I finally got round to reading Beyond A Boundary by CLR James, which will be featured in next week's blog. For now, I've stolen a phrase of his for my latest cricket blog about my fortunes with Tynemouth CC 3s -:
June 15
Tynemouth CC 1s started a busy week with a couple of knock out fixtures. Firstly, they visited Cramlington CC for a Tyneside Charity Bowl quarter final tie. A fairly experimental side posted 160/5, with Freddie Harrison top-scoring with 72*, ably supported by Joel Hull-Denholm (50). Despite looking to have put the tie beyond the home team’s reach, Cramlington knocked off the required runs with 3 balls to spare, mainly on account of an unbeaten 105 by Vihanga Fernando, to win by 4 wickets. Thankfully, there was a more positive result in the NEPL T20 tournament on Friday, away to Shotley Bridge, where Tynemouth secured a trip to Hetton Lyons thanks to Robbie Bowman (44) and Josh Moors (40) starring in an innings of 161/8. Shotley Bridge mustered 142/8, with Freddie Harrison (3/33) catching the eye for Tynemouth.
On Saturday, Castle Eden were the visitors to Preston Avenue, for the first ever fixture between the two teams. The weather had been unsettled in the days leading up to the match and ended up having a major say in its conclusion, but more on that later. Tynemouth skipper Martin Pollard won the toss and asked Castle Eden to bat first. There was one late change to the Tynemouth side with the experienced Andrew Smith coming in for Sean Longstaff who had become a dad overnight. Congratulations to Sean and Ellis on the birth of their son!
Skipper Jonathan Malkin opened up with Benjamin Simpson, but their partnership did not last as Matty Brown had Simpson caught behind by Robbie Bowman without troubling the scorers. Muhaymen Majeed then joined his skipper and the two slowly started to put some runs on the board against the economical seam bowling of Brown, Owen Gourley and Andrew Smith. Brown (3/34) put in quite a shift and his 14 overs included the wickets of Malkin and Keith Bailey. Skipper Pollard brought himself on early this week and he produced a brute of a delivery to dismiss the patient Majeed who was caught off the glove by Matt Brown at slip. With just over a hundred on the board after 30 overs and with 4 wickets down, Pollard introduced his two leg spinners into the attack and Fred Harrison immediately took the wicket of Pakistani Professional Bilawal Iqbal for 6. This was a third catch in the match by Robbie Bowman who was once again impressing behind the stumps. The ball had certainly seamed around a bit and now the leggies found a bit of turn too, making for a good contest between bat and ball; one that Nick Sampson -Barnes was enjoying for the away side. The former Durham Academy player looked solid in defence and attacked anything loose from Harrison and his fellow leggie Josh Moors. Wickets kept coming though and Harrison ended up with four, and Moors with two, but the runs did too with Sampson- Barnes making a fine 64, and Phil Wimpenny a handy 23 before the spin twins cleaned out the tail. A total of 206 all out seemed an above par score on a wicket that was proving to be bowler friendly.
Bilawal Iqbal and Keith Bailey opened up for Castle Eden and produced an excellent and miserly opening spell against Ben Debnam and Stan McAlindon who survived but were put under huge pressure by some fine bowling. Bilawal is not a tall seamer, but he generates decent pace, moves the ball both ways and has great control of line and length. He used the conditions well, as did the left armed Bailey who made the batsmen both play pretty much every ball. Debnam went with the score on 23 and not long after Tynemouth lost 3 quick top order wickets for just 2 runs leaving them in trouble at 45 /4 and behind the clock. The weather was also closing in. The in-form duo of Matt Brown and Josh Moors decided to play positively and some lovely strokes from both saw the score reach 81/4 off 25 overs when the players left the field for tea. It was during this break that the rain which was forecast arrived delaying the match for around an hour with the game in the balance. Spectators today included former Club Professionals Jonathan Benn and Masood Mirza along with former opening bowler John Callaghan. All three are hoping to return on 29th June for the new Terrace naming ceremony at 1.30 pm. The match that day is against Newcastle, starting at 11.30. All former players and supporters are welcome to attend.
After the rain delay the umpires calculated that Tynemouth would only have a further 13 overs remaining of their innings meaning 38 overs in total. This meant a target of 207 for a win was beyond them but there were still 10 points on offer for a higher run rate in a drawn game. To achieve that Tynemouth needed at least 142 by the end of the 38th over. Hence, 61 needed off 13 overs with 6 wickets in hand. With the reduction in overs, it also meant that the impressive Bailey was bowled out and Bilawal just had 4 left. On the resumption after a quiet couple of overs bowled by Malkin and Bilawal, Moors launched an assault on Malkin. However, Brown was caught in the same over. Joe Snowdon entered the fray and surprisingly Bilawal left it. Moors and Snowdon then put Tynemouth into the driving seat with only 20 runs needed from 7 overs to get the winning draw.
However the game was about to take a dramatic turn as Alan Unsworth came on to bowl and had Moors caught for an aggressive 38. Tynemouth were still favourites, however with Unsworth now accounting for Harrison and Gourley in consecutive balls the game had changed again in favour of the visitors. Bilawal returned and when he had Joe Snowdon caught in the slips, it was left to last pair Andrew Smith and Martin Pollard to negotiate the last 4 overs as the light began to fade. They did this successfully. A game where the winning draw should have been achieved but in fairness it was the visitors who played the better cricket for most of the game and were pressing for a win right to the last ball. Castle Eden’s winning draw was worth 17 points and Tynemouth secured 9 for their efforts leaving them in 4th place in the table.
Tynemouth 2s travelled to Castle Eden and only managed half a game before rain washed proceedings out. Batting first, Tynemouth made 250/7, with Marcus Turner (102) and Chris Fairley (93) scoring most of the runs. The Sunday 3s also saw their game away to Felling rained off at the midpoint. The top of the order, George Stewart (44), Zach Larner (37) and George Bogg (35) were in great touch; sadly, the less said of the 5 successive ducks that followed the better.
Some happy news from the Saturday 3s. A brace of fixtures against Percy Main 2s brought two crushing wins. Firstly, the Dr Tom Barlow Cup saw a visiting Tynemouth side rack up 200/3 from their 20 overs, largely on account of the runs provided by Hamish Swaddle-Scott (78) and Chris Beever (65). In return, Percy Main were dismissed for 36, with skipper Richy Hay (5/5) claiming a hat trick.
I wasn’t included in the cup team, but as I was at work until 6.30, it didn’t particularly matter. Although, you know me; I’d have taken a day’s holiday if required. Instead, I got the call up for Saturday and enjoyed my role as a spectating ambulant, as we got home without too much difficulty. I particularly enjoyed Emily’s bowling. She’s a real talent and it helps to make our club more inclusive that women are playing for the senior teams. The only downside was the cloudburst after our game, which denied us the opportunity of watching the 1s.
June
22
After weeks of wet, cold and cloudy weather the summer finally arrived on Saturday for the first team’s visit to Ropery Lane, Chester Le Street. Home skipper Jacob McCann won the toss and decided to have a bowl first, a decision that proved correct. With Ben Debnam missing it was Marcus Turner who replaced him at the top of the order. This was Turner’s first NEPL Top Division appearance since June 2016, but he’s started the season in great form for the seconds and looked at home straight away. Stan McAlindon was his opening partner, but he was bowled by a lovely off cutter from Liam Simpson for just 3. Robbie Bowman joined Turner and the two had to work hard against swing and seam from Simpson at one end and the craft and accurate spin bowling from Quentin Hughes at the other. They dug in and took the score to 51 when Turner was bowled by Mark Watson for 26.
Robbie Bowman had had a huge let off when he only had 10 on the board when a chip to Andrew Smith at mid-on was somehow spilled, but along with Matthew Brown, he began to play with better timing and more confidence. Brown as ever showed some quality shots and the partnership had reached 77 and the score at 128 when Brown chipped one up to John Coxon at mid-wicket from a half tracker from Ashley Thorpe, a disappointing end to an encouraging partnership.
The game was nicely balanced at lunch at 132 /2, but the session after lunch though went Chester’s way and it was two spinners causing the damage with their accuracy on a wicket that showed a bit of variable bounce. Veteran Thorpe took a smart caught and bowled to dismiss Matt Kimmitt and then Durham Academy left arm spinner, Sebastian Hughes Pinan, who bowled with good rhythm throughout, snuck one through and under the defences of Robbie Bowman for a well-made and patient 67. Josh Moors came in and decided the innings needed some impetus. His 24 off just 16 balls included 2 fours and a maximum, but he was caught and bowled by Hughes Pinan attempting another big hit. It was now time for Thorpe to take over and whilst he will have bowled better spells; this one was good enough for the Tynemouth tail as he took the last four wickets ending with figures of 6/46 from his 12 overs. A final score of 206 all out was a reasonable total but below par. All of the home bowlers performed well, and they were backed up in the field by some fine ground fielding especially some outstanding boundary saves from Cole Pearce.
John Coxon and Jacob McCann opened the innings for the home side and started at a rattle scoring 40 from the first 6 overs from Sean Longstaff and Matty Brown. Longstaff, who has bowled superbly in recent games, struggled a bit with his line and both openers were swift to pounce on anything off target. Congratulations go to Sean and to Ellis on the birth of their son, Brady, this week. Maybe a few sleepless nights were catching up with him? Congratulations also go to Director of Cricket Andrew and Jenny Smith on the birth of their first child, Bertie.
Tynemouth skipper Martin Pollard was doing his best to stem the flow of runs but without success. He tried the medium pace of Josh Koen, off spin from himself and leg spin from Freddie Harrison and Josh Moors but no matter whatever questions he asked Coxon and McCann had the answers. The application of the heavy roller at half time perhaps expunged any variable bounce out of the wicket, and the Tynemouth team didn’t help themselves with a number of dropped catches, but this was a day to admire the batting of the Chester openers who chased down the score without loss and managed to both score undefeated centuries.
On Sunday, in the inaugural NEPL 100 competition that the Banks Salver has become, Tynemouth 1s travelled to Whitburn, with Castle Eden as the third side of a triangular tourney. In the first game, Whitburn (157/5) beat Tynemouth (131/9) by 26 runs. Matty Brown took plaudits for his performances with bat (44) and ball (3/19). In the second game, Tynemouth (152/9) beat Castle Eden (149/6) by the slender margin of 1 wicket. Matty Brown again impressed with the ball, returning 3/19 for the second game running, while Josh Moors (53) was the top batter. Unfortunately Whitburn’s victory over Castle Eden means it is they who go through to the last 8.
Meanwhile Tynemouth 2s hosted Chester le Street 2s at Preston Avenue, where they came out on top after a tremendous run chase. Batting first, the visitors posted an imposing 264/5, dominated by a huge opening partnership of 209 by Matthew Cranston (113) and Ethan Connolly (89). They declared after 46 overs, giving Tynemouth a generous 59 overs to get the runs. In the end, they did it 7 wickets down after 53 overs. Andrew Davison (70) had a good day, following on from his 3/32 in the first innings. However, the star of the show was Joel Hull-Denholm with a blistering 115, though Dan McGee’s unbeaten 45* that saw Tynemouth home also deserves great praise.
The Saturday 3s lost a close quarter final to Bedlington 2s in the Dr Tom Barlow Cup in midweek by the small margin of 6 runs, despite the best efforts of Hamish Swaddle-Scott (66*). On Saturday, it was a trip to the rural idyll of Wark, athwart the North Tyne, to play United Stars, on probably the most unkempt outfield in the league. The home side batted first and, despite the best efforts with the ball of skipper Richy Hay, Emily Whiting, Dom Askins and Ed Snelders, not to mention outstanding fielding displays by young debutants Ollie Coates (a breathtaking catch, followed by a calm run out) and Charlie Hall, registered 202/9. It seemed a big ask, and so it proved, as Tynemouth mustered 55 all out, despite the best efforts of Ewan Aditjandra (13), Emily Whiting (11) and the master of the late cut, Ollie Coates (10), not to mention ian cusack (1*), whose elegant cameo at the end of the innings featured a glorious shot through extra cover.
I’ve
been to Wark twice before. Firstly, with football, as Percy Main gamely battled
to a 7-2 howking by the once impressive but not sadly defunct home side. It was
the end of January for that, but almost tropical compared to the first Saturday
of the cricket season last year. We only had 10, but I still didn’t bat or bowl
on a day so perishing that we all used those packet handwarmers to keep Raynaud’s
Phenomenon at bay. This game was played
in pleasant sunshine, without the incessant baying of lambs at long off and
cows at deep square, but a few home umpiring decisions knocked the stuffing out
of us. When batting, I may have been stumped first ball, but Richy at square
leg saw nothing in it, so consequently I managed my first run of the season and
another unbeaten knock. All about the red inkers at this level…
June 29
The last Saturday in June saw a wonderful day’s cricket at Preston Avenue. In front of a large and expectant crowd, Tynemouth (304/7) comprehensively trounced Newcastle (202 all out) by the handsome margin of 102 runs. Not only that, but those in attendance were privileged to see the naming ceremony for the Duncan Nisbet Terrace, which continues the club’s progression off the field. On it, things are going swimmingly as well.
Batting first, Tynemouth compiled 304/7 from 53 overs. This impressive total was largely due to Josh Moors (100) completing his second NEPL century of the season, from only 53 balls. It contained 12 boundaries and 4 maximums. Stan McAlindon (84) played a vital, more restrained role, while Robbie Bowman (32) and Matt Brown (31) played with stylish abandon. In response, Asher Hart (79) led the response, ably supported by Bobby Green (30), Ben Robinson (27) and the evergreen Jacques Du Toit (27). At 135/2, Newcastle seemed on course for victory, but the introduction of Tynemouth’s spinners proved crucial. Skipper Martin Pollard (2/42) began the fightback, before Freddy Harrison (4/43) and Josh Moors (3/31) secured the win. Newcastle collapsed from 196/5 at tea to 202 all out, underlining the superb efforts of the home side.
In the reverse fixture, Tynemouth 2s ground out a rugged losing draw away to Newcastle 2s. Bowling first, Tynemouth’s new fathers, Andrew Smith (1/39) and Sean Longstaff (1/47), had some success during a difficult afternoon in the field for the visitors. Newcastle posted an impressive 263/3 from 55 overs. In return, Tynemouth secured a losing draw, by amassing a gritty 232/9 from 50 overs. Joe Snowdon (102) was the top scorer and Patrick Hallam (45) provided solid support, though almost all batters dug in to avoid defeat.
Tynemouth Saturday 3s also avoided defeat, as they were the odd team out in their 13-team division. The Sunday 3s won by 10 runs against Ashington Academy. Batting first, the total of 189/5 was largely down to Joel Hull-Denholm (73*) and Ewan Aditjandra (30*), though Shams Oraikhil (27), George Stewart (26) and George Bogg (25) also played their parts. In response, Ashington closed on 179/8, with wickets (almost) shared between all 9 bowlers used.
The Sunday previous, Tynemouth Women’s softball teams, Gems and Willows, hosted Matfen and Warkworth. It was a day of glorious sunshine and a lovely atmosphere. Gems were playing on the back pitch against Matfen and continued their winning streak, scoring 70 runs to Matfens 42. Unfortunately, on the main square Warkworth beat Willows in a tight fought game losing by 77 runs to 84.
A
free weekend meant glorious weather, predictably enough. Shelley and I, after a
busy day at the gym and collecting my famous new Telecaster from Little
Richard’s mam, had a few scoops and watching 1s win in great style. All in all;
a decent day out.
July 6
The first Saturday of July was a frustrating one for Tynemouth Cricket Club, with two fixtures washed out and one conceded. The first XI hosted Burnmoor, with rain causing the cancellation of the game at lunch. This was a fortuitous turn of events as the visitors had, at one stage, reduced Tynemouth to 61/7. However, an unbroken partnership of 53 by Matthew Kimmitt (37*) and Barry Stewart (27*) saw Tynemouth progress to 114/7 when the weather intervened.
Tynemouth 2s travelled to Hetton Lyons, where the home side had reached 169/4 when the rain arrived. The outstanding Tynemouth bowler was Emily Whiting, promoted on the back of some superb performances for the 3s. In this game, she returned figures of 3/39, showing the quality she possesses. On Friday, the 2s had played an NEPL T20 group game away to Sunderland. This curious melange of players, including sprightly 59-year-old debutant ian cusack, batted first and amassed 145/6. Dan McGee (74) lead the charge, with support from Patrick Hallam (36) and George Stewart (14). Sunderland chased down the runs with 2 overs to spare, despite the best efforts of McGee (2/21) and a tidy spell by Lewis Hurst (1/14).
Unfortunately, the Saturday 3s, having seen several certain starters called up to the 2s, were unable to raise a team and so conceded their away fixture to Stamfordham. The Sunday 3s were also victims of the weather. They batted first against Whitburn, posting 177/5 from 35 overs with George Stewart (51) and Patrick Hallam (31), but a potentially close game ended with Whitburn on 50/1. Let’s hope for better weather next week.
The 3s were struggling to field a team from the get-go and, with only 6 certainties on Thursday, Richy bowed to the inevitable and conceded. This was a great shame for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s always lousy when the numbers won’t add up. Secondly, we could have done with the points (and in the end, we’d probably have got 5 for the inevitable abandonment). Thirdly, I’ve never played at Stamfordham so fancied another ground to tick off. Therefore, Saturday meant Shelley and I could go and watch Percy Main v Marske United, though I did manage some cricket as well.
Waking up on the sofa, drunk and delirious after the Labour landslide, it became clear that I’d somehow agreed to play for the 2s in a T20 game at Sunderland on the Friday night. The reality of this and the shocking state of intoxication I’d found myself in meant a difficult day of painkillers, dozing and hi-carb food, before I was able to make my way, via a lift, to the beautiful, if slightly decaying, surroundings of Ashbrooke. Wearing Benno’s (unwashed) kit, I thankfully wasn’t required to bat and when fielding, spent most of their innings hiding out at square leg. We lost but didn’t do too badly and I can now say I’ve played for all 3 senior sides at TCC.
July 13
I
was in the side due to host GEMS 2s, but as the back garden resembled a lake
first thing, it was no surprise the game was called off. Instead, Shelley and I
took in Percy Main v North Shields in the Gary Hull Memorial Trophy.
July 20
After the complete washout that was Saturday 13th July, Tynemouth Cricket Club enjoyed a clean slate of victories the week after. The first XI travelled to Hexham to take on Tynedale, returning with an emphatic 8-wicket victory, having skittled the home side for 125. Aussie Josh Moors was the star of the show, returning figures of 12-2-34-6. Tynemouth knocked off the runs in a shade under 23 overs, largely due to Matthew Kimmitt’s unbeaten 82.
Tynemouth 2s had been active, in between last week’s rain showers. Friday 12th July saw them defeat Hetton Lyons in an NEPL T20 group game. The visitors batted first and made 127/6, with Andrew Davison’s 2/21 an important feature in restricting the total. In response, Tynemouth won by 8 wickets, with Patrick Hallam (43*), Joel Hull-Denholm (35) and veteran, interim Chair Andrew Lineham (33*) getting the side home. On Wednesday 17th July, the 2s progressed in the Roseworth Trophy with a 9 wicket win over Lanchester. The visitors batted first and made 101/7, with bowling plaudits going to Lewis Hurst (3/19) and Dom Askins (3/20). In response, Joel Hull-Denholm (60*) and the ageless, interim Chair Andrew Lineham (21*) made the victory a racing certainty.
On Saturday 20th July, Tynemouth 2s posted 222/8 declared against Whitburn at Preston Avenue. Marcus Turner (116) lead the way, with support from Dan McGee (36), the similarly named but unrelated Anthony Turner (27) and the unbeatable, mature interim Chair Andrew David Lineham (11*). In response, Whitburn were dismissed for 175, mainly because of the efforts of Richy Hay (3/12), Neil Bennett (3/42) and Andrew Smith (2/19), who is now Tynemouth’s record wicket taker of the Play Cricket era.
Even better news came from the Saturday 3s, who beat Blaydon by 51 runs. Strengthened by the absence of ian cusack, Tynemouth batted first and posted 109 all out. Top scorer Vishaal Goel (32) was helped out by the club’s most prominent processed pork addict Dan Watt (12), who had an even better time with the ball. His 7-0-20-5 was absolutely vital in securing the victory, though Ed Snelders (6-2-9-3) also played an important part in dismissing Blaydon for 58.
The cherry on the cake was provided by the Sunday 3s, who saw off Burnopfield by 6 wickets. The visitors batted first and were bowled out for 186. Wickets were shared around all 7 bowlers, but the runs to see Tynemouth home came mainly from Patrick Hallam (71*) and George Stewart (54). Well done to all teams!!
As those of you who read these things with have noted, I was at Arbroath 0 Annan Athletic 3 on this particular Saturday, so the report was compiled from the stats on Play Cricket.
July
27
Yet again, lousy weather conspired against Tynemouth, with home fixtures against Sunderland for the 1s and Annfield Plain 2s for the Saturday 3s, abandoned before a meaningful result was established. On the front pitch, Tynemouth 1s batted first and made 91/3 from 21 overs, before rain ended proceedings. On the back pitch, the 3s, including 7 players under the age of 16, expertly skippered by Rohan George, bowled against Annfield Plain. The visitors were 103/3 when regular showers began a raging monsoon. Credit must go to both George Bogg (2/19) and Rohan George (1/28 from 9 overs) for their efforts with the ball; not so much to ian cusack though, whose final over saw the game grind to an unsatisfactory halt.
In contrast, Tynemouth 2s made short work of their trip to Sacriston 2s, winning by 6 wickets. The home side were dismissed for 129 in 40 overs, mainly due to the efforts of Josh Koen (4/16) and Andrew Smith (3/10). The runs required were chased down in 25 overs, with top scorer Andrew Linehan (32*) continuing his impersonation of Don Bradman in 1930, ably supported by Patrick Hallam (28) and Dom Askins (27*) who, with a wicket in the first innings, continues to impress at this level. Sadly, the 2s had less luck in their Banks Bowl 100 qualifying group on Sunday, losing to both Whitburn and Lanchester, bowing out of the competition in the process.
This is always the toughest weekend of the season for the 3s. Two years ago, we had a team that consisted of me, Ed and 9 embryos. On that day, Newcastle racked up 240 and skittled us for 24. It was brutal, bruising stuff. Last year, I had to captain us against Leadgate. We only had 3 bowlers and 2 bairns, who weren’t that much cop to be honest. Again, Leadgate got almost 250 and we were obliterated for 29. I headed home straight afterwards for a soak in a hot tub, the water cooled and diluted by my salt tears of rage and shame. So, to this year and the visit of Annfield Plain 2s. We’d lost a great game to them on a sunny May afternoon at Enterprise Park. They’re a team I have great respect for and I felt desperately sorry for what turned out to be their wasted journey.
With Richy, Dom and Strez all moved up to the 2s, we were 27 overs down. Rohan, who captained, could bowl 9 and I was scheduled to bowl a few (4 in the end), while the rest of the overs had to come from among 6 of the 7 under 16s who made up the team. The two dads who were helping out didn’t bowl and the other youngster was our 12-year-old keeper. Yup, Tynemouth CC is nothing but inclusive. I tell you what, despite rain ruining the contest and probably stopping us from losing, this was one hell of an enjoyable day out. Alright, so the noon cloudburst put us behind schedule and meant we only got going once Rohan and I had mopped up the excess water from the covers, but these kids were enthusiastic, sharp in the field and truly committed. Young George Bogg bowled at a hell of a lick and deserved his 2 wickets, while the older McAvelia brother bowled some lovely left arm spin.
Ironically, the minute I had the ball in my hand for the 20th over, the rain came down and we lost another 30 minutes play. At this point, thoughts of reducing the overs appeared academic as the forecast was so dreadful. All we could do was hope to get on so both teams could earn a few points. We came back and I ended up bowling 4 overs for 23. One of their batsmen almost played on in my first over and then, with the last ball of the game, he spooned it up almost to square leg, but I think the fact the ball had squirted out my hand like the proverbial bar of soap had been enough to persuade the captains to shake hands before it even landed. One thing I learned from this spell is to stop overthinking my bowling. I had a typically attacking field, with long on, long off, cow and deep square. My stock ball being the hip high full toss outside leg stump, the latter position came into play. Unfortunately, the batter clubbed me for six, the ball going about 3 feet over the fielder’s head. Two balls later, I decided to flight one up, certain he’d pick out either long on or long off. My instinct on the distance he’d hit was perfect, though he neatly bisected the two of them for a one bounce boundary. So much for theory, eh?
Anyway,
game abandoned at half three and the same story on the front pitch. I had a
quick coffee in the pavilion and waited for the rain to ease. In fact, it stopped,
the sun came out and I had to wear sunglasses as I wandered for the bus,
contemplating the fact we’ve had 8 games rained off this season. I hope it
stays nice on August 10th for my birthday party.
Entertaining as ever. Good luck on the 10th!
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