Further missives from the litany of disaster that has been the 2025 season for Tynemouth 3s, and some other bits of cricket as well -:
June
21st
In
a largely forgettable week for Tynemouth Cricket Club, one ray of sunshine was
provided by the Under 13s team. As Paul Hurst writes, “On a hot and sunny
Friday evening the U13s travelled to Benwell Hill for the final of Vitality T20
County Cup competition. Having beaten Ashington and then South North en route
to the final the 13s were in confident mood.
The
Benwell Hill captain won the toss and elected to bat meaning Tynemouth captain
Thomas Rayner and team would bowl first. After a steady start Ryan Meikle made
the breakthrough with the score on 29. Another followed quickly with Joe Hurst
removing the other opener with the score on 32. A solid partnership followed
taking The Hill to 76. However the introduction of Charlie Coleman led to mini
collapse with his leg spin picking up 3 wickets. A final wicket for Zac
Armstrong restricted Benwell Hill to 98 which at half time Tynemouth were
delighted with. Notable fielding contribution from Cameron Donachie taking 3
catches.
Will
Bogg and Freddie Caulfield started steadily and TCC were on 23 before the first
wicket fell. Benwell Hill knew their only chance was to bowl tightly and
accurately and chip away with regular wickets and that is what they did. After
a quickfire 14, Thomas Rayner departed bringing Louis Finlay to the crease to
join Harrison Goel. The two lads ran hard and injected some much needed urgency
in to the batting reply, scoring 16 and 19 respectively. A couple more wickets
meant the pressure intensified and Tynemouth needed 11 from the last 2 overs.
It was tight and nervy but the calm and composed pair of Cameron Donachie and
Charlie Coleman kept chipping away at the total. It was on the 2nd ball of the
final over when the game turned conclusively when Cameron pulled the ball to
the midwicket boundary tying the scores. Benwell had to bring the field in
allowing Cam to smash the next ball through the offside to rapturous applause
from his teammates and the travelling Tynemouth contingent.” Well done to the
youngsters; another potential Golden Generation are maturing nicely at Preston
Avenue.
As
regards the other teams, the Saturday 3s were again forced to concede their
away game to GEMS; their third so far in a thoroughly miserable season, while
the 2nd XI were on the end of a severe beating away to Benwell Hill.
The Hill batted first and, despite three wickets each for George Stewart and
Neil Bennett, compiled a daunting 246/9 declared from 47 overs. In reply,
Tynemouth totalled 68 all out (George Stewart top scoring with 25), to lose by
178 runs.
The
Sunday 3s had two games this week. They lost by 11 runs to Newcastle City
(91/9) in the Banks Cup second round, despite an astonishing spell of 4-1-8-5
by Archie Goel and an almost as impressive 3/24 by Noah Rae. Finn Larner (20*)
starred with the bat, but Tynemouth ended on 80/9. On Sunday, they managed 96
all out with Zach Larner (43) holding the innings together. Sadly this was not
enough to trouble Ashington Academy, who had earlier posted 223 with Noah Rae
(3/23) the pick of the bowlers.
The
usual scratch team that represented Tynemouth first XI on Tuesday at
Stocksfield were heavily beaten in the first round of the Bobby Smithson County
Cup. The home side batted first and powered their way to 240/3 from their 20
overs. In reply, Tynemouth 129/9, with Barry Stewart (28*) and Bish (27) doing
their best against such a mammoth total. Saturday brought no better fortune at
home to Shotley Bridge. Batting first on another rain-affected day, The Croons
made a respectable 224/6, with Stan MacAlindon (68), Dan McGhee (57*) and Matt
Kimmitt (45*) all batting admirably. Sadly, Shotley Bridge made the runs, 8
wickets down, with 3 balls to spare. A very disappointing outcome. Let us hope
for better fortune and better weather next weekend.
A
rather inauspicious weekend for me. Having drank deeply at Ben’s 30th birthday
do on the Friday night at Full Circle, I couldn’t get myself together to watch
any cricket, so it is a good job we weren’t actually playing. Still, I had a
pleasant outing on Sunday to Tynedale v Felling, where I met up with Harry
Pearson.
June
28th
The unexpected downpour on Saturday afternoon benefitted
Tynemouth’s two most senior sides, as it got them both out of a jam, much to
the chagrin of opponents South Northumberland. The first XI travelled to
Roseworth Terrace and were dismissed for 174 on 46.2 overs. While several
batters made a start, such as Sean Longstaff (28*), Stan McAlindon (27), Dan
McGee (27) and Matty Brown (23), there wasn’t a truly big score to help the innings
build an imposing total. In reply South North were 30 without loss when the
rains came, forcing an abandonment.
It was a similar story at Preston Avenue, where a fierce
batting performance by the visitors saw them declare on 290/7, with the
unretired Wallsend native Graeme Hallam starring with 3/40. Tynemouth had made
51/3, featuring good contributions by Andrew Smith (31) and Emily Whiting (17),
when the game was washed out. On Sunday, the 2s travelled to Felling to play in
a triangular first round NEPL 2XI Hundred competition, with Ashington also
participating. Despite spirited performances in both games, Tynemouth came up
short, losing to Felling by 37 runs and Ashington by 6 wickets.
The Saturday 3s gave 3 debuts on Saturday against Lions to
James Bough, who took a wicket with the second ball he bowled and hit the first
one he faced to the boundary, Glenn Gault, who had the joy of seeing his son
Lewis return admirable figures of 9-2-42-5, then be given out stumped by his
offspring, and Jen, who had the misfortune of seeing her fiancée, captain and
wicket keeper Alosh Jose prevent 4 byes with his temple. While Paul Hurst and
Ewen Aditjandra bowled beautifully without reward, the abysmal off spin of ian
cusack saw him land one about 6 inches from the base of middle stump as the
batter missed the only straight one the aged fool bowled. Benefitting from a
couple of contentious calls, including a direct run out and an obvious nick
behind the Lions umpire claimed he could not hear because of the pop music
festival on the back rugby pitch, made 232/9. In reply, with the concussed
Jose, the limping cusack and the timorous Jen all effectively hors de combat,
Tynemouth 3s amassed the grand total of 60, which is about a par score these
days. Well done to Adam Blake (20) for top scoring and putting cusack out of
his misery, declaring him run out for 0. Chin up everyone; it’s South North
away next week…
Another wicket. This time clean bowled, after the batter
made an almighty, ugly swipe across the line. Despite trying to hit it onto the
rugby pitch, he missed the ball and the bails were dislodged. Somehow I managed
to hurt my lower back when bowling, presumably the effort I was putting in to
generate extra pace causing a muscle spasm. This meant I could theoretically
have asked for a runner. If I had perhaps I might have made my ground when
calling for a suicidal single. Quite enjoyed going back to Felling to watch the
2s on the Sunday as well, mainly because it gave me a chance to meet up with
Dave Walkden for a pint.
July 5th
The
first weekend of July marked the commencement of the second half of the 2025
season, with fixtures reversed from the opening day back on Easter Saturday.
Results, as ever, were mixed but the standout performance was by the first XI
who eviscerated Felling by a whopping 139 runs. Batting first at Watermill
Lane, Tynemouth compiled 210 all out from their allotted 58 overs, leaving
Felling 52 overs to make the runs required. Top performers with the bat were
Joe Snowdon (56), Faizan Ghumann (48) and Robbie Bowman (20). Any fears that
this total would not be enough were quickly dismissed, as were most of the
Felling batters. The home side were skittled for 71 in only 22 overs, with Bish
(4-23) and Sean Longstaff (4-29), much to the interest of local and national
sports networks, the star performers. Only 4 bowlers were used, with Matty
Brown and skipper Martin Pollard, with only his second ball, also claiming
scalps. An excellent, eye-catching result that will surely breed confidence for
the crucial 10 weeks that lie ahead.
The
2s hosted Whitburn 2s and, as on the opening day, completed a comprehensive
victory, by a margin of 8 wickets. The visitors to Preston Avenue batted first
and were dismissed for 151, with all the bowlers taking wickets. Indeed, 6
bowlers were called upon following Richy Hay’s injury that restricted him to 6
overs (1-10), with Noah Rae (2-20) and Emily Whiting (1-22) chipping in along
with Barry Stewart (2-25), Neil Bennett (2-30) and Andrew Smith (2-32).
Tynemouth 2s chased down the runs required in 30.5 overs for the loss of 2
wickets, mainly due to an excellent opening stand of 132, made up of 102 by
Jack Roys and Chris Fairley’s supporting 31, ended when he suffered the slings
and arrows of outrageous fortune, being run out by Shakespeare.

Meanwhile
the Saturday 3s lost again, but in an encouraging way, up in the rustic
surroundings of Belsay CC, where South North 3s opt to play their home games.
The opposition batted first and compiled 204/8, giving Tynemouth 4 bowling
points. Pleasingly, all bowlers took wickets, meaning that all bowlers in the 3
Saturday teams achieved a measure of success for their labours, with James
Bough starring with 2-23 from his 6 overs, ably assisted by another excellent
spell from Ewan Aditjandra (2-36), augmented by a stunning catch at deep square
leg, showing that the shambling cusack, hampered by ankle, thumb, back and
shoulder maladies, certainly knows how to bowl to his field.
The
response was anchored by a fluent 32 by Ewan Aditjandra, assisted by skipper
Tony Turner’s 27 in an opening partnership of 53. Sadly, the impetus went out
of the innings with Bunsen’s dismissal and, despite a studied, patient 38 from
Sean Aditjandra, Tynemouth were never up with the run rate, mainly due to the
excellent slow bowling of South North, including an impressive 2-26 by 69 year
old Dave Cragg, closing on 168/8 to lose by 36 runs. This was another
honourable loss and something for the team to build on.
On
Sunday, the Sunday 3s also found it difficult to chase. After Sunderland had
posted 221-4 from their overs, Tynemouth reached 176-4, with skipper Patrick
Hallam (52 including 4 maximums) top scoring, assisted by Sean Aditjandra (50
and 2 wickets) and Ben Harland (42). Fair play to his dad Richard for donning
the whites two days running as well.
Sadly
the Under 13s, fresh from winning the North East cup in a thriller at Benwell
Hill, couldn’t quite replicate their success on a national stage. Travelling to
the impressive and prestigious Grange ground in Edinburgh, they lost by 20
runs. However, their achievements in reaching that stage really must be
applauded.
I
didn’t get a bat in this one, but again I took a wicket. A young tyro attempted
to put me over the quaint little pavilion in most rustic surroundings but holed
out to deep square. That’s the third time I can remember such a shot giving me
a measure of success. Mind, it didn’t make up for the agony of both defeat and
new injuries. Trying to stop a four, I took one on the ankle. It still hurts
now. Also I bent a few fingers diving to stop one at midwicket, which is the
kind of sacrifice you have to make for the cause. We were umpired by Steve Harper
today and he seemed a really nice bloke. Only black spot was no hot water in
the pavilion, so I didn’t get my between innings coffee. Popped in to watch the
Sunday 3s after the gym, when I did get myself a coffee.
July
12th
The
weekend past was indeed the Glorious Twelfth, in terms of weather, if not
performances by Tynemouth Cricket Club, who endured a tempestuous victory-free
set of results for all senior teams. On Saturday, Tynemouth Cricket Club hosted
a well-attended social event, with a stupendous buffet created by Sue Carr and
Liz Stewart for former players. Unfortunately, the visitors Burnopfield were
the ones who feasted the most, posting 277/5 from 55 overs, despite a
magnificent spell by Bish (15-2-30-3). The chase never really got going and
Tynemouth subsided to 94 all out, which was a sobering reality check after the
successful trip to Felling the week previous.
The
2s partook of a double header with Gateshead Fell. On Friday night, they hosted
the side from south of the river in a Banks T20 quarter final. Despite making a
promising 151/5, with notable contributions from Patrick Hallam (42), Marcus Turner
(39) and Zach Larner (32*), they lost by 8 wickets to a rampant Fell side, who
reached the target with 2 overs to spare. On Saturday, the location was
reversed and the result of a tense, absorbing game was a draw. The Fell batted
first and made 215 all out from 53 overs. There were 3 wickets for Barry
Stewart and twice each for Neil Bennett and Sean Aditjandra. In response,
Tynemouth closed on 207/7. George Stewart (70) lead the way, with both Turner
(27) and Larner (52) providing useful runs. Andy Lineham exorcised some
personal demons on the ground of his infamous run out with an obdurate 30, in a
game where all possible results were in the mix until the final over.
On
the back pitch, the Saturday 3s hosted Leadgate and were graced with the
presence of skipper Richy Hay for the first time this season. Declared hors
de combat from the 2s on account of a strained hamstring, his presence was
greeted by his charges like nervous children after VE Day welcoming their
injured daddy home from the war. Hay, taking the captain’s privileges, batted
number 3, disdainfully hooking his first ball for four, as well as coming on
first change, boasting figures of 2-1-2-2 at one stage. Sadly, his tender
tendons and tender paternalism could not coax a victory for the 3s. Indeed, his
boundary was only the third best shot of the innings, with Alosh Jose, always
dangerous behind square, artfully sweeping one beyond the whitewash and Lewis
Gault’s menacing drive through long on for four. Enjoying the novelty of
batting first, they made a decent fist of it, compiling a total of 112 in 38.1.
Praise must be given to Archie Goel (25), who batted with great fluency and the
superb counterattacking cameo of Lewis Gault (22), who combined strong running
with attacking shots. Well done also to young Harrison Goel (2), on debut, who
ensured that father Vish took the bronze medal for runs in that family. Also,
the ageless cusack (1*), who survived an agonising blow to the hand first ball,
before nicking one straight into the gloves of Leadgate’s garrulous keeper
Bobby McCourt, who perhaps should spend more time concentrating on his keeping
that his pitiful sledging, as he spilled the most routine catch you’ve ever
seen. Sadly, 112 was not enough and Leadgate chased them down for the loss of
two wickets (both to R Hay DSM), despite incredible agility in the field by
Ansel Anil.
The
Sunday 3s were away to Newcastle City. Zach Larner (88) top scored,
contributing a mere 172 runs over the weekend, with Arthur King (80) and
another fine knock by Archie Goel (23), helping Tynemouth to 236/5 from their
35 overs. Sadly, Newcastle City made the runs with an over to spare. No
victories this weekend, but more evidence of the excellence and potential among
the young players. Well done all.
Not
a particularly enjoyable game this one. Leadgate want promotion and played it
tough from the start, giving no quarter. Doing my usual umpiring, I called an
early wide, mainly because the ball swung away so far. Perhaps I was wrong, but
a single run didn’t make much of a difference to the result, certainly it was
no excuse for the wicket keeper to issue a tirade of foul mouthed abuse. When I
asked their captain to have a word, he got all out aggressive in my face. It
was even worse when I batted. The first ball struck me on the thumb and,
honestly, for a couple of minutes I had zero feeling in my hands.
Unsurprisingly, the second ball was the one I hit. It was also the last one I faced
as we were all out just afterwards. No bowling for me today as I couldn’t have
gripped the ball. Still, I had a great bevvy afterwards with Richy Hay. Sundown
at Preston Avenue on a glorious day with great company and a pint in your hand.
Absolute heaven.
July
19th
Saturday
19th July saw all three of Tynemouth CC’s senior sides washed out.
The first XI did get started at Jesmond, but only managed 15/0 from 4.4 overs
when the storm broke. Neither the 2s at Preston Avenue, nor the 3s away to
Monkseaton saw a ball bowled, though the 3s enjoyed a sumptuous brunch in lieu
of any cricket.
Both
the 1s and 2s were in cup action during the week. On Friday night, the 1s
played their first NEPL Hundred game of the season, losing comprehensively away
to Philadelphia. Batting first, the home side made 180/2, while Tynemouth could
only muster 134/7, anorchid by a superb 85* by Jack Roys. On Thursday, the 2s
hosted Lanchester in the quarter final of the Roseworth Trophy. Despite losing
by 33 runs, Tynemouth 2s progressed sheepishly to the semi-final as Lanchester
fielded an ineligible player.
The
Sunday 3s were able to play a game and came out on top over Newcastle City by a
margin of 13 runs. Batting first, they posted 191/5 from their 35 overs, with
George Stewart (120*) in sparkling form with the bat. Newcastle City were
bowled out for 178, with Zach Larner (6-1-26-4) the stand out performer
It
began raining the second I locked the front door. By the time I met Alosh at
the bottom of the street, I was drenched. The forecast was foul. Percy Main
were playing a friendly on 4G up the road at John spence versus North Shields
Athletic. I expected to be there but didn’t make it as we hung around until after
3.00 before calling it off. At least we had time to study the Rothko inspired
tactics board in the clubhouse. A quick pint in the Monkseaton Arms did me no
good. It looked cloudy and tasted a bit off. Within an hour I was in bed,
sweating and shivering, where I stayed for the next 18 hours, other than making
ELEVEN trips to the bog. For the first time ever, I truly did have a bad pint.
July
26th
Following
a 1-wicket loss away to Castle Eden, Tynemouth first XI now find themselves in
a relegation spot in the NEPL Premier Division. Batting first, Tynemouth
managed 182 all out from 47.1 overs, with the vast majority of the runs coming
from Robbie Bowman (72) and Matty Brown (54). In reply, despite the best
efforts of Bish (4/42), skipper Martin Pollard (2/31) and Stan Mcalindon (2/58),
Castle Eden made it home after 49.1 overs. This result leaves Tynemouth in a
parlous position, with 7 games to go.
In
the reverse fixture, Tynemouth 2s hosted Castle Eden 2s and won an absorbing
game from the first ball of the final over. The visitors batted first, using
all of their allotted 55 overs to make 231/6. Bowling honours go to Barry
Stewart (4/45), with support from Andrew Davison (2/65). In reply, Tynemouth
scored the runs required from 49.1 overs, for the loss of 7 wickets. Marcus
Turner (74) led from the front, with notable contributions from Chris Fairley
(58) and Zach Larner (36), but fittingly it was Barry Sewart who hit the
winning runs at the end of an enjoyable and absorbing game.
The
highlight of the last weekend in July for Tynemouth Cricket Club was
undoubtedly another stunning batting display in a season packed with them, by
George Stewart. Ably backed up by George Bogg (82), Stewart junior flayed
Burnopfield’s attack in helping himself to 116 out of a total of 251/2 from 35
overs. The run-hungry Zach Larner (27*) also played his past. These runs were
necessary as Burnopfield just came up short with 238 all out from one ball shy
of their allotted 35 overs, with the result secured by incredible death bowling
by George Bogg, who took the last 2 wickets in the only over he bowled. Well
done to these young tyros who continue to represent Tynemouth in such a
distinguished fashion.
Perhaps
they can provide some tips to the Saturday 3s who, in chasing an improbable 217
to beat Civil Service 1s, subsided to a catastrophic 43 all out, long before a
drinks interval was needed. After a reasonable first innings in the field, with
Rohan George taking 3 wickets and Cameron Donachie 2 as the Civil Service made
216/5, there wasn’t a single notable contribution by the 3s, who are determined
to put things right for next week, when they grace the hallowed turf of Jesmond
against Newcastle 3s on Sunday.
The
very worst one of the season. I was out stumped second ball, by Peter and
Gillian Woodley’s son, racing down the pitch and missing a straight one. I felt
all wrong going out there and knew I couldn’t hit a beach ball, never mind a
cricket one. I’d had 2 overs earlier one and a good shout for LBW, or at least I
thought so. Even if I do say so myself, the second over was a decent one, for
me at least. On
Sunday, I ticked off my final NEPL ground, meeting up with Marc Beattie and
slugging almost a gallon of Guinness as the home side won handsomely.
August
3rd
Tynemouth
Cricket Club first XI ought to have played host to Hetton Lyons in a Banks NEPL
Hundred group game on Friday night, but the visitors conceded. This was
immaterial as Philadelphia had won the section and progressed to the quarter
finals already.
On
Saturday, Chester Le Street firsts were the visitors to Preston Avenue, in what
turned out to be a tense, high scoring draw that was in the balance until the
final over. Tynemouth batted first and amassed 259/8 declared from 57 overs,
one less than the maximum permitted. The highpoints were another brilliant
century from Matty Brown (114), ably supported by Robbie Bowman (71). Chester
consequently had 53 overs to score the runs required and were agonisingly short
on 254/7 when the game ended. Their effort was spurred by superb efforts by
Andrew Smith (96) and Jacob McCann (95*). For Tynemouth, Bish (3-74), skipper
Martin Pollard (2-47) and Stan McAlindon (2-74) found success on a batting
friendly strip on a glorious sunny day.
The
2s travelled to Ropery Lane for the reverse fixture, again batting first. They
posted an imposing 284/7 from 55 overs with Marcus Turner (97*) and Zach Larner
(77) leading the way, ably supported by Andrew Davison (42)> In reply,
Chester batted their full 50 overs, ending on 231/6. The wickets were shared
between Josh Koen (3-22) and Lewis Hurst (3-34), both of whom bowled
excellently.
With
the Sunday 3s inactive, the Saturday 3s played away to Newcastle 3s at Jesmond.
They also batted first, being all out for 95, with Paul Hurst (36) being the
stand out performer. Newcastle made the runs required for the loss of 4
wickets, with Cameron Donachie (2-23), including a brilliant caught and bowled,
and Ansel Anil (2-28) claiming the victims. A word of praise for James Bough
who batted doggedly and bowled a hostile spell without any luck at all. Another
word of praise for Newcastle’s Dave Churchley, who walked after feathering a
catch to Ben Harland behind the stumps from Anil’s bowling. It was an example
of the true spirit of cricket, so often lacking in games without umpires. Well
done sir!
A
free Saturday saw me swerving both TCC and Percy Main’s opening fixture away to
Rothbury, in order to tick off FC Hartlepool of Northern League D2, as they
thumped Esh Winning 4-0. Decent day out, as was Sunday, even though we lost
again. It was an honour to play on the hallowed turf of County Club, even if I
finally qualified for membership of The Primary Club, totally missing a
straight one. I think I’ll use my other bat from now on. On
reflection though, considering I’ve seen the likes of Ian Botham, Graham Gooch
and Javed Miandad bat one this ground, it was fitting how I was out, reflecting
my level of skill and expertise on the cricket pitch While fielding, I hurt
my arthritic right shoulder, diving and missing a leg glance at short backward
square, meaning I didn’t get a bowl. Still, it was a wonderful experience to be
in a dressing room that had space for 11 players.