ACADEMY WIN LAST OVER THRILLER V TYNEMOUTH

3rd Jul 2023

NEPL Sunday Division 1: 2^nd July 2023: SNCC Academy v Tynemouth (h)

SNCC 167-2 (29o) Angus Southern 77*, Jacob McCord 13, Jan Ozmen 56, Will Carr 4*: Daniel Watt 0-24, Joel Hull-Denholm 0-36, George Stewart 1-21, Shamsur Oraikhil 0-25, Sean Aditjandra 0-26, Dom Askins 0-16, Patrick Hallam 0-11.

Rain delay: Tynemouth target 156 from 27overs

Tynemouth 151-7 (27o) Patrick Hallam 33, Joel Hull-Denholm 20, Finlay Hodgson 20, Barry Stewart 48*, Dom Askins 19: Josephine Nkomo 0-29, George Gray 0-23, Will Young 1-25, David Cragg 3-54, George McConnell 3-19.

SNCC won by 4 runs - 17 points, Tynemouth 4.

Having taken 23 off the penultimate, 26^th over Tynemouth, on 144-7, needed 12 to win. Josephine held her nerve to bowl the last- 1, dot, dot, 6, dot, dot, the last 5 to the experienced, ex 1^st X1 player, Barry Stewart, to ensure a tense, 4 run win for the Bulls.

But in such close games a lot of things contribute to a successful outcome: 3 maidens mattered- one by George G (over 2) & two by George McC (overs 17 & 23): Will Carr hit his first ball for 4 in the last over of the SN innings, Angus (77*), making the most of several lives, & Jan (56) chanceless, put on 125 for the second wicket, David Cragg took two in two in the 14th, George McC bowled 6 overs for 19 & took three wickets, Will Young bowled well & took an important wicket, Ben Sid's field placings & w/kg were exemplary, bowling changes a challenge admirably coped with given the reduction of overs/bowler caused by the rain delays, the fielding was good.

Winning the toss, the Bulls chose to bat. Southern & McCord faced Watt & Hull-Denholm. The wicket was towards the Pavilion side. Angus survived two chances, to gully & the bowler, in the first over & led a bit of a charmed life but played some nice shots. Jacob hit 3x4 in his 13 before being caught at square leg off George Stewart at 30 in the 7th.

48-1 after 10 overs, Angus 25* Jan 8*. 61-1 after 14, 93-1 after 20, Angus 43* Jan 30*, then some acceleration, 12 off the spin of Aditjandra in the 21^st & Angus got to 50 (64b,74m,6x4) often driving straight or through the covers. The 100-run partnership came up in the 25^th as 12 came from Askins off spin & Jan's 50 (70b,3x4,1x6 into the car park) in the 28^th but from the last ball of that over, Jan 56 (73b, 4x4,1x6) was run out returning for a second. In the 29^th 12 runs including two byes, a leg bye, 4+1 to Angus, 4 to Will, then the rain intervened, 167-2 after 29 overs.

The calculation showed Tynemouth's target was 156 from 27 overs. Hallam & Hull-Denholm faced the seam of Josephine & the off spin of George Gray. Two boundaries to Hallam in the first but a maiden from George in the 2nd.  22 off 4 overs, going along nicely, Hallam 25*. Will Young replaced Josephine & in his second over Hallam struck Will Y for 2x4 but two balls later he was well caught by George McC above his head at square leg, 48-1 after 9 overs, Hallam 33 (33b,7x4).

Hodgson struck George G for 6 in over 12 & Will Y conceded 6 in the next but David Cragg entered in over 14 & gained two lbw decisions in two balls as first Hull Denholm (20, 33b,3x4) & first ball, Oraikhil (0) succumbed, 68-3. 

Hodgson (20, 20b,2x4 1x6) having hit 2+4, advanced, then attempted a late cut but played on to George McC in the 15^th his first, 74-4. 12 off David in over 16 but over 17 a vital maiden for GMcC. 14 off the next & a developing partnership of 28 between B Stewart & Askins until at 102 in the 19^th Askins (19,20b,1x4,1x6) gloved down the leg side to w/k Ben Sid in George McC's 3rd, 102-5.

Only 1 from over 20 bowled by Will Y & 3 off GMcC's next, then in the 22^nd Aditjandra (1) lifted David Cragg over mid off where Jacob took a good catch above his head, 109-6. A second maiden for GMcC followed as G Stewart tried to get off strike. The visitors were just behind the rate. Josephine returned in over 24 going for only 4. At 119 G Stewart (2) driving, was caught by Tris at cover off GMcC, 119-7, Barry Stewart 20*.

Barry Stewart then attacked David Cragg's sla &, surviving a hard-hit chance to long on from the first ball, struck 23 off the over to take Tynemouth to 144-7, 12 to win with one over remaining. Redemption for Josephine was at hand as she bowled the last - one to Watt, two dots, singles turned down looking for the boundary hit, a 6 to wide long on from B Stewart, then two more dots as yorker/full length deliveries were unable to be scored off.

A tense encounter & a very good win by 4 runs. 17 points keeps the Bulls top of Sunday Division 1 on 91 points having played 8, 4 won, 4 abandoned. 

Onward to Sunday 9^th July when the Bulls play Benwell Hill (h) 1330, 40/40, we hope you can be there.

Duncan.