The 2022 cricket season is over. Here's how things ended for Tynemouth CC and for me....
Week
16: For
the second consecutive week, losing the toss consigned Tynemouth CC first XI to
almost inevitable defeat. Last week it was away to Sunderland, while the last
Saturday in July saw table-topping South North come to Preston Avenue, call
correctly and gleefully snaffle a maximum 30 points. Batting first under lead
skies, Tynemouth found themselves in familiar territory when Dan Thorburn and
Ben Debnam both edged to Adam Cragg at slip, off Sean Tindale and Johnny
Wightman respectively, leaving the home side 5-2. Skipper Matt Brown came to
the crease in determined mood and had played 3 glorious boundaries in a rapid
15 before Tindale found the edge of his bat too, leaving Tynemouth floundering
at 19-3.
A recovery of sorts was fashioned by some swarthy counter attacking blows by Stu Poynter and Esam Rahman, but when the latter was adjudged leg before to Fletcher, with Matt Kimmitt (0) falling in the same way, alarm bells were ringing at 72-5. While Poynter doggedly hung around, there was a flicker of hope, but this was extinguished when he became both Craggs’s third catch and Fletcher’s third wicket. Joe Snowdon (24) and new paceman Richard Stanyon (23*) showed defiance in the face of impending doom, but it was almost a surprise that Tynemouth managed as many as 136 in the stygian gloom of an oppressively humid morning by the coast.
Predictably, between innings, the clouds receded, and the sun came out, while the outfield dried and gained pace as South North began their chase in amenable circumstances, aided by less than challenging bowling. The score had advanced to 99 when Dithole (43) feathered a Rahman ball to Poynter behind the stumps. Despite Pollard’s 501st wicket with the dismissal of keeper Peyton with a dozen still needed, there wasn’t even the consolation of a bowling point as South North came home by 8 wickets.
In the reverse fixture, Tynemouth 2s had no less of a crushing defeat. Despite a fine knock by Barry Stewart (70) and support from skipper Andrew Davison (39*) and Patrick Hallam (26), a total of 188 all from 55 overs never looked to be enough at Roseworth Terrace. Indeed, the home side got the runs three down after 38 overs, with no sparkling performances with the ball to be noted.
Thankfully, Tynemouth 3s came up with the goods once again, achieving a second consecutive win to move them out of the relegation zone. This time, Cowgate Sports were the side vanquished. Batting first, Tynemouth posted 152 and squeaked home by 8 runs, dismissing Cowgate for 144. Unfortunately, the weather intervened for the second week running for the Sunday 3s, whose game to Newcastle fell foul of the overnight downpour. A week previously, they had expectations of an almost cast-iron victory dashed when, at 58/1 in pursuit of 135, the heavens opened.
No such misfortune waylaid the Tynemouth Ladies softball team in their game against Stocksfield. On a scorching hot day TCC ladies played host in their final league match. They won the toss and opted to put Stocksfield into bat. The bowling displayed much improvement from the start of the season despite a few wides. The fielding was good, but Stocksfield’s batters gave few opportunities and finished on 101-1.
TCC,
having never scored over 100, opened with Joanne and Helen who got off to a
great start against some fast bowling from. Next in was Anya and Deborah, again
keeping the runs coming with Anya scoring a few boundaries. Amanda and Michelle
batted next, followed by Lauri, hitting 6s and Pam and then finally saving the
best until last with Melissa and Lindsey scoring an impressive 43 in their
partnership resulting in a total of 126 for no wickets. A great end to the formal programme of matches
was followed by a lovely picnic tea.
Again, I didn’t make the cut for the 3s, so was consigned to watching the 1s go down to a heavy loss at home to South North. This was the day of the 175th Anniversary Photo, so I was down the club, in borrowed kit (cheers Polly & Matt) for 9.00. Just as the shoot was breaking up, rumours of me being required in the 3s because of a drop out in the 1s emerged. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for the team, Richard Stanyon managed to make it, so I sat and cooled my heels at Preston Avenue.
Week17: On Saturday August 6th, Tynemouth CC first XI travelled to Lillywhite Terrace to face title contenders Hetton Lyons. With voting in the leadership contest now in full swing the Red Wall Tory members residing in the Houghton and Sunderland South constituency may well be considering putting their support behind outsider Rishi Sunak. It was Sunak after all who provided the Lyons CC with a Covid Loan that they have used so well. A new flat roof over the main bar, the creation of a snug second tv bar, a small outside space like a garden patio and over 100 metres of brand new fencing have helped transform the facilities of this friendly club. Their ever popular mini cafe remains open however and continues to provide the cricket watchers with all they need and the kids with all manner of sweets!
The Lyons team is going well too and after skipper Stuart Walker won the toss, he decided to have a bat on a pleasant day and on a flat wicket that was on the slow and low side throughout. Walker took first guard himself but played on before his innings got going, to a ball from Andrew Smith. Jarvis Clay batted at three but struggled to find the pace of the pitch before he was brilliantly caught by Richard Stanyon at short mid-on for 16 from the very first ball bowled by Martin Pollard. The score was now 77/2 and former Durham player Gary Scott arrived at the crease to form an excellent partnership with young Ben McKinney who had opened with Walker. They took the score up to 183. Both players were solid in defence and showed good technique, pouncing on anything loose. The experienced Scott hit three mighty sixes over the newly erected fencing and youngster McKinney accumulated his runs with a performance full of maturity and great concentration for a player of his age. There’s a bit of a young Ben Harmison in his batting and on this showing, he might just follow Ben into the first class game. Phil Morse removed Scott for 58 and soon after Bangladeshi pro Rahatul Javid for 11.
McKinney then brought up his century to applause
all around the ground. This was a high class century and an innings to enjoy
ending on 117 when he was bowled by Esam Rahman. As the Tynemouth bowlers began
to tire Robert Talbot crashed a 20 ball 39 allowing his skipper to declare with
the score on 269/5 after just 50 overs.
The interval was hugely enjoyed by the Tynemouth faithful. Bacon (either normal or crispy) sarnies and tea from the café, followed by Di Brown’s remarkable individual Pavlovas. Strawberries, raspberries, double cream and a meringue as light as the dancer herself. This was truly Bake Off level cuisine. Many thanks, Di!
With the two Bens (Debnam and McGee) missing this week, it was left to 17 year old Dan Thorburn and student Matthew Kimmitt to open for the away side and they made a good fist of it putting on 38 for the first wicket in good time before Kimmitt was out lbw to off spinner Aaron Feroz. Thorburn was next to go but not before he’d played some nice shots on his way to 49. Another promising knock from Dan who is starting to make his mark at this level. Surprisingly the number 3 slot was given to Phil Morse, but the experienced left hander played a good hand and with Matty Brown looking in sparkling form they took the score to 119/3 when Morse was bowled by Robert Talbot for a handy 23.
With plenty of overs remaining the game was nicely balanced as Professional Stuart Poynter strode to the crease to join his skipper, Matty Brown. However the game was about to be turned on its head. Poynter was off the mark with a delightful paddle shot behind square leg. He assumed two runs, Brown thought three. Brown kept running. Poynter not keen. Mix up and Poynter tragically run out at the bowler’s end. There was a hush around the ground. A sense of disbelief as the diving Poynter slowly got back to his feet and wandered off head bowed. Brown banged his head with his bat. It was a bad moment for two of the best and most respected players at the Club and a sense of panic seemed to follow as first Brown and then Joe Snowdon were dismissed in quick succession. 119/2 had become 126/6 in the space of 15 minutes and hopes of a Tynemouth win had all but gone. Andrew Smith fought long and hard, but the returning South African Chris Ralston had him caught behind and he then proceeded to clean out the tail. A word or two however for a terrific counter attacking innings from Esam Rahman. His 48 off 47 balls was a quality innings and included two huge maximums. The full scorecard is here https://nepremierleague.play-cricket.com/website/results/5024314
And the current League table here, showing Tynemouth in 8th place with 5 games remaining and a gap of 35 points from the relegation places. https://nepremierleague.play-cricket.com/website/division/101591
Tynemouth 2s hosted Hetton Lyons, dismissing them for 161, mainly due to devastatingly elegant spell by James Carr (6-47), including a first over hat trick. Tynemouth won by 5 wickets, with Patrick Hallam (43), Joel Hull-Denholm (37) and Robbie Bowman (30) doing most of the hard work.
The upturn in fortunes at St James Park has made tickets for Newcastle United home games a prized commodity. As a result, the promise of the opening day of the season caused a rash of unavailability to sweep through Tynemouth 3s, resulting in the recall of ian cusack after two successive victories that he played no part in. The opposition Civil Service side included the distinguished Caribbean academic, Professor Don D Marshall, cousin of the late West Indies great, Malcolm Marshall. Unlike his cousin who measured 5 foot 11, Dr Don is rather closer to Joel Garner in terms of stature and, perhaps surprisingly, his bowling is more akin to Roger Harper’s than any of the legendary West Indies pace attack that terrorised English batting in the 1970s and 1980s.
Having won the toss, skipper Hay surveyed the hand he’d been dealt and chose to bat, perhaps reasoning that getting the game out the way before things kicked off at SJP might be the best approach. However, prophecies of doom were wide of the mark as, despite the early wicket of Dan Storey, caught on the head for the second week running, Hay and the returning Hamish Swaddle-Scott almost brought up the century by drinks. Unfortunately, Hay was out for 48 last ball before drinks, edging The Professor to slip, leaving Tynemouth 97/2. This dismissal was in part revenge for Hay’s savage straight drive off Marshall that almost decapitated the notoriously slothful cusack, doing his stint as umpire.
After drinks, the Civil Service came back into the game, with Dr Marshall removing father and son pairing Paul and Lewis Hurst, as well as keeper Alosh Jose, all without scoring, though in fairness to Jose he received the ball of the day on a dead pitch that lifted sharply and hit him on the glove. Swaddle-Scott (48) and Adam Tugby (28) held the inning together, with little material help from the other 8 batters, who contributed 5 between them as Tynemouth subsided to 151 all out from 39.4 overs. Dr Marshall took giant steps to the pavilion, having returned figures of 9-2-29-5.
The Civil Service response, witnessed by approximately 100 denim and leather clad motorcycle enthusiasts, enjoying their annual Harley Davidson Enthusiasts weekend, briefly threatened to implode when skipper Hay made a dreadful mess of opener Bonam’s stumps. However, it was a false hope as, despite cusack’s delicious homage to Bernard Bosanquet that bamboozled Yadav into perishing courtesy of horrid leg-side hoick, the Civil Service came home to win by 8 wickets. This result leaves Tynemouth in 8th place of an 11 team division with only 1 side to go down. That side are Monkseaton, who the 3s visit next Saturday; the gap is 30 points, so this is a real 60-pointer. https://tynemouth.play-cricket.com/website/division/103210
The Sunday 3s lost to South Northumberland Academy by 6 wickets. Batting first, Tynemouth posted 159-9 from their 40 overs, with Finn Hodgson (27) and Chris Beever (25) top scoring. Dan Watt had his usual steady game with the ball (2-34) and the spinners Hallam and Aditjandra each chipped in with a wicket as part of a losing cause.
My first ever wicket for the 3s. I simply can’t tell you what a pleasure it was to see the batsman almost overbalance when trying to hit me out the ground, missing by miles then sulking off, complaining I bowled too slowly. Wonderful stuff. Even better was watching Don D Marshall at close quarters; the statuesque academic was a complete gentleman and a joy to play against. Shame we lost again though.
Week 18: On Saturday 13 August, Tynemouth CC first XI travelled to the Village Ground to take on the ever competitive Burnmoor team. The early morning sea fret that had been clinging on to the north east coast like a sloth for 24 hours was nowhere to be seen to the west of the A19 and the game itself was played in hot and sunny weather. The ground looked in great shape; another Club that has invested its “Covid loans “monies wisely with new seating, fencing and planting making the place feel more welcoming.
The wicket looked flat and true and the outfield quick as lightning; cut short and baked in this summer’s heatwave. Today was the return of the 50 over format with coloured clothing and orange ball. No more draws in 2022.Home skipper Alan Worthy won the toss and decided to have a bat first but was bowled by Esam Rahman for just 6. Marcus Brown then joined Ross Greenwell and they moved the score on nicely both showing good timing and at 71/1 off just 15 overs it looked like a long hot day in the field for the visitors. However, fresh from his recent wicket hauls for the second team, the elegant Jimmy Carr made an early breakthrough to have Greenwell adjudged lbw for 30.
Wickets then started to tumble as Burnmoor seemed intent on pressing for that big score only to be undone by the medium pace of Carr and Andrew Smith and two terrific catches from Joe Snowdon and Dan McGee. The game had taken a major and unexpected turn as the home side collapsed to 132/9 leaving Tynemouth in control. However there was to be a sting in the tail as Alex Cole and Graeme Bridge, batting at 10 and 11, managed somehow to conjure up a fifty partnership and give their side a score to bowl at with 186 before Matty Brown took the last wicket with his very first delivery. Carr and Smith picked up 3 wickets each. It felt an under par score despite the last wicket stand but the experienced home attack would not go down without a fight.
Tynemouth were delighted that Ben Debnam and Ben McGee were back to open the innings and once again the two Ben’s got the innings off to a purposeful start, against the bowling of Pakistani Professional Waqas Maqsood and former Durham County quick Josh Coughlin before Debnam nicked one behind off the impressive Alex Simpson for 25. Dan Thorburn, at 3, was out thought by the wily Graeme Bridge and when McGee went for 25 the game was finely balanced at 74/3 and it was up to skipper Brown and professional Stuart Pointer to make the difference. It was a similar situation to last week at Hetton Lyons when Poynter was most unfortunate to be run out attempting to get off the mark. Indeed it’s been a summer where Poynter has had a good share of misfortune, until today! Perhaps it was his Irish mum watching and looking after the kids or maybe it’s the imminent arrival of the touring Leprechauns who play at Preston Avenue on Thursday but whatever it was Stuey had the luck of the Irish today starting with his very first ball! Josh Coughlin beat him with a beauty and the ball clipped the outside edge of the off stump, yet the bails remained in place much to the consternation of the home players and spectators. A crucial let off.
Poynter also gave a couple of chances early on which were not taken but once he settled in, he played a gem of an innings. Brown was batting steadily at the other end and the partnership moved on to 145/4 when the skipper was out lbw to Simpson for a useful 36. Frustratingly the first ball after a drinks break. Burnmoor now felt they had a squeak and Maqsood was brought back into the attack. He delivered too as he dismissed Rahman and Snowdon for low scores; however Poynter by now was in sublime form defending stoutly and attacking with some delightful trademark sweep shots and some blistering cover drives off the front foot. His 61 not out saw his team home.
This was an excellent win by the Tynemouth team against tough opponents and on a day of fret at the coast and sunshine elsewhere dare I say that the fret of relegation has now gone and the team can look forward to their last four fixtures looking up the table and targeting a respectable sixth place finish.
Meanwhile, Tynemouth 2s hosted Castle Eden and triumphed by 6 wickets, maintaining their 10 point lead at the top of NEPL Division 2 with 4 rounds of fixtures remaining. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat. In an even innings, 6 Castle Eden batters made double figures and all 6 Tynemouth bowlers (Neil Bennett, Chris Beevers, Richy Hay, Sam Robson, Barry Stewart and Matty Walton) found themselves among the wickets, as the visitors made 199 all out from 45.4 overs. In response, Tynemouth 2s made the runs required in 34.3 overs, 4 wickets down. Patrick Hallam (63) top scored and had notable support from fellow youngsters Robbie Bowman (50) and Joel Hull-Denholm (30), as well as skipper Andrew Davison (39*). The scorecard may be viewed here: https://tynemouth.play-cricket.com/website/results/5024791
In NTCL Division 5 South, Tynemouth Saturday 3s took a significant step towards ensuring their safety, while pushing local rivals Monskeaton further into the relegation mire, by completing the double over their near neighbours in the latest edition of El Coastico at Churchill Playing Fields. Asked to field on a hot afternoon once the sea fret had been burnt off, despite getting off to a solid start Tynemouth struggled to exert any real pressure on the Monkseaton batters. Coupled with lapses in concentration whilst fielding Monkseaton were able to build a good total of 197/6. The 6 wickets to fall fell at regular intervals with each bowler (Watt, Ashton, Snelders, Storey and Waller) picking up 1 victim each with 1 run out; Storey and Snelders being the pick of the bowlers. The reply was a much better effort. Anchored superbly by Chris Grieveson (82*) with strong partnerships with Storey (15), Turner (19), Swaddle-Scott (40) and Tugby (17*), Tynemouth got home with 9 balls to spare ending on 198/3 to take 28 points for the victory. The scorecard can be seen here: https://tynemouth.play-cricket.com/website/results/5024791
I
was on holiday for this one, watching Ayr United 2 Hamilton Academicals 2, so
have little to add to this.
Week 19: After a season that had remained untouched by the vagaries of the British weather, Saturday 20 August saw rain affect the outcomes of both games involving Tynemouth Cricket Club. The first XI travelled to Whitburn and played almost a full game before the esoteric complexities of the Duckworth Lewis Method decided to outcome in favour of the home side. Batting first, Whitburn were soon in trouble when skipper Paul Shields skied the second ball of the day to Ben Debnam at mid on from the bowling of Phil Morse. Things looked even more promising when Jack Burnham picked out Barry Stewart in Esam Rahman’s second over, leaving Whitburn 8/2.
The home side staged something of a recovery and made it to 85, before Kevin D’Almeida was caught by skipper Matt Brown off Sam Robson, who also had Rafay Khan caught by Stewart as wickets regularly fell. The pick of the bowlers were Rahman (4/30) and a metronomically accurate Stewart (2/24), though there was much to commend Morse’s tidy 1/32 as Whitburn were dismissed for 172 in 43.3 overs. The fact that Whitburn failed to bat all their overs meant that the initial spots of rain that slightly delayed the Tynemouth replying didn’t result in a reduction of either the overs available or runs needed. Indeed, until 25 overs had been bowled, unless Tynemouth had either scored the runs required or been bowled out, the only result possible if the weather were to intervene would have been an abandonment.
With Barry Stewart due in at 9 and Sam Robson at 10, it is fair to say this Tynemouth team batted a long way down, which is just as well as the halfway stage saw the visitors languishing at 53/5. With Debnam (7), Thorburn (7), Brown (9), Poynter (1) and Rahman (2) all back in the pavilion, prospects for an away win looked as bleak as the clouds gathering overhead. Only Ben McGee (40*), playing with his trademark elegant correctness, had repelled the excellent bowling of Shakespeare (10-3-13-3) and Muchall (10-2-26-1). Thankfully, the outstanding Tynemouth batter of 2022, Joe Snowdon, was able to wrest the initiative from the home team. From a seemingly impossible 61/5 after 30 overs, with a deficit of over 40 on the Duckworth Lewis par, he contributed a counterattacking 47 of real fire and malevolence. Only when he feathered a wide one to keeper Shields from May in near darkness, with Tynemouth almost level with the DL target, did reality intervene. Phil Morse was soon out stumped, attempting to club his way to victory, which was the cue for an almost biblical downpour. Tynemouth ended on 127/7 after 41.4 overs, presenting Whitburn with a 16 run victory.
The reverse fixture at Preston Avenue saw Tynemouth 2s post a total of 202 all out. After subsiding to 42/5, Graeme Hallam (39), Richy Hay (39), Matty Walton (35) and Andrew Lineham (28) helped the side to a respectable total. This was all in vain as, after a single over, the heavens opened, and the game was abandoned with Whitburn 3/0.
On Sunday, the Sunday 3s travelled to Chester Le Street on a fine sunny day and won by 4 wickets. The home side batted first and reached 170/7, with Chad Koen (3/36) standing out. In reply, the Sunday 3s achieved the required total for the loss of 6 wickets; Patrick Hallam (45), Robbie Bowman (44) and Ben Richardson (33) provided the bulk of the runs.
No game for the 3s, as the resignation of Riding Mill left us inactive. Consequently I headed to my favourite other ground, Whitburn, to see us lose via the Duckworth Lewis Method.
Week 20: The last Saturday in August saw Tynemouth Cricket Club first XI entertain Chester Le Street at Preston Avenue. Yet another warm and sunny day was granted by this seemingly never ending summer and conditions were perfect for cricket. The pitch had been used several times before, but it was flat, hard and looked full of runs. The outfield looked a picture once again.
Visiting skipper John Coxon won the toss and decided to bowl first and it was home skipper Matty Brown who opened with Ben Debnam against the pace of Robbie Dawson and the guile of Quentin Hughes, who made an early breakthrough dismissing Debnam lbw attempting a sweep shot. Phil Morse came in at three but could only make 10 before he also went to Hughes, stumped by keeper Jake McCann. Stu Poynter then joined Brown and the pair began something of a recovery mission; both playing stylishly and with positive intent. However Hughes picked up his third wicket of the day, and the prized one of professional Poynter when he mishit a sweep shot and was caught well by Jake Dickinson in the deep for 25. Brown and Joe Snowdon followed soon after leaving Tynemouth struggling on 82/5. Fifteen year old Joel Hull Denholm, on debut, helped steady the ship by batting time along with Esam Rahman with 41 and Andrew Smith with 21, but it was Richard Stanyon, batting at 9, who made a real impact, hitting 36 off 40 balls to help his side to 194 before he was bowled in the final over. The mercurial Hughes and young leg spinner Josh Wilson were the pick of the Chester bowlers; 3 wickets a piece with their combined figures reading 6/49 off 20 overs. All in all though there was a sense this score was well under par.
Club stalwart and ground advisor Alan Billany was helping with light roller duty during the interval as groundsman Paul Jackson worked on the worn ends and marked out the crease in trademark Tynemouth blue. Wife Kelly was working behind the bar, pouring ice cold pints behind for the growing number of spectators, thirsty in the sunshine.
Suspicions
that the home score was a bit short were confirmed soon after the resumption as
Coxon and fellow opener McCann set about the home attack in eye catching
fashion. A right hand / left hand combination, they both played with style and
fluency matching each other run for run until McCann was caught by the juggling
Hull Denholm at long on from the bowling of Phil Morse, leaving the Keets well
placed on 115-1. Morse then immediately bowled Coxon and with the very
next ball almost had a third wicket though a huge lbw appeal against Quentin
Hughes was turned down by the umpire, much to the chagrin of bowler, keeper and
fielders.
Hughes then settled in well and along with Chester’s Andrew Smith calmly took the score close to victory. A couple of late wickets from Stanyon and one from Rahman were testament to the endeavour of the Tynemouth attack but again it lacked any real penetration or control and the runs chase was a comfortable one. Nineteen wides were bowled which is too many at this level of the game. Here is the full scorecard from the match
https://nepremierleague.play-cricket.com/website/results/5024354
With only 4 points secured the team still needs 7 more from their last two matches to be certain of avoiding relegation, so a win next week at Jesmond would do nicely!
This
is the current NEPL League table showing Tynemouth in 9th place
https://nepremierleague.play-cricket.com/website/division/101591
In contrast to the first team’s travails, Tynemouth 2s strolled to a 7 wicket win over their Chester le Street counterparts at Ropery Lane. Batting first, the home side were dismissed for 149, with Josh Koen (6.2-2-12-3) the stand-out bowler. The runs required were knocked off in 18.2 overs with Robbie Bowman (69 from 50 balls) leading the way. This result leaves Tynemouth top of the table with 2 games remaining. Sadly, their interest in the James Bell Cup ended at the quarter final stage in midweek, when Washington 2s got the better of a tight 15-over contest.
The fact the total was reached with more than 7 overs to spare is almost entirely down to Captain Keeno who contributed 150*, including 13 boundaries and 11 maximums, to an overall total of 199-5. With Adam Tugby dismissed second ball, Dan Storey perishing for 5, Joe McAvelia making 15 and Neil Sturrock out to a grandiose waft for 10, the importance of the skipper’s swashbuckling knock cannot be overstated. That said, young Lewis Gault made a vital contribution in holding up the other end for s 52-ball 3 that frustrated the Lintz attack and allowed Keeno to lead his troops home in some style.
I took a wicket with my first ball and after 4 overs, I’d figures of 4-0-10-2. I was in dreamland. It was insane. Then I came up against a left hander who hit the last 3 balls of my last over, the 40th, to the boundary. There’s something to work on over the winter, eh? Mind Keeno’s incredible 150* was just incredible. What a knock. What a win.
Week 21: On Saturday 3 September, Tynemouth CC first XI were away to Newcastle. The game was played at Jesmond, Northumberland cricket’s spiritual home for so long, but now a ground owned and run by the Royal Grammar School. There was a touch of autumn about for the first time this summer, with leaves on the outfield and sweaters on the players and spectators. Even Vince Howe had swapped his trademark shorts for a pair of jeans.
Jesse Tashkoff, Newcastle’s Young Kiwi skipper, won the toss and elected to bat first under grey skies, but it was Tynemouth who grabbed the early initiative, with Andrew Smith dismissing both Ben Robinson and Matthew Stewart for single figure scores. Bobby Green and Joe Anderson were next out, leaving the home side struggling at 89/4 on a wicket that looked pretty flat and an outfield where a straight hit is little more than a nine iron these days. Tashkoff then joined Charlie Robinson and they put together a terrific partnership of 152. Robinson did ride his luck a bit, as his innings was a mixture of flowing drives and anxious flashes, but runs are runs and the away team struggled to contain him without the services of Esam Rahman who damaged a knee fielding a ball on the lush outfield and could only bowl 4 overs. Robinson made 94 before he hit a sand wedge to Richard Stanyon at long on, from the bowling of Dan McGee. Tashkoff at the other end played a fine innings, combining elegant stroke play with occasional power hitting and on occasions, a deft touch. His century was well deserved before Phil Morse had him clean bowled for exactly 100. Brodie Glendinning and the coffee making Jacques Du Toit looked to accelerate the scoring rate with Jacques once again smoking off the field and then smoking it on the field! A 50 over score of 315 /9 was impressive and whilst the Tynemouth attack was overwhelmed at times credit is due to both Phil Morse and Isaac Murray who bowled accurately throughout.
A good start was needed from the visitors, and it was provided by Debnam and McGee. The two Bens flew out of the traps with a flurry of early boundaries. Debnam, in particular, timed the ball beautifully and couldn’t believe his luck when on 32 off just 28 balls, he smashed a full toss from Joe Boaden towards the cover boundary and was brilliantly caught at his ankles by Jesse Tashkoff at cover point. A quite stunning piece of fielding, provoking disbelief from the opener. McGee with 16, Matty Brown with 33 and Stu Poynter with 57 kept the scoreboard ticking at a run a ball but they weren’t able to put together the major innings needed to chase down the total though Phil Morse played a lovely cameo innings of 43 off 40 balls which included 3 mighty maximums, one sailing over the Pavilion and onto Osbourne Avenue. The Newcastle total was never really under pressure, and it was left to Jessie Tashkoff to clean out the tail with his 4 wickets. On about the only cool and damp day of the summer this game had a warm feel about it though, with the bat on top of the ball most of the day and some impressive cricket played by two young sides in a great spirit and on a beautiful ground. The full scorecard can be found here:
https://nepremierleague.play-cricket.com/website/results/5024327
Bonus points picked up here by Tynemouth coupled with defeats for others elsewhere means that the team is now safe from relegation. Next Saturday, Tynemouth will host already relegated Eppleton. The current League table is here:
https://nepremierleague.play-cricket.com/website/division/101591
On Sunday, the two teams reassembled at Jesmond for the final of the Northumberland County Cricket Board Bobby Smithson Trophy. Batting first, Tynemouth posted an impressive 174/6 from their 20 overs. Ben Debnam again got the side off to a good start, hitting 39 out of an opening partnership of 64 with Matty Brown (21), who was out soon after. The keynote partnership of 90 was between Phil Morse (35) and Stu Poynter (53), who helped Tynemouth post an impressive total. In reply, Newcastle fell just short in reaching 168/9, though the home side were only rally in contention after collaring skipper Brown’s last over for 17 runs, though the skipper (2/36) did chip in with 2 wickets. Stand out bowler was that man Morse (4/27), who has been in excellent form and an absolute credit to the club all season. His 4 wickets today, in addition to his punchy knock in the Tynemouth innings, saw him justly named Man of the Match as the Croons lifted the Smithson Trophy for the second time.
If Tynemouth 2s can match or better South Northumberland’s result next week, when they visit Ashington 2s, they will win the NEPL Second Division. With only the final round of games to go, they sit 12 points clear at the top of the table after beat Newcastle by 4 wickets. Having dismissed the visitors for 183 after 47 overs, with Josh Koen (4/43), skipper Andrew Davison (2/19) and the predictably elegant James Carr (2/26) taking the game to Newcastle, Tynemouth knocked off the required runs with exactly 10 overs to spare. Barry Stewart (59) was top scorer, with able support from Davison (38*), Joel Hull Denholm and Graeme Hallam (22*), atoning for a troubling 7 wides during his bowling performance, as another win was secured.
The Saturday 3s ensured their safety by winning at Lintz last week and so were able to enjoy a good game with Lions at Preston Avenue. The visitors batted first and amassed 180 all out, with both Dan Storey and Lewis “Geoff” Hurst bagging 4 victims apiece. The total was a stiff but not impossible one, though matters quickly went awry when the myopic cusack, attempting to umpire, appeared to have mislaid the memo relating to the 1935 change in the LBW law, when he gave skipper Hay out to a ball that pitched outside leg stump. The law change was brought in following the infamous “Bodyline” Ashes series and only the ghost of Harold Larwood could possibly have approved of such a farcical decision. Unsurprisingly, cusack was soon relieved of his duties by Hay, who took over, and saw cusack unceremoniously run out by half the length of the pitch for a sketchy 1. Before this Neil “Tony” Tugby had channelled his inner MS Dhoni with a glorious helicopter shot on his way to a magnificent 15, while Ben “Keeno” Richardson had learned fortune can be a cruel mistress when, following his unbeaten 150 at Lintz last weekend, he was out without scoring, having been caught on the boundary, second ball. In the end, Tynemouth 3s were dismissed for 117 and, after some Madri-fuelled group therapy, emerged smiling and ready to face the challenges of Newcastle at home next Saturday in their final game of the season.
Possibly the worst decision ever made by an umpire, ever. However, in my defence I have to say I went through all the checks for height and whether the ball was hitting. I just failed to consider that the ball pitched outside leg stump. Sorry Richy. We can laugh about it now, but I know he will never, ever forget this decision. And neither will I.
Week 22: The incessant rain that poured down all day Friday and on Saturday morning brought a premature end to the 2022 cricket season for all 3 Saturday teams representing Tynemouth Cricket Club. The first XI’s home game against Eppleton at Preston Avenue was the first casualty of the day, with the result that Tynemouth end the season in 9th position, which is a slightly lower placing than had been hoped for. However, there is the consolation of winning the Northumberland Cricket Board Bobby Smithson Trophy, captured a week earlier against Newcastle at Osborne Avenue.
Another trophy that will spend the year at Preston Avenue is the 2022 NEPL Second Division Championship. Holding a 12-point lead over South North going into the last day, Tynemouth soon learned fate was not in their hands as their game at Ashington was washed out, giving the Croons a further 5 points, but knowing that if South North could fashion a win over Hetton Lyons, the 20 points on offer would take the title to Roseworth Terrace. Nails were bitten to the quick in Tynemouth club house as almost all active players gathered for an end of season social event. Some chose to put this contest out of their mind by watching Percy Park versus Penrith on the adjoining field, while the brave ones endlessly refreshed internet feeds and social media. Around 4pm came the news that the game at Hetton had been abandoned with the hosts 78/3, meaning the title went to Andrew Davison and his team, resulting in raucous singing and much downing of distempering draughts. Well done to Davo and the boys, who last won this title in 2018.
One wag observed that the hysterical reaction of the 2s was matched by the Saturday 3s when they won the toss, but being honest, the second half of the season has seen skipper Richard Hay and his regularly changing squad knuckle down and secure a more than creditable 7th place finish in Northumberland and Tyneside League Division 5 (South). The abandonment of Saturday’s game with Newcastle meant the Jesmond outfit could only finish a spot below Tynemouth.
That concludes the 2022 season on Preston Avenue and, I must say, it has been an honour to prepare these reports (with enormous help from Vince Howe, some input from Richy Hay and no contact whatsoever from Davo), but an even bigger one to represent my beloved TCC on 15 occasions. We’ll not talk about my win percentage, eh?
Indeed, a season where I went in to it thinking I’d not play any cricket has seen me play more than at any time in perhaps the last 40 years. 13-0-70-3 and a dozen runs may not be the greatest returns in the world, but I’m 58 years of age and I love this game, my club, my team and my team mates. I will play again next year, if selected of course, aiming to reach targets suggested to me by Poll; score 10 runs in one innings and learn how to bowl to left handers are enough to focus on for now.
Winter well everyone. Forza Croons!!
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