Bulls buoyant after busy but successful weekend

31st May 2022

 Friday 27th May v Shotley Bridge NEPL T20 Group A, game 1/5.

Shotley Bridge 101-6 (20o) Jack Rowley 34, Tom Slane 23*: Jonny Wightman 0-25, Sean Tindale 3-20, Simon Birtwisle 1-7, Oli McGee 0-23,Lee Crozier 1-17, Ru Fletcher 1-9.

SNCC 102-0 (10.4o) Simon Birtwisle 17*, Rob Peyton 83*: Kieran Milburn 0-29, Joe Gibson 0-19, Jack Rowley 0-26, Ross Burdon 0-24, Tom Slane 0-3.

SNCC won by 10 wickets: 6 points. 

The visitors were asked to bat. They scored 101-6 in their allotted 20 overs: 13-1 Burdon c McGee at mid-off, b Tindale; 33-2 in the 7th, Milburn b Birtwisle ; 54-3 in the 11th, Andrews c Wightman at long off, b Fletcher R; 69-4 in the 15 th, Rowley c Southern at cover, b Crozier; 96-5 in the 20th, Collingwood b Tindale ; 100-6 in the 20th Gibson c Crozier at long off, b Tindale, Tom Slane 23*: workmanlike.

There followed an undefeated, opening partnership of 102 in 10.4 overs. Birty 17* Rob 83*, the latter with a masterful display of chanceless, controlled hitting mostly down the ground mixed with sweeps & reverses (36b, 36m, 10x4, 5x6), Burdon's only over disappearing for 6,4,4,4,6; Milburn, Gibson & Rowley suffered too. Emphatic! The hybrid pitch behaved well.

The second T20 in Group A is on Fri 3rd June away to Blaydon.

Sat 28th May, NEPL Premier Division No: 7 w/l/d, 110 overs v Chester-le-Street (a)

CLS 220-ao (57.1o) John Coxon 65, Jacob McCann 20, Andrew Smith 26, Quentin Hughes 42: Jonny Wightman 4-55, Sean Tindale 1-50, Calum Fletcher 1-27, Oli McGee 2-41, Lee Crozier 1-30.

SNCC 206-8 (52o) Sol Bell 54, Rob Peyton 30, Chris Hewison 49, Adam Cragg 27, Oli McGee 22*: Quentin Hughes 3-47, Seb Hughes-Pinan 3-57, Amaan Ul Haq 2-67.

SNCC winning draw- 14 points, CLS 9.

On a sunny day at Ropery Lane, the home side elected to bat. RH Coxon & LH McCann faced Wightman & Tindale from the Lane. The opening spell saw some playing & missing, some aerial shots & some punishment of wayward bowling. Sean gave way to Cal in the 8th & it was he who persuaded McCann (20) to feather behind for w/k Parth to take the catch, 34-1 in the 10th.

Andrew Smith is an action batsman, a 6 off Wightman, 2x4 off Fletcher such that he & his captain progressed the score to 88 in the 20th when, in trying to slog sweep McGee in his second over, Smith (26) was bowled. Enter Q who proceeded to be positive, another right/left combination.

At 29 overs the score was 128-2, Coxon 53* Hughes 18*: Crozier's first 4 overs had gone for 11 & the squeeze continued with Lee & Jonny in partnership. In the 36th at 155, Coxon was caught behind off a no ball from Jonny! Wighters was bowling well & in the 40th Q (42) seemed to inside edge onto his stumps. In the 42nd Wightman's 13th over, Coxon (65) was bowled attacking, 175-4. From the last ball of the 44th, Cranston (10) was caught by a diving Rob at point also off the deserving Jonny, 180 -5. In his last 15th over, Wightman had Wilson (0) lbw (181-6): 15-1-55-4, a great spell.

An over later, Crozier c & b Dawson (1), 183-7 at the end of the 47th. Purdon & Bell batted sensibly to take the innings its full distance until both fell for 16, Purdon yorked by Tindale in the 53rd & Bell stumped by Mannikar off McGee, 218-9. In the last over an optimistic call for 2 ended with Ul Haq (2) run out by Sol Bell. 220.... gettable in 52?

Birty & Sol faced Quentin Hughes & Andrew Bell. Birty (4) mishit to backward point off Q, 14-1 in the 7th. Rob Peyton was positive but sensible, hitting 5x4 in his fluent 30 until he skied an intended sweep to be caught by Q off Ul Haq, 71-2. This became 78-3 as Sean was stumped by McCann down the legside advancing to Seb Hughes-Pinan. 92-3 after 29 overs, work to do.

Sol had been batting steadily & he reached a deserved 50 (96b 4x4), only to be adjudged lbw for 54 in the 31 st off Seb H-P, 101-4. Hewi, with restraint, but hitting the bad ball, took 5x4 in the next 5 overs as the all spin attack continued. Cragg was busy taking ones & twos until Hewi (49) hit Seb high to the longest, long on boundary towards the houses, where Dawson took a good catch, 158-5 in the 43rd.

Cragg hit Seb for 6 but, in the next over, at 169, he was taken by Smith off Ul Haq for 27, a sense of unfortunately seeming to lose wickets just as momentum was building....? Mannikar & McGee, knowing the winning draw was 199, batted positively until Mannikar (9) was bowled by Q at 192 in the 49th. Enter Wightman (4) to secure the objective before being caught by w/k McCann off Q. 

Winning draw secured; Oli waited until the last ball of the 52 over to launch Wilson for 6, Oli 22*

A fair result in which the Bulls came back strongly in the second half. 4 th in the Premier Division after 7 games, the 8th  NEPL match is at home to Eppleton on Sat 4 th June 1100 start, 110 overs, w/l/d. 

Sunday 29th May, ECB National Club Championship Round 2 (h) to Stockton 40/40.

SNCC 286 -5 (40o) Sol Bell 137, Simon Birtwisle 85, Adam Cragg 22*: Billy Shackleton 3-61, Lewis Beaumont 2-51, James Ward 0-48, Matthew Gill 0-46, Jamie Burke 0-29, Tom Gaffney 0-47.

Stockton 200ao (36.1o) Jon Rickard 60, Lewis Beaumont 70, Kevin Ward 28: Jonny Wightman 0-23, Sean Tindale 2-29, Simon Birtwisle 2-30, Calum Fletcher 0-30, Lee Crozier 1-39, Oli McGee 5-45.

SNCC won by 86 runs.

The true surface at Roseworth Terrace produced a run fest , 486 runs in only 76 .1 overs. The Bulls were invited to bat & openers Simon Birtwisle & Sol Bell built an outstanding partnership of 206 for the first wicket. Great shots, composed batting, running well, timing sweetly, 112 after 20 overs, Birty 48* Sol 54*.

Accelerating nicely, this became 164 after 25 & the 200 partnership was reached after 29.3 overs, Sol 100, Birty 85. Attacking, Birty was bowled by L Beaumont for 85, 10x4 1x6 all around the ground, at 206-1 after 30.2o. Sol continued, Rob perished for 5 sweeping Shackleton & adjudged lbw. Hewi(12) was caught at long on in the 36th .

Adam was busy, pushing ones & twos but Sol's fine innings came to an end in the 39th as, advancing to the spinner, he was stumped off a wide for a magnificent 137 (123 balls, 12x4, 4x6 ) many in his favoured long on area with one pull maximum. 271-4 after 38.3o. Sean (2) was caught in the deep in the last over which finished at 286-5 Adam 22* Oli 0*.

Stockton started with a bang, with nothing to lose, a good wicket & fast outfield, Jon Rickard & Lewis Beaumont took advantage of the pace & some wayward direction, often driving through cover off the back foot, to post 50 in 8 overs, Beaumont 31* Rickard 19*. 77 in the 11th, a Crozier maiden in the 15th was welcome.

In over 16 with the score at 117, Beaumont hit McGee for 6 but Oli would turn the game in his next two overs, having Rickard (60) lbw sweeping at 130-1, 4 balls later Gill (1) bowled , 132-2 & one over later Hewison (2), very well caught by Sean retreating at mid off, taking the catch over his head at full tilt, 136-3 at half way.

Kevin Ward & Beaumont continued until in the 24th, opener Lewis Beaumont (70) was caught by Sean at long on off Oli, 152-4. Two overs later Crozier bowled Kevin Ward (28), 169-5. Birty returned to the attack in the 27th but it was McGee again who had James Ward caught by Lee at short fine leg, top edging a sweep, 189-6 in the 30th & a 5 fer for Oliver.

In the 31st Gaffney (0) edged Birty to w/k Parth, 190-7. At 196 in the 34th A Beaumont ( 12) was yorked by Sean amid a maiden over. In the 36th Burke (1) was caught by Cal at mid-wicket off Sean & the end came after 36.2 overs as Lee Ward (6) was caught by Rob, jumping, half way to long on.

A comfortable win in the end but a really good game for players & spectators alike.

Round 3 is at home to old rivals, York on Sunday 19th June, 1300 start. We hope you can join us.

Congratulations & sincere thanks to players & families for being available for a very hectic weekend, 3 games in three days is demanding for all, we are very grateful for this commitment. We must continue.

Duncan.