The season’s done. My whites are washed, and the cricket bag is back in the spare room wardrobe. I’ve loved this season, despite everything, and have no plans to retire yet. So, here are the numbers for my 2025 season. 18 times selected, 14 games played, involving 1 win, 13 defeats, 2 abandonments and 2 concessions. I took 4 wickets at 25 each. I scored 16 runs at a pleasing average 2, run out 4 times, bowled 3 and stumped once. Twice not out and 4 times DNB. Here’s a look at the last 6 weeks of a season when Tynemouth 3s finished bottom of NTCL Division 5 Central.
August 9th:
This day will go down as one of the best days in the whole of the 2025 season as, for the first time, all 3 senior sides were victorious in their respective fixtures. Pride of place must go to the first XI, who comprehensively defeated previously unbeaten table toppers Burnmoor at Preston Avenue by the impressive margin of 6 wickets. Bowling first, Tynemouth dismissed Burnmoor for 166. The day began with George Stewart taking the first three wickets to fall, two in his first over, and returning the excellent analysis of 5-1-17-3. The visitors never really recovered from the shock of being 16/3, as Bish (15-4-35-2), as well as a run out, and skipper Martin Pollard (14-3-30-2) bowled with accuracy and menace. Dan McGee and the unretired Phil Morse also took a wicket each, meaning the target for Tynemouth was an eminently gettable one. So it proved, with Ben Debnam and Jack Roys each contributing 46, Faizan Ghumann (30) and Robbie Bowman (23*) seeing the Croons home after only 46 overs. This win lifts Tynemouth out of the relegation zone and offers a real opportunity for progress in the remaining 5 fixtures.
The 2s travelled to Tynedale and found things difficult with the ball on the tight ground in Hexham, with the home side posting a daunting 291/3 from 55 overs. On a day when bowling figures are harsh reading, Josh Koen (10-3-33-1) fared best. However, this was a day for batters and almost the whole side contributed to a fantastic win, achieved with 3 balls to spare. Chris Fairley and Zach Larner, enjoying something of a Bradman 1930 summer, top scored with 62 each. Marcus Turner made 45 and the victory was achieved courtesy of Barry Stewart’s unbeaten 55, though Chad Koen (19), Patrick Hallam (16) and skipper Andrew Smith (11*) all played their part as well
The week has seen a seismic change in the fortunes of the Saturday 3s, who are no longer bottom of NTCL Division 5 Central. Firstly news came from the league that Leadgate had fielded an ineligible player in 5 games earlier in the season, for which indiscretion they had their pants pulled down to the extent of having 124 points deducted. One of those games was on April 26th at home to Tynemouth, which has been awarded to the gallant Croons, presenting us with 30 points for the game, rather than the 6 amassed on the day. As your correspondent was in Aberdeen that day, watching Cove Rangers 2 Kelty Hearts 2, he can take no credit for this unexpected bonus. However, courtesy of a battling 1 (run out) on Saturday against Belsay, after suffering a sickening blow to the elbow that almost rendered him hors de combat, he played his part as the 3s strolled to 1 wicket win over Belsay, with whom they swapped places.
With regular skipper Richard Hay enjoying the sights of the Antrim Coast, rather too late for the golf at Royal Portrush alas, the team was helmed by Alosh Jose. In a feat leadership that would have met with Hay’s approval, Jose bowled a quite remarkable spell of 8-3-9-3, supported superbly by George Bogg, who also took 3 wickets, and Ansel Anil with 2. As a result, Belsay were dismissed for 118 in approximately 35 overs. In reply, the young tyros Adam Blake (28), who is quickly becoming an aggressive attacking opener, Will Bogg (20), George Bogg (19) and Kai-Lewis Main (17) had the game seeming won at 93/2 after 14 overs. Once Main had been needlessly run out, the old guard proved less durable at the wicket, so it was left to Alan Hiscock (0*), but a wonderful catch in the first innings and debutant Kim McKenna (2*) to steer the team home. Kim’s nerveless performance was a joy to behold and the voluble applause as she effortlessly pushed the winning run off her hip and down to the vacant fine leg area, were both warranted and sincere. This made my birthday weekend one I’ll treasure forever.
The Sunday 3s also travelled to Tynedale. The home side batted first and made 215/8, with George Bogg picking up 2/39 and wickets for both Aditjandras, Lewis Hurst and Olly Hiscock. In reply, despite a wonderful knock by Stewart (77), an excellent supporting effort by Ewan Aditjandra (37) and a brave innings by Cameron Donachie (23), Tynemouth fell short by an agonising 3 runs, closing on 212/9.
This was to be the sole victory I was involved in the entire season. It was a fairly hairy one as well. The opposition only had 10 and didn’t know how to score, so it was lucky we dismissed them with plenty of overs to spare. At 93/2, I was umpiring and enjoying our batting performance as we seemingly cruised to victory. Wickets fell at a clatter. I got ready, strode in at 9, hit a single, kept the bowling and, with 3 needed, essayed a suicidal single to midwicket. Inevitably I was out by miles and therefore hid in the container, avoiding seeing the next over. When scores were level, I peeked out and saw Kim hit the winning run. Oh how marvellous it felt not to lose, but the opposition team were great sports as well. The atmosphere in the club was celebratory that night I can tell you. Possibly for the only time all year.
August 16th:
On Saturday 16th August, Tynemouth CC first XI played host to Ashington at Preston Avenue. One player not available for selection was Robbie Bowman, but for the best of reasons, as Robbie had made his debut for Durham's 1st team the night before in the One Day Cup against Northants. He did well too, scoring 27 runs off 34 balls and taking a smart catch behind the stumps. Everyone at Tynemouth was delighted to learn of his selection and we all wish him well in the future, having watched his rapid development over the past few years. Robbie first played for Tynemouth as a 10 year old in our under 13 team scoring 30 not out (retired) on debut in 2018. Since then he has scored over 4,000 runs for the Club and developed into one of the best young players in the North East.
Meanwhile, his erstwhile colleagues pulled off another highly important win, their second in a row, completing the double over Ashington in the process. The visitors batted first and had a calamitous start to their innings, falling to 0-2 as Bish was on a hattrick in the first over. Eventually Bish returned the magnificent figures of 9-4-24-4, as Ashington stumbled to 11-3, 29-4 and 51-5. They recovered somewhat to 225 all out, with the unretired Phil Morse (3-47) and captain Martin Pollard (1-30) exercising control when other pace bowlers struggled to match Bish’s brilliance. Early in the innings, Dan McGee split the webbing between his fingers, preventing him from bowling and necessitating a trip to A&E, causing Jonathan Larner to step up to the plate and field. Thankfully, Dan returned and was able to bat, with his 21 proving pivotal as Tynemouth won the game with a leg bye off the final ball of their scheduled 45 overs, by a margin of one wicket. There were many helpful contributions to this excellent team performance. Stan McAlindon (43) top scored, with Jack Roys (42) pushing him close. The two Matts, Kimmitt (39) and Brown (27) also weighed in with important runs and Phil Morse’s 20 cannot be ignored either. With 4 games to go, Tynemouth are 9th in the table, 9 points above the drop zone. It is imperative the team keep this momentum going forward into the away game at Sunderland next week.
The 2s began their week by bowing out of the Roseworth Trophy at the semi-final stage, losing an away game to Felling by 45 runs. The home side batted first, posting 134-5, with George Bogg claiming 2 wickets. In reply, Tynemouth subsided to 89 all out, despite early runs from Zach Larner (28) and Andrew Davison (25). On Saturday, they travelled to Ashington and gave a much better account of themselves but still lost by 26 runs. Ashington made 243-8, with the mature pairing of Barry Stewart and Richy Hay each claiming two scalps. The returning Matty Walton also took a wicket and contributed a handy 41 in support of Andy Linehan (77), who was the top scorer. Despite a helpful 28 from Chad Koen, the total proved too much for Tynemouth, who ended on 217-9.
After the elation of last week’s convincing win over Belsay, the Saturday 3s fell back to the bottom of the table after losing to Washington 2s by 3 wickets. Batting first, Tynemouth could only muster 74. Top scorers were Alex Tugby (23) and Rich Harland (16), before a lovely, late order cameo by the swashbuckling ian cusack (5), before he was predictably run out. Each bowler did their best in a losing cause, with Olly Hiscott (1-16), Cameron Donachie (1-10), the lovely, flighted off spin of Alex Littlefair (1-16) and the lethal full tosses of Rich Harland (2-23), one of which saw the sprightly cusack take an acrobatic catch at mid-wicket, kept Tynemouth in the game until the very end. It was a great team performance that included two women players (Jen Fingland and Kim McKenna), causing furious debate as to what collective noun would be used to describe the team (“comrades” being the most popular choice). A word must be given in praise of debutant Bibin Nainan, who recovered from the setback of being given out LBW first ball by the myopic cusack, to take two superb catches and effect a run out. This team tries their very hearts out, whatever the line-up or opposition.
The Sunday 3s completed their campaign with a comprehensive home win over Felling Academy, assuring them of third place in the table. Batting first, Tynemouth made an imposing 258-7 from their 35 overs, largely down to a remarkable performance by Zach Larner. His unbeaten 171 came from 92 balls, with 26 boundaries and one maximum. Second top scorer was Joel Hull-Denholm (32) and Cameron Donachie (17) also chipped in. Felling’s reply was 186-9, with 3 wickets for Joe Chater and two each for George Bogg and Cameron Donachie. Well done to the youngsters!!
This was a really good competitive game for us. Easy to say now, but if we’d got to three figures, we’d have won this. I actually batted quite well, as 5 was my second highest score of the season. Tickled my first ball down to fine leg for a couple, when a proper player would have flicked it over the fence at square leg. Hit the next one back over the bowler’s head for another 2, which would have been a boundary if I could time the ball properly. Another single out to point and then, in the next over, I called another single to mid-off and was well short. Man has to know his limitations. Did take a good catch at midwicket from Richie Harland, but didn’t get a bowl as they squeezed home, with 10, by 3 wickets. A nice day out in the sun, enjoying a couple of pints outside their clubhouse in the sun. It’s a real shame how Washington have fallen from grace in recent years and I wish them well in the Durham league, where they are transferring to for next year.
Another great Saturday for Tynemouth Cricket Club, with both the first XI and the 2s winning their games against Sunderland 1s and 2s quite comfortably. This was of particular importance to Kieron Grimshaw, who has joined Tynemouth until the end of the replacement for Bish. Having been selected to play for North East Zone in the Duleep Cup which begins next week, Bish has returned home to India after a productive and personally successful stint with The Croons, for which we are all immensely grateful. His replacement, arriving from Rishton in the Lancashire League, who have previously employed such storied professionals as Syndney Barnes, Allan Donald, Michael Holding and Viv Richards, Grimmy is a genuine all-rounder, bowling at a brisk medium pace and batting right handed. He is a supporter of his hometown team Burnley, who also enjoyed the support of Kieron’s team mates yesterday as they dismantled Sunderland football club with the same degree of ease as Tynemouth did to their cricket team.
Batting first at Ashbrooke in a game where victory was the only option available, Tynemouth posted a formidable 270/6 from their 45 overs. Plaudits go to centurion Stan McAlindon (101) and another fine knock from Matty Brown (76). Ben Debnam (32*) provided great support, coming in lower down the order. In reply, Sunderland never looked remotely like making the runs required after the new pro reduced the home side to 16/2. Grimmy’s analysis of 8-2-16-3 will do for starters on debut. Sunderland eventually closed on 171, with other notable bowling contributions from skipper Martin Pollard (2-15), Andrew Smith (2-41), Dan McGee (2-58) and the economical Josh Koen (1-23). With sides around us in the table also winning, Tynemouth remain 9 points from relegation, making next week’s home game against Hetton Lyons another must win fixture.
Tynemouth 2s hosted Sunderland 2s at Preston Avenue and eventually prevailed by 5 wickets. Batting first, the visitors closed on 182/6 with Neil Bennett (2-30) and Noah Rae (2-53) the pick of the bowlers. The 2s scored the runs required with a shade under 13 overs to spare, for the loss of 5 wickets, including the clear LBW of the season for club chair Andy Lineham (2). The main run scorers were Marcus Turner (58), Chris Fairley (54*) and Patrick Hallam (42).
Tragically, the Saturday 3s were stricken by unavailability and could only muster 8 players for the game at home to Annfield Plain 2s. The inevitable concession, the fourth of the season, leaves them 20 points adrift at the bottom of the table. Such a shame after all the effort that has been put in by everyone involved. Your correspondent was thus free to indulge in his other sporting love, Percy Main Amateurs FC. They lost 6-1 at home to Hexham.
A pretty rotten day as holidays meant we couldn’t get a team out, making for a wholly unacceptable fourth concession of the season. The least said about events at Percy Main the better. At least I got to a great gig that night, seeing Lava Mouse in Whitley Bay. Oh, the words in praise of Grimmy were rather wasted, as he turned his ankle the next day and was ruled out for the season. Typical…
Despite posting an impressive 261/6 from their 45 overs at Preston Avenue, Tynemouth first XI lost a potentially crucial game to Hetton Lyons by a margin of 4 wickets. The home side’s total was largely made up of efforts by Faizan Ghumman (71), Matty Brown (67), Stan McAlindon (52*) and Matthew Kimmitt (44). When Tynemouth reduced the visitors to 139/5 after 27.3 overs, with 3 wickets for Brown, it looked as if a home win was in the post. Sadly, a game-changing 6th wicket partnership of 124 in 14 overs swung the contest the way of Hetton Lyons. They considerably eased their relegation worries, as did Ashington who won away at Chester le Street. The team currently in second bottom place are Shotley Bridge, whose game with Burnopfield was rained off. Tynemouth, who hold a slender 9 point advantage, visit Shotley Bridge next Saturday.
Meanwhile Tynemouth 2s had a considerably better afternoon at Hetton Lyons. Batting first, they made 224 all out from 42.1 overs. Marcus Turner (61) top scored, with support coming from Ben Debnam (46) and Joel Hull-Denholm (40). In response, Hetton were dismissed for 86, giving Tynemouth the victory by a margin of 138 runs. Skipper Andrew Smith (5/22) was the star of the show, ably assisted by Neil Bennett (2/14). The 2s currently sit in 5th place in NEPL Division 2.
The 2s lost again, by 9 wickets to Cowgate 2s. Batting first, Tynemouth made 110 from 32 overs, with notable contributions from both George and Will Bogg. Unfortunately, Cowgate decided to avoid the chance of rain affecting the outcome by scoring the runs required for the loss of one wicket (a stunning catch by Richard Harland from the bowling of Cameron Donachie) in 8.4 overs.
To my enormous chagrin, I wasn’t originally selected for this fixture. However, the usual raft of withdrawals meant I got my game after all. As expected, they put us in to bat and, in the context of our season, 100 wasn’t bad. I came in at 9 again and edged my first ball from a quickie over the slips, but not with enough power to reach the rope. Alosh played out the rest of that over and I faced the office from the other end. Five dot balls; three missed and two hit on the pads, miles outside the line, so I decided to give him the charge. Huge race down the pitch, missed it by a mile and stumped again. We took a wicket in the first over then their batters bludgeoned us to all parts of the ground, and it was over in a flash. Unsurprisingly, Cowgate went up as Champions.
September 6th:
Following a damaging 26-run loss away to Shotley Bridge, Tynemouth first XI find themselves in a relation spot with one round of fixtures to go. The season will end with the visit of South Northumberland to Preston Avenue next Saturday, a daunting enough prospect at the best of times. Even if Tynemouth win, their fate is still not in their own hands as they are still reliant on either, or both, Ashington losing away to Newcastle and Shotley Bridge losing at home to Castle Eden. However, the team retains belief that they can maintain the record of being one of only 3 sides never to have been relegated from the North East Premier League since its inception.
On Saturday, Shotley Bridge
batted first and posted 264/9, with wickets being claimed by Andrew Smith
(3/30), Matty Brown (3/42) and Dan McGee (2/41). This was a stiff target and,
despite fine contributions from Brown and Matthew Kimmitt, both of whom scored
57, supported by Faizan Ghumann (28) and Stan McAlindon (22), Tynemouth were
all out for 238, leaving the final day shootout detailed above to decide the
club’s fate.
Tynemouth 2s shaded a
compelling contest against Benwell Hill by 4 wickets. The Hill batted first and
made 226/8, with Neil Bennett (2/33) and George Stewart (2/45) the pick of the
bowlers. In reply, the 2s made it home off the last ball, with Marcus Turner
(94*) leading the way, ably supported by Stewart (37), Andrew Linehan (25) and
Chris Fairley (21). Regardless of next week’s results, they will finish in 5th place
in NEPL Division 2, which is a respectable state of affairs.
The Saturday 3s were already
condemned to relegation and the 231-run loss to GEMS 2s on the back field was
immaterial to final league results. Because of injury and unavailability, the
role of captain fell to the ageless ian cusack, who won the toss and very
little else thereafter. Opting to field first, for the purpose of making as
long a game of it as possible and giving as many players as possible a bowl,
this objective was achieved, with 7 players turning their arm over as GEMS
posted a mammoth 275/2. In a sense, this did not matter as Archie Goel (2/63),
Cameron Donachie and Kim McKenna all bowled their full allocation in an
entirely praiseworthy manner. Harrison Goel and Adam Blake also acquitted
themselves admirably. However, the less said about Richard Harland and the
skipper’s efforts the better. In reply, Tynemouth sadly never really made a
contest of it, subsiding to 44 all out, with Arthur King (13) top scoring and
hitting the only boundary of the innings. That said, everyone was involved and stuck
at it to the end. Seeing Harrison Goel, in at 11, reverse sweep the first ball
he faced made the whole thing worthwhile.
From not being selected
initially last week, to having to captain this week. It’s a thankless task when
you’re at home: sorting drinks, organising the batting line up, rotating the
bowlers. I made a decision in advance that if we won the toss, I was going to
bowl, which I did. This disappointed both their skipper and the umpire, both of
whom clearly wanted a sharp finish. My reasoning was, I wanted to give everyone
a bowl and I did; full 9 overs from Archie, Cameron and Kim, 4 each for me and
Richy (I went for a million), 3 from Blakey as we was the only left armer
available and 2 for young Harrison. They may have got 275/2, but I reckon I did
the right thing. Sadly, we didn’t do anything with the bat, though I hit a
couple of singles for an unbeaten 2. All about the red inkers in this game.
Enjoyed a few pints afterwards with ex-teammates Jimmy Carr and Jim Scoffham to
make it a canny day out, despite the result.
September 13th:
Sadly,
Tynemouth first XI’s attempt at the great escape from relegation on the final
day of the 2025 cricket season ended in a whimper, not a bang. Despite Shotley
Bridge losing and Ashington seeing their game rained off, Tynemouth were not
able to secure the win that would have resulted in safety. Rain curtailed the
visit of South Northumberland, meaning only 27 overs were possible before the
weather intervened. South Northumberland had advanced to an intimidating 172-1
at this point, with Dan McGee taking the sole wicket to fall. An afternoon of intermittent showers and
strong sunlight was eventually brought to a halt, despite the sterling efforts
of groundsman Paul Jackson and the home team to get the game on, at 5.40pm.
This confirmed Tynemouth’s relegation, and the sad reality is that the end of
season table does not lie. Demotion was borne with dignity by the team, who
will seek to bounce back next season, under a new skipper as Martin Pollard has
announced his retirement from senior cricket. We thank him and all the players
for their unstinting efforts in what has been a difficult season.
There was little to cheer about in the reverse fixture at Roseworth Terrace, where the 2s lost by 7 wickets. Batting first, they were dismissed for 101, with Zach Larner (26) and Barry Stewart (23*) providing some resistance. South North reached the target in 24 overs, with wickets for Andrew Davison and Joe Snowdon. As stated last week, the 2s finished the season in a respectable 5th place in NEPL Division 2.
Meanwhile, an approximation of the true spirit of aquatic cricket took place on the back field at Preston Avenue. Playing away to Lions, who sublet the ground, Tynemouth 3s fell to a routine 8 wicket defeat. Invited to bat first by a Lions team who had one eye on the weather, the 3s managed 50 all out. Adam Blake (12) attacked from the off and joint top scored with Ben Harland (12) who accumulated his runs doggedly. At the end of the innings, a torrential downpour could have brought proceedings to an untimely and unsatisfactory close. However, those present were gathered to play cricket and, postponing tea, the sides turned round with alacrity. Lions deserved the win and this they duly achieved in 7 overs for the loss of two wickets. The first was claimed by ollie Hiscott, who belatedly celebrated his birthday in style (and a dozen luxurious cupcakes provided by his parents). The second and final wicket was another triumph in a season of them by the experienced cusack, who augmented his eye-catching 0 in the Croons’s innings, by having Rahman stumped from an extravagantly flighted delivery. It was a ball worthy of bringing down the curtain on any season, especially one as woeful as the one just endured by the 3s. Next season will see them competing in Division 6 Central, with the enticing prospect of the white hot atmosphere of local derbies against the likes of Monkseaton 2s, Percy Main 2s and Whitley Bay 2s.
Obviously the 1s relegation cast a cloud over the whole day, but quite a few drinks and some great chat with a load of folks helped to overcome the results. We expected to get stuffed, and we did, but in the right way. After everyone getting a bowl last week, we all got a bat this time. Though my 5-ball duck won’t live long in the memory. Bowled middle stump, beaten all ends up, no arguments about that. Enjoyed having a bowl. First time I’ve taken a wicket in a jumper and a downpour. Lots of pints and even some shots of Sambuca, not to mention several large G&Ts healed the pain on Saturday night, while reinforcing it on Sunday.
Winter well everyone.
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