Never mind The Ashes, the real cricketing drama of Summer 2023 is to be found, as ever, in NTCL D5 (S), which is just reaching halfway, which is about where I got to at Greenside on Saturday when their keeper whipped the bails off -:
Saturday
20 May:
On the first glorious weekend of the summer, Tynemouth Cricket Club responded well to the climactic situation with a near-perfect set of results for all 3 Saturday sides. Tynemouth CC first XI were busy all three days, starting their NEPL T20 group competition with a low-scoring win over Whitburn, in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd on Friday evening. Having won the toss, Tynemouth elected to field and restricted Whitburn to 104-8 from their allotted overs. The bowling honours went to Owen Gourley (4-11), who produced an excellent spell of hostile pace bowling, backed up by Tsepo Ntuli’s off spin, 2-27, and a welcome return to action for Phil Morse (1-19). In reply, Tynemouth didn’t have things easy, but Ed Forman’s unbeaten 30, with support from Andrew Smith (14*) and Robbie Bowman (13), saw the home side home by 3 wickets, with 10 balls to spare.
If that seemed a narrow margin of victory, it was positively cavernous compared to Saturday’s one wicket win over Newcastle, who were hampered by the absence of the suspended Jacques Du Toit. Sponsored by The Cosy Dove pub in Spital Tongues, this was an absorbing contest with all possible results on the table until the very last ball. Batting first, the visitors found themselves in all manner of trouble at 54-5 and then 74-6, with the superb bowling of Andrew Jones (4-16) causing most of the damage, with his full pitched inswingers bamboozling the Newcastle batters throughout his spell. Ntuli (3-41) was also among the wickets and Gourley picked up the key wicket of opener Trevaskis. However, Hart (53) and Green (43) rescued the visitors with a century partnership, before Jones returned to clean up the tail, with Newcastle dismissed for 178 after 44 overs.
On Saturday, Tynemouth 2s travelled to Jesmond for the reverse fixture, posting an impressive 238-9, with Stewart (70), Bowman (49), Hallam (32) and Robson (28) providing the bulk of the runs. In reply, Newcastle made a decent fist of it, but were dismissed for 219, with all 6 bowlers among the wickets.
The Saturday 3s reversed their fixture with Lions and made the short trip to Priors Park. Batting first, Chad Koen (56) gave Tynemouth a fighting chance, as they posted 138 all out from the last ball. Other notable contributions were all of 14 runs, by Hamish Swaddle-Scott, Adam Tugby and skipper Richy Hay. In reply, a fine bowling performance saw Lions dismissed for 122. Dom Askins (4-23) and Dan Storey (3-26) were key to a superb win for the resurgent Saturday 3s.
On Sunday 21 May, the Tynemouth Women’s Softball Team played host to Ponteland. It was their first outdoor game this season and Gems lost the toss and were put into bat first by their opponents. Opening batters Rosie and Emma got off to a great start scoring a respectable 28 off their 3 overs in bat. The next pair were unlucky and lost 3 wickets in their pair, but the 3rd pair managed to pick up the score again as did the 4th and 5th batting pair. Ponteland’s fielding was good, and they had a few key bowlers. Tynemouth posted a score of 74-5. In return Tynemouth got off to a good start with their bowling and fielding with quite similar scores to Ponteland and Jan taking our only wicket in the 6th over, but by Pontelands 3rd batting pair, Gems were struggling and missed a couple of key wicket opportunities resulting in Ponteland achieving 105-1. All enjoyed a cricket tea in the club house after.
I wasn’t selected for this one, which was something of a blessing I suppose. That’s not just because we won, but because I had another engagement, in the shape of the Percy Main Amateurs end of season awards night. This meant I was happy to watch Newcastle bat against the first XI, but I nipped off early and missed the narrowest of victory margins, somewhat nonplussed by the fact that legendary umpire Eddy Collins told me my summer t-shirt and shorts combo was a “nice little outfit.” Still, a good set of results for all the teams eh?
Saturday
27 May:
Tynemouth CC first XI were comprehensively beaten on Saturday by a confident, top of the table, South Northumberland side, and in particular, by a superb 4th wicket partnership of 173 between Nikhil Gorantla and skipper Adam Cragg. On another glorious afternoon for cricket at Preston Avenue, when the ground looked magnificent, It was Adam Cragg who won the toss and was happy to bat first on a flat but used wicket that had even bounce but little pace.
Tynemouth came out of the traps quickly and Andrew Smith clean bowled both openers, Birtwistle and Southern straight away. He seemed to be enjoying having a red ball back in his hand and when Richard Stanyon had Chris Hewison adjudged LBW the away team were in real trouble at 2-3. Despite a terrific start by Tynemouth, things were about to change and slowly but surely Gorantla and Cragg began to rebuild. Gorantla, who played for Essex 2s last year and is now studying at Durham University, played a gem of an innings, showing great foot work, timing and placement. So easy on the eye; surely a return to first class cricket will come. Nothing seemed to hurry him despite the continued efforts of the Tynemouth attack. At the other end, Cragg was resolute in defence and eager to attack when given a chance. The running between the wickets was also exemplary in a wonderful partnership that was only broken with the score on 176 when Cragg was caught by Tshepo Ntuli off the bowling of Martin Pollard for 69. Smith, Stanyon and Ntuli were the pick of the home attack but once again were let down by several dropped catches, though they all worked hard and kept going and once Gorantla was out for 101, reaped some reward with wickets tumbling at the end before South North declared on 216-8.
Tynemouth tried a new opening partnership with Dan Thorburn and Ed Foreman but a real mix up between the pair saw Thorburn run out for just 2. Matty Brown came to the crease next but after a couple of lovely boundaries edged one outside the off stump and was caught at slip by Birtwistle off the bowling of Sean Tindale. Matt Kimmitt and Foreman tried to recover the situation with a steady partnership but when Kimmitt chipped one up to Whiteman off Sean Tindale the rest of the Tynemouth innings disappointed. Three crazy run outs and a number of careless shots saw the team crumble and they were all out for 105 in just 39 overs of the 58 available. Foreman top scored with 33. For South North the evergreen Lee Crozier took 3-32 off 13 overs. The loss puts Tynemouth back in the relegation zone and they will have to up their game next weekend when they travel to Ashington. A full scorecard can be found here:
https://nepremierleague.play-cricket.com/website/results/5543842 while the NEPL table is
here: https://nepremierleague.play-cricket.com/website/division/109537
Tynemouth 2s made the reverse trip to South North on Saturday and came away with a tie, after a remarkable conclusion to a thrilling game. Batting first, Tynemouth made 232-5 declared, with skipper Chris Fairley (119*) leading from the front, ably supported by Barry Stewart (74), as well as a helpful 2-39, and Josh Koen (21), who was also the pick of the Tynemouth bowlers, returning figures of 3-45, including holding his nerve as the home side closed on 232-9. Shamsur Orakhail (2-29) gave another encouraging display of spin bowling. On Sunday, Tynemouth 2s travelled to Newcastle for a Banks Bowl round 2 game. Having conceded 280 to an attacking home side, it seemed an unlikely task to win the game, but Sam Robson (110*) came to the fore with 16 from the final over, including consecutive maximums, to see Tynemouth home by 3 wickets.
Unfortunately Tynemouth 3s were unable to carry on their good recent run, losing by 75 runs at Annfield Plain. Skipper Richy Hay rotated his bowlers, using 7 to restrict the home side to 170-7, with Dan Storey (2-16) being particularly effective. Sadly, a lack of batting, despite the attacking instincts of Paul Hurst (19) and a solicitous 1* from the recalled cusack, meant realistic prospects of victory were never seriously entertained. There were encouraging performances by debutants Rohan George (10 runs, a wicket and a pair of excellent catches) and Asik Miah, who showed an excellent arm in the field, which bodes well for the future.
Tynemouth Gems, the women’s softball team, played their first away game of the season against South North. Due to injuries and availability issues we played with a 9 player squad with two players who were making their debuts. We won the toss and went to field. Bowling was steady and secure, and we had two catches from Rosie plus Rosie, Sandy and Jan bowled great spells. Fielding was tight on the boundaries, with Sandy particularly keeping the runs down by accurate fielding. A great improvement in all players and we went into bat with 70 to chase. Batting again was safe secure and both Kath and Heather score 4s on their debut game. We sadly lost 5 wickets, but it was a well-played game by both teams, with the final score a draw. Great team spirit and hospitality provided by SN and a great evening’s cricket was enjoyed by all.
I really like Annfield Plain’s fabulously named Enterprise Park as a ground, even though I’ve been on the end of a thumping every time I’ve been. One great thing about today’s visit, other than the hideous slice I sent squirting in the direction of point for a scarcely deserved single, was seeing my mate Nick, who is now resident in those parts. He’d seen my Facebook post and popped down for a catch up. It would have been nice to hang around, but I had to get back to town to see UT at the Lubber Fiend. To do so, I left my bag in Richie’s car then managed to retrieve it from the club, via Fanta’s help, on about the Wednesday. By that time, my kit was in a ripe old state I can tell you.
Saturday
4 June:
Tynemouth Cricket Club’s first XI continue to stutter as the 2023 season enters June. On Tuesday night, a much changed team lost to South Northumberland at Roseworth Terrace by 10 runs in the Tyneside Charity Bowl, round 2. Batting first, the home team posted 141-5, with all the wickets claimed by spinners Patrick Hallam, Dan McGee, Shamsur Oraikhil and Sam Robson. Tynemouth’s response fell just short, closing on 131-7, aided by decent efforts by Matthew Kimmitt (26), Ed Foreman (25) and McGee (24). Friday night saw a disappointing loss away to Philadelphia by 6 wickets in the NEPL T20 group stages. After skipper Matt Brown (22) and Kimmitt (20) saw Tynemouth off to a flying start, the Croons capitulated to 106 all out, with only Tshepo Ntuli (20), offering any real resistance. Philadelphia reached their target after only 16 overs, for the loss of 4 wickets: one each to Owen Gourley, Andrew Jones, Ntuli and Dan Watt. On Saturday, the first XI played away to Ashington in an NEPL league game. For the match report I am indebted, as ever, to Vince Howe.
Tynemouth’s first team travelled to a sunny Langwell Crescent to face NEPL top division newcomers Ashington but once again came away with just a handful of bonus points, following another loss. Those arriving early were delighted to be greeted by the sight of Mark Wood going through a training session with England and Durham coach Neil Killeen. Woody, who of course began his cricketing career at Ashington, looked fit enough and bowled with great pace and control. If he gets a chance against the Aussies let’s all wish him well.
Kimmitt
was then brilliantly caught by keeper Jack McCarthy off what looked a beauty
from Ben Harmison to leave Tynemouth in big trouble at 25-3. Sadly, things were
about to get a whole lot worse! Ian Sharkey replaced Matty Collins, and his
medium paced swingers did for Debnam, Bowman, Ntuli, McGee and then Poynter in
a remarkable spell of 10 overs 5 wickets for 23 runs leaving the visitors
reeling at 73-9 when Shams Oraikhil, on debut, came out last man to join number
nine Andrew Jones.
The last pair frustrated the home attack with two lovely cameos. Jones, tall in the crease with a bit of a swagger, started the fight back by getting in line and showing good defence off front and back foot. He then decided to go through the gears and began hitting the ball well and over the top. His was a fine innings. Determined yet flamboyant. A reassuring presence and everything his beleaguered side needed. At the other end Shams showed no nerves and watched the ball carefully onto the bat. Ones and twos mostly to start but then a tad more expensive. All along the ground and mostly to leg. A terrific fighting partnership of 70 was ended when Matty Collins had Shams adjudged lbw for a terrific 24 leaving his partner not out on 49. Chapeau! A total of 143 was still modest but at least it gave the visitors some hope of victory.
Tynemouth supporters were delighted as were the Burger sellers and the Bar Committee who were wondering at one point whether everyone would have finished watching the game and then moved on to watch the FA Cup final! But as Tynemouth hopes soared so did the food and drink profits. As someone who remembers many years of playing cricket against Ashington it was great to see the ground looking so good and their return to the top Division is a real positive for Northumberland cricket. Poynter decided to go with his proven performers first opening up with Jones and Ntuli and when the South African bowled Jack McCarthy for a duck it looked a good move. Jones bowled a lively opening spell, beating the bat regularly and then cleaning out the aggressive Jack Jessop for 26. Owen Gourley replaced Ntuli and produced his best spell of the summer so far. He had the talented Killeen neatly caught at slip by Poynter and had little luck going his way. Jones returned to have Ben Harmison caught behind by 15 year old Robbie Bowman who was neat and tidy behind the stumps and when Dan McGee trapped Ashington pro, Jeremiah Louis, in front of middle, the Ashington innings was rocking at 72-5. But then a fine sixth wicket partnership of 42 between the fluent Ben O’Brien who ended on 61 not out and the obdurate James Harmison who made 18 settled home nerves. Unfortunately for Ntuli and his team, he had to withdraw after just 4 overs following a cut to his hand. Hopefully he will be back for the two games next weekend. The game was played in front of a more than decent crowd and in a great spirit too, epitomised by the home skipper Sean McCafferty providing a replacement fielder for Ntuli for most of the innings. To summarise, this was a good effort from the Tynemouth bowlers on a good batting wicket and without a number of key men. A full scorecard can be found here: https://nepremierleague.play-cricket.com/website/results/5543729 and the up to date table here:
https://nepremierleague.play-cricket.com/website/division/109537
In the reverse fixture at Preston Avenue, Tynemouth 2s dismissed Ashington 2s for 140, with the wickets shared around. The Koen brothers, in what ought to have made a decent feature film, took 4 wickets between them: Chad and Josh claiming a brace apiece. Dan Watt (2-18) and Neil Bennett (2-30) also put in good spells, and it was nice to see Dom Askins, promoted from the 3s after recent excellent bowling performances, claiming a victim as well. In reply, Tynemouth achieved the runs required for the loss of 3 wickets, helped along by excellent performances by Barry Stewart (48*), Josh Koen (36) and Chris Fairley (20).
Tynemouth
Saturday 3s had an excellent win in the second round of the Dr Tom Barlow Cup
on Thursday night, beating Lions by 38 runs. Tynemouth batted first and scored
125-4 from their 20 overs, with significant contributions from Hamish
Swaddle-Scott (38), Dom Askins (30*) and Adam Tugby (20). Lions were dismissed
for 87, on account of excellent spells from all the bowlers, especially that
man Askins (2-14).
Unfortunately, Saturday’s league game against Cowgate Sports was not played in the greatest of spirits. Having batted first and made 206 all out from 39.2 overs, courtesy of particularly fine work with the ball by Paul Hurst, who claimed 4 wickets and the elegant, if limping, James Carr, who took 3, the visitors were never seriously in danger of losing, as Tynemouth’s eventual total of 152-8 suggests. However, some of the antics of the visiting players, in terms of appeals made and subsequent reactions to negative decisions, veered dangerously close to dissent and intimidatory conduct. Hopefully, this will not be the case when the two sides meet again in the quarter final of the Dr Tom Barlow Cup on 15th June.
Finally, Sunday saw a fabulous sunny afternoon at Stocksfield for a Tynemouth Gems Women’s softball team away game. Gems lost the toss and went into field. Bowling and fielding was safe and secure, and we took 5 wickets, and 2 catches. Playing with 9 players, it was a great start. Gems then went into bat and each batting pair played well safely and with some outstanding 4s and 6s. The final score saw Gems triumph 95- 44. Really great team play by Gems and a super afternoon with superb hospitality from Stocksfield.
I wasn’t needed for the Thursday night Cup game, but the call came for Saturday. It was nice to finally get a game at Preston Avenue, as I’ve been more of an away fixture this year. Unfortunately, this was probably one of my worst experiences on a cricket field, as I’ve not come across such unsporting conduct in many a long year. Everything went well when we were bowling, even if we did let them have rather too many runs. The problem came when I was asked to umpire, which is a poisoned chalice at the best of times. Firstly their left arm spinner went absolutely ballistic when I didn’t give Rohan, one of our new lads who has recently moved to the area from Milton Keynes, out leg before. I honestly still to this day maintain it was the correct decision, as the ball was missing leg stump. Not good enough for them though; the bowler went absolutely light and had to be calmed down by his team mates. Even then he was muttering insults about me and claiming I was incompetent. This gets in your head and a few overs later I gave Finn Hodgson out LBW. I was convinced the ball pitched in line and would have hit the stumps. What I missed was that he’d hit the ball, but I hadn’t heard that as I tried to close my ears to the general cacophony. Once I’d been informed of this, I tried to get their captain to call Finn back as I’d made a mistake; he wouldn’t budge, and another player called me a “liar” and a “cheat.”
I wish I had either walked off or abandoned the game, but instead I stuck it out to the end of the over. Thanks as ever go to next man in Jimmy Carr for keeping a lid on proceedings and looking after me. Luckily I didn’t need to bat, for the first time all season. It took me a couple of beers to calm down at the end and not burst into tears. I felt particularly bad as Shelley had come down to see her first ever game of cricket and this shambles was what she saw.
Saturday 11 June:
Before a bowl had been bowled by the Tynemouth CC first XI, there was an important development to digest. Matty Brown, after a more than two years at the helm, decided to step down as Captain, in order to concentrate on his batting. In his place, the experienced and popular Martin Pollard agreed to assume this onerous role with immediate effect. Thanks go to Matt for the job he has done as skipper and the whole club is delighted to announce that Matt is continuing to play for Tynemouth, offering support to Polly where he can.
Poll’s first game in charge was a Friday evening NEPL T20
group game at Preston Avenue for the visit of Burnmoor. There may have been a
shade fewer in attendance than were present at St James Park for Sam Fender,
but the club was thronged, nonetheless. Those in attendance saw a fine game,
won by the home side off the penultimate ball. The visitors batted first,
posting 149-7, with Tsepo Ntuli (3-21) and skipper Poll (1-19) both returning
excellent spells. Tynemouth reached the total required for the loss of 6
wickets off 19.5 overs, with the runs mainly coming from aggressive hitting by
Matt Kimmitt (37), Stu Poynter (33) and Robbie Bowman (24). Despite this win,
Tynemouth only finished 3rd in their group on net run rate, and so
ends their interest in the NEPL T20 competition for this season.
On Saturday, Tynemouth (179-3) beat Burnopfield (178 all out)
by 7 wickets. Conditions, once again, were ideal at Preston Avenue: a lovely
sunny day, the ground looking a picture and a new wicket with a bit of grass
that provided something for everyone through the day. This was Martin Pollard’s first Saturday game
as Captain, having taken over from Matt Brown, who wishes to concentrate fully
on his batting, and Polly started well by winning the toss and asking
Burnopfield to bat first.
The
two Andrews opened the bowling for the home side; alias Smith and Jones both
got early movement and then wickets as Jones accounted for Seymour and Dinning
and Smith trapped Harrison in front of all three. Burnopfield skipper John
Oswell hit some lusty blows before he also was adjudged lbw, this time to the
persistent Tshepo Ntuli. Wickets continued to fall on a regular basis with all
five of the Tynemouth bowlers maintaining pressure much to the satisfaction of
the lads from the Rockliffe Arms who were enjoying another game of
cricket in the sun with pints in their hands.
Only Cole Pearce from the visitors offered any real resistance. He played a fine hand with nice timing and an array of attacking shots off quick and slow bowlers alike. A couple of sweep shots off Ntuli perhaps the highlights but then he went just before lunch with the score a modest 98-5. This was a good morning’s work from Tynemouth. Wickets continued to fall after lunch shared and when Aussie Finlay McGurk was brilliantly stumped down the leg side off Andrew Smith the score was just 125-9. A terrific stand-up routine by Stu Poynter. Yet strangely Tynemouth could not get the last laugh as Rhys Saunders and Matthew Scott joked their way to a 50 run partnership for the last wicket until Ntuli finally had Saunders caught by Kimmitt. Credit to all of the bowlers, the fielders for some good catches and ground work, and to Pollard who marshalled his troops well throughout.
A total of 178 seemed well under par and as fans were arriving at St James’s Park for the Sam Fender gig, the Tynemouth batsmen were about to put on a show themselves. Ben Debnam and Matt Kimmitt opened up and began in positive fashion, both taking the attack to the opposition and the score had reached 37 when Debnam top edged a short pitched delivery from Matthew Scott and was caught at fine leg for 23. The same bowler had Kimmitt caught for 28, as the hopes of the away were rising at 56-2. However the game was about to swing decisively in Tynemouth’s favour as Tshepo Ntuli and Matt Brown began to put together a fine and match winning partnership. Ntuli, sent up the order by Pollard, responded well. His was a well-crafted innings. Solid defence, watchful, and with quick feet he found the boundary several times with well struck shots mostly off the back foot and to the leg side. At the other end Brown was at his most relaxed and languid best. An effortless knock of genuine class. Some excellent running between the wickets also helped them steer their side to the brink of victory with a terrific partnership of 119. Ntuli eventually going for 60 and Brown undefeated on 61. This was an emphatic victory for Tynemouth which took them out of the relegation zone and a repeat of today’s efforts should see the side climb higher over the next few weeks.
The week started with Tynemouth 2s travelling to Littletown, in the wilds of County Durham, for a Roseworth Trophy match on Monday evening. Robbie Bowman, quickly growing accustomed to unfamiliar surroundings, led the charge with 94, given able support by Patrick Hallam (48) as the Croons made 205 from their 20 overs. Littletown were game but came up short at 153 all out.
At the weekend, Tynemouth 2s travelled to Gateshead Fell, site of Andrew Linehan’s extraordinary run out two years ago that become an internet sensation. Perhaps mindful of this, Andrew was unavailable today, having opted to see Pink live at the Stadium of Light. It is up to the reader to decide which was the more embarrassing event. A strong Tynemouth 2nd XI reached an impressive 271-5 declared from exactly 50 overs. The damage was mainly done by Robbie Bowman (101), assisted by Barry Stewart (66*), Patrick Hallam (36) and Dan McGee (28*). In reply, Gateshead Fell were dismissed for 131, with Josh Koen (5-19) doing his utmost to secure a prompt finish.
Tynemouth
Saturday 3s travelled to the rustic splendour of Hexham Leazes, which must one
of the most scenic grounds in the Northumberland and Tyneside Cricket League,
with the natural beauty of the surroundings given added force by the glorious
weather in which the game was played. Certainly, Hamish Swaddle-Scott responded
positively to his environment, scoring a superb, effortless 97, with 16
boundaries and a maximum in that total. He was given support by skipper Richy
Hay (30), though Hexham’s persistence restricted Tynemouth to 178 all out.
Remaining unbeaten was ian cusack (4*), whose back foot straight drive to the
boundary, greeted with universal acclaim by the watching multitudes, was
described by the watching, noted cricket writer Harry Pearson as “redolent of
Victor Trumper in his heyday.”
In reply, Hexham Leazes struggled early on, in the face of excellent, accurate bowling from Hay and Dan Watt, who claimed the first wicket, courtesy of a brilliant catch by Rohan George. However, the arrival at the crease of skipper Ross Davies (77) saw the game swing decisively in the home side’s favour, as he smote 7 boundaries and 5 maximums, before falling to an excellent delivery from Paul Hurst, as the home side cantered home with 8 wickets to spare.
Tynemouth’s Sunday 3s had been in action on Tuesday in the Banks Cup, advancing to the next round after a narrow 8 run win over Benwell Hill. Batting first, Tynemouth posted 142-7, with Patrick Hallam (57) and Shams Oraikill (54) leading the charge and both taking wickets as The Hill mustered 134-9 in reply. It was encouraging to see young Chris Beever back in a Tynemouth shirt as he contributed a more than helpful 2-16 from his spell.
Finally, Tynemouth Gems softball team played away to Newcastle. Gems won the toss and went into field, restricting the opposition to 81. However, Newcastle’s bowling was really secure, plus they took two catches and a wicket. Although some great 4s were scored Gems only made 51 so Newcastle triumphed. It was, however, a great evening of cricket and the hospitality was superb.
Now this was the exact opposite of the previous week’s debacle. Alright, we lost again, quite heavily in the end, but it was a wonderful afternoon in the Tyne Valley. I’d never been to Hexham Leazes before and I can only hope I get there again soon, on a day as glorious as this was. At the far west of the town, looking north, it is perched snugly on a hillside, with an undulating outfield and breathtaking views on all sides. Added to the fact Harry Pearson turned up to watch, as well as a workmate Ben Porteous, it all made for a glorious afternoon. We batted first and it felt quite good for a while. Sadly a few wickets went in a clatter and poor Mish got out for 97, but I had a straight driven 4, which made me feel unspeakably happy. Things quietened down a bit when they started biffing us around the place, but the pints in the Coach & Horses later on tasted delightful. A great day. This is why I watch and attempt to play cricket. No sport can match it for the camaraderie or the bucolic pleasures it provides on days such as this.
Tynemouth CC first XI lost their hold on the Bobby Smithson Northumberland County Cup, going down to a 15-run defeat away to Benwell Hill. The home side batted first, posting 157-6, with Haydon Mustard (48) and Kyle Coetzer (36) providing most of the runs, while Andrew Jones (2-28) and Phil Morse (2-37) were effective for Tynemouth. In reply, Robbie Bowman clubbed an awesome 75, including 7 boundaries and two maximums, but his departure saw the visitors lose impetus and the innings closed on 142-5.
On Saturday, Tynemouth made only 73 all out, as they lost at home to Hetton Lyons by 6 wickets. The weather was mostly cloudy but sticky with it and the pitch looked flat and dry. New home skipper Martin Pollard won the toss and elected to have a bat first. Tynemouth’s overseas professional, Tshepo Ntuli, was unfit to play due to a cut hand and he was replaced by Jacques Snyman, another first class player, following the agreement of the NEPL. However Tynemouth got off to the worst possible start with Ben Debnam bowled, Snyman run out and Ed Foreman caught behind leaving the team in big trouble at 7-3. Mathew Brown and Stu Poynter did their best to calm the storm with a decent partnership of 49 before Brown played on to Aaron Feroz who was getting good turn from the pitch. Poynter followed soon after also bowled by Feroz and the rest of the innings was quickly wrapped up by medium pacer Aaron Watt as the Tynemouth batters failed to resist the attack from the Lyons. 73 all out in just 28 overs was a disappointing effort.
Pollard chose to open the bowling with Snyman, and he got good turn and bounce as the seamers worked away at the other end. Snyman bowled well combining good turn and bounce with accuracy and took 3 wickets including one superb catch by Matthew Brown at short leg. However opener Stu Walker was resolute and was not for shifting. His 39 not out the cornerstone of the successful chase from the Lyons pack. Credit must be given to the Tynemouth bowling and fielding, though this result puts them back in a relegation position and they will need to bat better in upcoming matches if they are to move up the table.
Meanwhile, Tynemouth 2s made the reverse journey and came away with a crushing 92 run victory. Batting first, the watching crowd were treated to sparkling innings by Dan Thorburn (41), Chris Fairley (89) and Tynemouth’s own version of Baz Ball, from Barry Stewart, who hit 91 from 90 deliveries. Declaring on 256-5 from 50 overs, Tynemouth eventually dismissed Hetton Lyons for 164 after 39 overs. Owen Gourley (5-44) and Dan Watt (3-22) both bowled superbly to wrap up the win.
Sadly, Tynemouth 2s bowed out of the Banks Bowl at home to Hetton Lyons 2s on Sunday. Asked to bat first, Tynemouth made 178 all out, with Patrick Hallam, who had notched a century the previous Sunday, leading the way with 52. Barry Stewart contributed a fine 37, but the total was achieved by Hetton Lyons for the loss of 3 wickets, with 8 overs to spare.
On Thursday, Tynemouth Saturday 3s lost their home quarter final in the Dr Tom Barlow Memorial Cup to Cowgate 2s. Tynemouth batted first and, after a solid opening stand between Richy Hay (13) and Hamish Swaddle-Scott (12), the innings rather fell away, apart from Rohan George (14), until Alosh Jose (17*) and Lewis Hurst (17*) took the home side to 98-7 from 20 overs. This did not seem enough and so it proved as Cowgate scored 100-2 from 14 overs. Thankfully, Saturday’s return to league action in the NTCL Division 5 (South) saw an upturn in fortunes, with a 6 wicket victory away to Benwell and Walbottle 2s.
Having won the toss and inserted the home side, skipper Hay backed up his judgement with a sound spell of bowling, seeing him claim 3-28. At the other end, Neil Bennett (4-28) was more than slightly instrumental in restricting Benwell and Walbottle to 158-9. Also, it should be noted that Tynemouth were sharp in the field, especially young Lewis Gault who effected a brilliant run-out. The reply saw Tynemouth knock off the runs in 28 overs, with Swaddle-Scott (80) leading the way, carrying on from last week’s sublime knock at Hexham Leazes. George (35) continued to demonstrate what an excellent addition he has been to the team this season, while the returning Dom Askins (14*) thumped three successive boundaries to win the game at a canter. This was an excellent team performance.
I finally had my first bowl of the season during the Thursday Cup game against a better behaved Cowgate side, who kept themselves in check with a pair of real umpires to deal with. I sent down a couple of overs for 16, which was a bit too expensive for my tastes, partially because of a couple of hideous leg side drop downs. However, I got myself on line for the second over, but didn’t buy a wicket with a couple of ones I tossed up, going for a 4 and a 2 respectively. Still, it was good fun, even if we lost, to play a competitive game that didn’t descend into acrimony. Getting away from the Corinthian ideal, Richie picked a strong side for Saturday, didn’t use me, and won with ease. The firsts lost so badly I didn’t even get to see them play as it was over just after 2pm.
Saturday 25 June:
Tynemouth’s first team travelled to Burnmoor’s Village Ground on the last Saturday in June, with hopes of a victory that would help turn their season around and though the win didn’t come, this was a much better effort from the Seasiders who fought hard all day under blue skies and a blistering sun. Early arrivals were surprised to find that the wicket was soft and had a good amount of dry grass on it too. This was due to it being uncovered the evening before when a t20 quarter final took place and no covering was allowable until that game had been officially washed out.
Home skipper Ryan Pringle won the toss and somewhat surprisingly elected to have a bat first. Andrew Jones took the new ball with Andrew Smith, and both immediately found movement and bounce on a sticky wicket that was not easy to bat on. Jones cleaned bowled both Ross Greenwell and then Ryan Pringle, always a prized wicket, and at the other end Smith had Karl Turner caught by Owen Gourley leaving the home side struggling at 21-3. At this point veteran Alan Worthy joined Marcus Brown and they slowly began a fight back though the bowlers remained on top. The score had reached 56 when Owen Gourley joined the attack, and he made an immediate impact bowling Brown and then Paul Craig with two beauties in his first two overs, leaving Burnmoor in trouble again at 58-5. The next partnership between Worthy and Josh Coughlin however was crucial and proved it was possible to bat on this tricky but drying surface. Worthy used all his experience at the crease playing with a straight bat and whilst mostly in defensive mode played one or two lovely drives and pulls on the rare occasions the bowlers strayed in length. This was determined batting and just what his team needed. At the other end Coughlin was more adventurous. Tall at the crease, the left hander looked to get on the front foot when he could and drove the ball well. Anything short he punished to the leg side across a lightning fast outfield. One such shot almost took out Audrey Debnam and she let out a very loud bark, usually reserved for passing Burnmoor supporting dogs!
As the partnership closed in on a century it looked like Burnmoor had regained the initiative. However a smart catch by Dan Thorburn off the bowling of Shaw Nel was reward for a superb spell of accurate seam bowling. A great example of perseverance paying off. Hard yakka in the midday sun. When Joe Snowdon caught Coughlin off the steady bowling of off spinner and captain Martin Pollard the game was back in the balance at 156-7. Next out was home professional Waqas Maqsood, known locally as “Whacka,” but he failed to live up to his nickname on this occasion, beaten in the flight by Pollard and caught quite brilliantly by Gourley. Once the returning Andrew Jones clean bowled Graeme Bridge, the home side declared on 170-9 which was about par. Credit to all of the bowlers but especially Seamers Andrew Jones and Shaw Nel who ran in tirelessly all day from the scoreboard end. Chapeau! A word or two about the ground at Burnmoor and its improvements over the past few years. Some great work has been done turning it into a proper NEPL ground and a place the Tynemouth supporters now enjoy going to. The locals have a nice place to watch cricket too and they turned up in good numbers to support their team tanning themselves in the sun and sharing a beer or two.
Once again the Tynemouth top order failed to fire and with just 26 on the board Thorburn, Snowdon and Debnam had all perished. The next two partnerships however put the away side right back in the game. The first included Matthew Brown who made an elegant 17 and the second Robbie Bowman who played a confident innings of 24 against some high class bowling. Just 15 years of age, his ball striking has always been outstanding but he’s now showing he has a fighting spirit and improved game management. Both partnerships were with Mohammed Jamal on debut for the club. Jamal provided a calming influence out in the middle and seemed to have lots of time to play his shots. Careful in defence and only allowing himself an occasional attacking shot this was expert batting. Looking to use up all of the overs to force a win and trusting his partners to stay with him, but just when it looked like Tynemouth were on course for victory the excellent Graeme Bridge brought about the first false shot from Jamal as he pushed at one and was caught in the covers bringing to an end a patient, high class knock of 53. The tail just couldn’t wag this week and the side was eventually bowled out in 52 overs for 148 and 22 runs short. Bridge with 4/37 and Maqsood with 3/20 were the pick of the Burnmoor bowlers and they proved just too strong on the day for a determined Tynemouth side.
At Preston Avenue, Tynemouth 2s played host to Burnmoor 2s, winning by a tight margin of 18 runs. The home side batted first, reaching 209-7 declared from 50 overs. The main contribution was a sparkling, unbeaten 70 from the man in form, Barry Stewart, ably supported by Joel Hull-Denholm (39) and Josh Koen (31). In reply, Burnmoor were dismissed for 191, with the wickets going to Shams Oraikhil (3-39) and two each for James Carr, Koen and that man Stewart.
The Sunday 3s were most unfortunate to be washed out at 80-1 in pursuit of 132 against Sunderland. When it comes to bad luck, it never rains but it pours, although Joel Hull-Denholm will have enjoyed following up his 3 wickets with an unbeaten 28* when the rains came.
The week before, Lintz conceded 395 in 40 overs against Hexham Leazes, which shows just what a batting performance we put in. I went out, determined to lay bat on ball and get us to the elusive first batting point, but having swiped and missed at almost 2 overs of their left armer’s medium pace, he turned to two step off spin and bowled me second ball. I felt ashamed as I skulked off. Perhaps time is catching up on me. An average of 2.5 and no wickets so far this season. Working late on a Tuesday, I can’t even make it to nets. Ho hum. There’s the Ashes and then there’s this; the depressing reality of being a rising 59 year old, semi incompetent bit part player…
Tynemouth CC first XI (155 all out) beat Benwell Hill (143 all out) by 12 runs in a match that swung one way then another all day, producing a nail biting finish that saw Tynemouth pick up a much needed win. Whilst there was some sun and some cloud at Denton Bank, it was the wind that was constant factor, strong and rattling along the Tyne Valley from the west, blowing across the highest ground in the North East Premier League.
Home skipper Peter Halliday won the toss and had no hesitation in asking the away team to have a bat first on a damp wicket after a night of heavy rain. The top order for Tynemouth failed again, but these were difficult batting conditions with both Callum Harding and Aussie Evasio McMillan both finding sideways movement off the seam and a bit of swing too. They accounted for Matthew Kimmitt, Ben Debnam, Matthew Brown and Tshepo Ntuli with only 25 runs on the Board and when Stu Poynter pulled a ball straight to Harding off the bowling of Dan Gardner soon after Tynemouth looked to be in desperate straits at 31-5. However two youngsters, in the shape of 18 year old Joe Snowdon and 15 year old Robbie Bowman, showed great composure and fine judgement to bat together while the wicket slowly dried out. A fine partnership of 47 followed. Patient, disciplined and gutsy too, these young guns were very much on the same wavelength. A touch of Snowy and Tintin for those old enough to remember them. Bowman made 25 and Snowdon 38, but more were needed, and it came with the very last wicket stand by the two veterans of the side: Andrew Smith and skipper Martin Pollard. Smith was positive from ball one and with a push here for one, a nudge there for two and some well struck drives to the ropes, things were moving along nicely. Pollard introduced his own brand of Bazball with positive hooks and drives and the returning McMillan responded in typical Aussie style bouncing the skipper and hitting his helmet. However by the time Pollard was dismissed Tynemouth had made 155 with Smith undefeated on 36.
Between innings there were one or two takers from the fruit and veg stall outside the Pavilion. A healthier option than the kitchen at Hetton Lyons but on a day like this those bacon butties would have certainly gone down a treat! Back to the cricket and the run chase from the Hill. Durham Academy youngster Hayden Mustard opened up with Angus Guy and although there was a bit of playing and missing the pair survived the new ball and had reached 37 when Mustard, on 22, played a most injudicious shot, by attempting to slog sweep Ntuli on the run and only providing keeper Poynter with the simplest of stumping chances. Ntuli then stunned the home supporters by dismissing Adam Heather and then Evasio McMillan, both lbw, in consecutive deliveries! 37-0 had quickly changed to 38-3 and Ntuli was enjoying his bowling again after 3 weeks out with a badly cut hand. At the other end Andrew Jones and Shaw Nel provided great support, both running in over after over with great pace and accuracy, pitching the ball well up on a surface that was still offering some help.
Now it was the home team that was finding batting difficult and struggled with both pace and turn. First Phil Bell was caught by Poynter off Ntuli, then Peter Halliday was clean bowled by Jones, and then William Archbold caught again by the keeper off Nel. Angus Guy had continued to play well at the other end and was keeping his side in the game with a patient and intelligent knock but when he was also caught behind this time off Jones it looked like the game was up for the Hill at 78-7. However an unlikely 9th wicket partnership between Max Williamson and Saffy Diip was to frustrate Tynemouth as the two slowly looked to win the game for their side. Williamson looked to attack when he could but looked solid in defence and youngster Diip, who finished on 21 not out, was yet another youngster showing great maturity on the day with some confident and very correct batting. As Tynemouth’s entire third team arrived to give their support after their game at Greenside, the result was in the balance.
Williamson and Diip had taken their team to within 17 of victory and as the tension rose amongst the supporters it was Jones who rose to the occasion, clean bowling Williamson for a fighting 32 and shortly afterwards had Callum Harding adjudged lbw to clinch victory for his side by 12 runs. Jones took 4-47 and Ntuli 5-37, his first five wicket haul for the club, providing a much needed and well deserved win for Tynemouth against a Hill team that pushed them all the way. Whilst Tynemouth remain second bottom and in a relegation spot the team will take confidence from this win into next week’s home game with bottom of the table Whitburn.
Unfortunately, the 1s were the only Tynemouth side to finish on the winning side this weekend. The 2s lost at home to Benwell Hill by 3 wickets. Batting first, Tynemouth amassed 176 all out from a shade under 39 overs, with Joel Hull-Denholm’s 74 providing a solid platform, that was also built on by Dan McGee (38), though only Ed Foreman (15) and Josh Koen (13) also reached double figures. In reply, The Hill looked out of it at 115-7, but an unbroken 8th wicket stand of 64 saw the visitors home, despite the best efforts of James Carr (3-32) and Dan McGee (2-41).
The Saturday 3s faced a tough away game against promotion contenders Greenside, though a much changed side featured some experienced batters, with Anthony Turner (27) and Andrew Davison (19) making useful contributions, though the star of the show was Adam Tugby (36*) who was cruelly deprived of the chance of making an ever better score when ian cusack (1) senselessly ran himself out; a dismissal significantly less contentious than Bairstow’s at Lord’s the day after. Tynemouth end up 122 all out and, after the best tea of the season thus far, did their best to chip away at Greenside. Skipper Richy Hay certainly played his part, claiming a wicket in his first over and holding a brace of excellent catches to provide wickets for Dom Askins and Asik Miah, but Greenside, aided by a storming unbeaten 62 by Dan Foster, made the runs in 26 overs. This allowed the 3s to support the 1s in their winning cause at Benwell Hill, as alluded to above.
The Sunday 3s lost to South North by 4 runs at Roseworth Terrace. The home side made an imposing 167-2; one dismissal was a run out and the other a wicket for 12 year old George Stewart, who is proving to be a real chip off the old block. His dad Barry (48*) top scored in a losing battle, where Patrick Hallam (33), Joel Hull-Denholm (20), Finn Hodgson (20) and Dom Askins (19) also made useful, if ultimately fruitless, runs.
It has been a busy few weeks for the TCC Women’s softball teams, with a few new faces joining us. Last Sunday, a mixed team played in a festival at Seaton Burn and finished an admirable second only just beaten by Ponteland. This Sunday TCC Gems had their final league fixture for this summer, away to Matfen and between the showers and a glorious tea, unfortunately could not beat a strong Matfen on home turf. It has been a great season for them and there are plenty of festivals and friendlies still to come.
I really hadn’t expected to play in this one, as availability was said to be “looking good.” Indeed, I wasn’t in the published XI that came out on Wednesday. I wasn’t upset at all, as I’d tentatively agreed to play my first ever game of Walking Football at Gosforth Bohemians, where they were having a family fun day, involving some inter-club friendlies. My pal Pete Holland is their over 35s keeper and I was looking forward to seeing him, but I began to be a little tense as the club had issued only sketchy details of the day. Therefore, when I got the message on Friday afternoon that I was playing, I ignored the torrential rain and made plans to travel.
I’d played at Greenside last year when we only had 10, crumbled to 57 all out and were back home for 3pm or thereabouts. It was a relief to see a stronger batting line up this week and two or three times, just as partnerships were building, we looked to be set to post a decent score. Sadly, wickets fell regularly and, at 106-9, I strode to the wicket. I was determined to do better than last week and, in a fashion, I did alright. Young Adam Tugby farmed the bowling and kept me away from strike, hitting a glorious 6 to get us a third batting point, which had been my minimum requirement on coming in to bat. My own run was a lofted hit over the bowler towards long on, but I sort of spoiled things by getting myself run out, attempting a suicidal second run, when all I’d needed to do was to face one ball to keep Adam on strike. Sorry lads, though I doubt I’d have been able to hang around for another 9 overs or even contribute the 18 runs needed for another batting point.
The tea at Greenside was magnificent; I think I’ll book their caterers for my funeral. Superb plate pie, hearty ham and pease pudding stotties and cream cakes for dessert. Just what the athlete needs. I could have done with a kip rather than going out to field, but I didn’t do bad at my usual spot behind square. It got a bit tiring with Davo being a proper cricketer and insisting we swap when a left hander came in, instead of me proving how good I am at point. Anyway, we lost, but at least I’d managed to get my strides dirty with a diving stop that saved a boundary. If only Dan Storey had been there…
A quick pint later and we all headed up to The Hill to cheer the 1s on to an absolutely vital win by a narrow margin. It was good to catch up and especially humbling to be congratulated on Shelley and my engagement from Poll, Sean, Ben and several others. The 3s may not have had the right result, but I had probably my best day of the season thus far. Let’s hope we can win away to Civil Service next Saturday, whether I’m in the team or not.
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