ACADEMY DEFEAT HETTON LYONS IN A CLOSE ENCOUNTER.

13th Aug 2024

ACADEMY DEFEAT HETTON LYONS IN A CLOSE ENCOUNTER.

                    NEPL Sunday First Division: 11^th August 2024: 40/40

SNCC Academy 136ao (37o) Joe Dresser 13, Jan Ozmen 30, George McConnell 29, Aadesh Sahadevan 13, Varun Gudipati 10: K Khan 0-25, D Walker 1-15, C Burdon 1-38, A Farid 1-15, E Dixon 3-16, P Lawson 3-22.

Hetton Lyons 108ao (23.2o) M Tomys 10, E Dixon 57, K Khan 22: Varun Gudipati 3-20, Will Young 1-26, Gregor Pearce 0-20, Melissa Banks 4-23, Aadesh Sahadevan 2-14.

SNCC won by 28 runs -  25 points, Hetton Lyons 8.

A sunny day at Roseworth Terrace, the Bulls won the toss & chose to bat. Joe Dresser, not yet fit to bowl, & Jacob McCord faced  the right arm seam of Khan & Walker.

Some good running in evidence but at 9 in the 4^th Jacob (3), on the back foot, edged Walker to w/k Tomys. Jan took 7 off Walker's next then drove through mid wicket off Khan twice as Joe pulled to mid wicket pleasingly on two occasions. 41-1 after 10 overs which ended with a maiden to leg spinner Burdon.

In his next Joe (13) was caught on the crease & bowled by Burdon when using his reach to get forward would have been a better bet, 43-2. Enter George McConnell who struck 4 then 6 to mid wicket in the same over. He repeated the dose in Burdon's next, 6 to mid wicket & 4 to long on. Farid's (sla) consistent drift away caused George some timing problems, playing & missing, & so it was in the 17^th as George aimed to pull towards mid wicket, the edge skied to point. A shame, (26b, 2x4 3x6) an attacking innings cut short, 78-3.

92 -3 at halfway drinks Jan 27*. Spells began for Dixon (ob) & Lawson (rm) who would then bowl unchanged for the rest of the innings exercising control. In the 24^th Jan (30, 46b 2x4) was lbw pushing forward to Dixon, 100-4. Ben cut nicely for 4 but 3 runs later Aadesh (7) drove Dixon to mid on who took a head high catch.

In Lawson's next two wickets as Jacques (0) was lbw aiming to leg & one ball later, an optimistic call for a single to cover by Missy, saw Ben (7) defeated by Dixon's direct hit to the striker's stumps, 108-7. Three overs later Missy (5) driving, was bowled by Lawson,117-8. Gregor (3) was then lbw to Dixon aiming to leg, 120-9.

An important partnership of 16 for the last wicket  ensued between Varun & Will.  After being dropped at cover, Varun drove nicely for 4 through mid off & Will twice drove Dixon through cover for 2x2. At 136 in the 37^th Varun (10) drove Lawson to deepish mid off where Dixon, retreating, took the catch, Will 8* despite a tendency to look behind him to where the ball has gone as non striker rather than responding to the call !

The Lyons innings was a curate's egg. 17-4 after 6 overs, 88 in the 17^th as Dixon, 2023 NEPL Academy Player of the Year, struck 11x4 & 103-6 at half way drinks when the visitors looked likely winners, but Missy changed it with two in two in the 22^nd then taking the final wicket at 108 in the 23^rd over.

Tomys & Birbeck faced Gudipati & Young. 2x4 from the first over as Tomys slapped to cover & cut to third man. In Varun's second a checked drive found Jacques at point who took a neat, low catch with aplomb. In Varun's third two wickets as Birbeck (2) aiming to leg lobbed to Jan at gully & 3 balls later Burdon (1) edged to w/k Ben Sid standing up, 17-3.

In Will's third over Walker (2) not fully forward was adjudged lbw & departed unhappily, the bin just beyond the boundary edge feeing the force of his disappointment - 17-4.

Dixon, dropped on 4 at square leg, batted forcefully despatching anything overpitched, short or wide & with no boundary cover on the offside the total mounted. Gregor took some punishment as did Missy but the introduction of Aadesh in the 15^th saw a maiden, 82-4 Dixon 40*. 

Khan (22) had also begun to play expansively but at 88 in the 17^th mistimed a drive off Aadesh to mid off where Jacques held his second catch at head height without fuss.

In the next Missy bowled Lawson (1) off stump. Dixon drove straight 2x4 in Aadesh's next, the 19^th, so at drinks the Lyons were 103-6, Dixon 56* & on course.

Within two overs all had changed. In Missy's 6^th over she bowled Dixon defending (57, 43b, 11x4), an excellent innings for his team, a vital wicket, & next ball bowled Newey (0), 104-8. In the next Aadesh caught a stinging drive from Donkin (8) on follow through, outstanding, 9 down. In Missy's next Dietz (0) was stumped by Ben Sid to seal a win by 28 runs !

Missy 4-23 the reward for a full length targeting the stumps, Varun a good 3 -20 & Aadesh 2-14 consistent line & length. Jacques two neat catches, Ben standing up to most bowlers kept the batters in the crease, a good catch & a sharp stumping. The importance of boundary cover against attacking batting emphasised.

SNCC Academy retain 3^rd place in the Sunday First Division with one game to go. SNCC Academy v Gateshead Fell (h) Sunday 25^th August, 1330 40/40. We hope you can be there, it might be exciting !

Duncan.