout the reply. The intention was to contain rather than attack, which was a successful strategy, though Sean Longstaff impressed the watching crowd with two early wickets, including a superb reflex caught and bowled. Boldon ended on 116/4 to give Tynemouth a comprehensive win.

Both Poynter and Longstaff played equally crucial roles in the Saturday trip to Felling, which was the first 110 over NEPL game of the season. High Heworth Lane was looking splendid in glorious sunshine when the home side won the toss and decided to bat. However, it was the visiting bowlers who thrived in the congenial conditions, with the pacey Longstaff claiming 4/33, a superbly accurate 3/14 by Saad and a consistent 3/34 from Dan McGee. Only Paul Leonard, with a gutsy 47, offered serious resistance, as the home side were dismissed for 131.

In reply, there was a slight wobble early on after the loss of Ben Debnam and Barry Stewart left Tynemouth at 15/2, but despite Ben McGee perishing for 18, Poynter’s ferocious, improvised 58 swung the game decidedly in Tynemouth’s favour. Poynter fell leg before to the wily left armer and renowned barista Anthony Trotter, while Saad was needlessly run out, but Skipper Matty Brown and the reliable Mansfield saw Tynemouth ease to a 5 wicket win with more than 16 overs to spare. The two sides meet again on Friday 4 June at Tynemouth in an NEPL T20 Group B fixture.

Meanwhile, the second team tenaciously held on for a losing draw against Newcastle 2s. Batting first, the visitors accumulated 190/7 from 53 overs. All 5 Tynemouth bowlers took wickets, but Chris Beever was the pick of the crop, returning figures of 3/32 from his 12 overs. The reply was hampered by regular dismissals, meaning the theoretical total was never seriously challenged. That said, the team showed great forbearance in batting through their 52 overs for 124/7. With the ball, veteran Keith Brown impressed with 3/29, while Tynemouth’s Chris Fairley held the innings together with a determined 65.

Tynemouth Saturday 3s consolidated their place at the top of NTCL Division 5 South with a crushing victory over Whitley Bay 2s. Having restricted the visitors to a meagre 74/5 from their 40 overs, courtesy of trademark economy by Ed Snelders who also claimed 2 wickets, Tynemouth took a mere 12 overs to accumulate the runs required, for the loss of one wicket. Rashid “The Power” Hassan top scored with an unbeaten 34, ably supported by Chris Grievson’s 26*. The Sunday 3rd team lost at home to a strong Newcastle side. Batting first Tynemouth made exactly 150, with Patrick Hallam holding the innings together with an impressive half century, ably supported by Dan Thorburn with 34. Despite the best efforts of the Tynemouth bowlers, who had the visitors in a measure of difficulty at 68/4, Alastair Poll’s unbeaten 89 saw the visitors home with an over to spare.

The Midweek Social XI maintained their unblemished winning streak, defeating Ponteland by 39 runs at Preston Avenue. Batting first, 13 year old opener Robbie Bowman scored an aggressive 58 that built the platform for an impressive total of 146/6 from 18 overs, with able support from Sean Longstaff (43*) and the bespectacled James Carr (24*).  Rashid “The Power” Hassan’s 3/11 immediately swung the game away from Ponteland, allowing Tynemouth skipper Dan Storey to ring the changes among the bowlers, with Ponteland finishing on 107/5.

The coming week sees a packed programme as rearranged cup games fill the evenings. The first XI host Morpeth on Tuesday 1 June in a Smithson Cup tie, Felling on Friday 4 June in an NEPL T20 Group B game, both at 6pm, before travelling to Washington on Saturday for a league game with an 11.00 start.  Tynemouth 2s host Washington in the reverse fixture on the same day with a noon start, before travelling to Lanchester CC for their NEPL 2nd XI T20 group stage competition with Willington the third team involved. Our games start at 1.30pm and 4.30pm respectively.  The Saturday 3s host Cramlington 2s in the Tom Barlow Cup on Thursday evening, before welcoming Cowgate 2s on Saturday.

June 6^th:

It has long been referred to as Flaming June and the first week of the month lived up to that name, with Tynemouth Cricket Club’s teams returning  6 victories from 7 games played in both league and cup.

Tynemouth CC’s First XI began a busy week for the club, with a comfortable home win against Morpeth on Tuesday night to advance to the quarter finals of the Bobby Smithson Cup. The visitors, who play in the top division of the Northumberland and Tyneside League, batted first and made 101/3 in their 20 overs. In reply, the home side were always in control of the chase, with club professional Muhammad Saad making an imperious 63 not out, as well as sharing a second wicket stand of 59 with Owen Gourley who struck the ball cleanly on his way to an undefeated 22.

On Friday night, there was a less positive outcome in the NEPL T20 group game against Felling, who took revenge for their comprehensive league defeat to Tynemouth the Saturday previous, by leaving Preston Avenue with the points after a 28 run victory. Batting first, the visitors struck an impressive 156/3, in which Hurst top scored with an unbeaten 68. Support was provided by Alastair Appleby, who hit a ferocious 65. Only David Mansfield impressed with the ball for the home side, posting a respectable 2/28 from his 4 overs.

In reply, Tynemouth never looked like reaching the target after Saad and skipper Matty Brown, who looked in sparkling form during his stylish 25, both holed out to Paul Leonard from the bowling of Anthony “The Barista” Trotter, whose 3/21 was the foundation on which Felling’s victory was based. Other than Ben McGee’s controlled 24, the other home batsmen failed to get to grips with the visiting attack, subsiding to 128 all out after 18.4 overs.

Saturday was another day and, despite initial worries about just how competitive Tynemouth’s total would be, a comprehensive victory was achieved away to Washington. Batting first, Tynemouth occupied the crease for the maximum permitted 58 overs, scoring 173/9. The keynote batting performances were by Ben Debnam (48) and Barry Stewart (44), whose fluent strokes and dogged accumulation held the Tynemouth contribution together. A nod of appreciation is also due to Sean Longstaff and the bespectacled James Carr, whose unbroken last wicket stand of 20 runs ensured all the overs were used up.

Longstaff was immediately back in the game, reducing Washington to 7/2, aided by excellent slip catches by Saad and Stuart Poynter, whose effort was particularly acrobatic. Saad and Andrew Smith shared the next 4 wickets, as Washington collapsed from 28/2 to 28/6, before Saad claimed the next 3 victims, to end with a particularly praiseworthy 5/15 from 11 overs. At this point, with Washington 9 down and 90 runs behind, tea was taken. After this seemingly superfluous interpolation, Smith returned to claim the final wicket, ending on 3/17 and giving Tynemouth a win by 89 runs.

Tynemouth 2s hosted their Washington counterparts, dismissing them for 102 in 35 overs. Ricky Handa was the hero, returning 6/19 from 10 overs, before Chris Fairley (45*) and Niall Piper (34) saw the 2s home by 9 wickets in only 22 overs. On the Sunday, the 2s travelled to Lanchester for the NEPL T20 2^nd XI group stage and imperiously claimed a place in the quarter finals after crushing wins over Willington, by 101 runs and the hosts, by 77 runs in the deciding game. Batting first on both occasions, Tynemouth posted 230 and 227 respectively, both for the loss of 7 wickets. In the first game Richie Straughan helped himself to a top score of 78, Niall Piper registered 34 and Sam Robson amassed a useful 30, which he then augmented with a fine 2/8, to share bowling honours with Richie Hay (2/19) and Graeme Hallam (2/28), as Willington were bowled out for 129.

Against Lanchester, Richie Straughan scored his third 50 in two days, for an aggregate weekend total of 224 runs, though his efforts on this occasion were eclipsed by a savage 70 by Rashid “The Power” Hassan. Making up for an uncharacteristic duck in the first game, The Power bludgeoned 6 maximums and 4 boundaries in his 34-ball innings. With such a mammoth total, victory was almost completely assured when the bespectacled James Carr returned an elegant 3/17 from his spell, ably assisted by Neil Bennett with 2/28, which helped restrict Lanchester to 150/8.

The Saturday 3^rd XI began their week on Thursday night, with a home tie against Cramlington 2nds in the first round of the Dr Tom Barlow Memorial Cup. A magnificent unbeaten century by Matty Walton was ably assisted by a trademark attacking 59 from Rashid “The Power” Hassan, in an intimidating 220/2 from 18 overs.  Cramlington never seriously threatened to make the required runs, partly because of an economical 2/15 by Dan Storey, which helped to restrict the visitors to 113/6. On Saturday, Cowgate 2s came to visit. Batting first, Tynemouth were indebted to Richie Straughan who top scored with 93 out of a total of 204/7 from 40 overs. In reply, Tynemouth 3s cemented their position at the top of NTCL Division 5 South by dismissing Cowgate 2s for 121. Evan Hull-Denholm was the pick of the bowlers with an inspiring 4/15.

Next week, Tynemouth 1s host Backworth on Tuesday in the Tyneside Charity Bowl, before travelling to Lanchester on Friday for a T20 group game, with Hetton Lyons making the trip to Preston Avenue for a league game on Saturday. On the same day, the 2s travel to Ashington 2s and the 3s make the trip to Lintz 2s. The Sunday 3s host Benwell Hill, having been inactive this week, while the Midweek Social XI are pitted against Seaton Burn on the back pitch in the Ian Appleby Cup on Tuesday, before visiting the same opponents in a league game on Thursday.