BULLS STAY SECOND AFTER COMPREHENSIVE DEFEAT OF SUNDERLAND

5th Sep 2022

    100 third wicket partnership between Nick & Ru then Sadiq spins a 6 wicket web.

             NEPL Division 2, Sat 3^rd Sept 2022, SNCC 2^nd X1 v Sunderland 2^nd X1 (h)

SNCC 261-6 (48o) Nick Tomlinson 86, Ru Fletcher 68, Angus Southern 44, Gavin Paton 37*: Louis Dinsdale 2-43, Haseeb Yaqoob 1-43, Callum Hutchinson 0-34, Philip Smith 0-46, Michael Cooney 1-55, Sam Brigham 0-38.

Sunderland 121ao (29.4o) Louis Dinsdale 19, Haseeb Yaqoob 52*: Allan Davidson 2-14, Gavin Paton 1-26, Sadiq Khan 6-39, Ru Fletcher 0-35, Ben Hobbs 0-2.

SNCC won by 140 runs - 20 points, Sunderland 2.

A shower before the start reduced the overs to 48/side, 3x10, 2x9 overs. Grey sky abounded but the wind was strong until late in the afternoon & play was uninterrupted until almost the last overs.

Sadiq Khan & Alex Charnley faced the seam of Louis Dinsdale & Haseeb Yaqoob. There was a little bit in the wicket & Sadiq, one boundary apart, found scoring difficult. This probably led to his call for an impossible single straight to cover with Alex (6) run out at the striker's end, 10-1. One run later, Sadiq, perhaps seeking to break free, drove Dinsdale straight to mid on, 11-2 in the 7th.

Ru joined Nick & patiently they rebuilt. Ru breaking free in the 13^th driving & cutting Dinsdale for 3x4, 42 after 15. In Callum Hutchinson's first, Ru repeated by taking 2x4 straight & through square leg. Nick rotated nicely, he had already found the boundary off Yaqoob through third man twice & mid wicket. The left right combination was working well.

Smith began what seemed to be a useful spell at the Park end but went for 5's. Ru reached a deserved 50 after 60 mins from 48b with 8x4,  Nick 33* & 100 came up in the 24^th over.

Ru greeted Cooney's off breaks with a pull & a sweep but two overs later, aiming to pull, skied, enabling the w/k to take the catch. Ru 68 (85m,68b, 10x4), an excellent knock & partnership of 100 with Nick rescuing the innings from 11-2, so 121-3. Angus Southern joined Nick & the pair rotated regularly as the spin of Cooney & Brigham offered opportunities to Angus through mid wicket which he took almost every  ball.

131 after 31overs & in the 36th, Nick reached another deserved 50, driving Brigham wide of mid on, twice.  185 after 40 when the opening bowlers returned. Nick accele rated & at 201 in the 42^nd drove Yaqoob to cover where Arulthas caught a neat low catch. Nick 86 (136m, 103b, 11x4, another excellent innings, blunting the bowling before blossoming with drives through mid wicket, extra cover & cuts through point, 7x4 in his last 18 balls.

Angus had become more expansive steering to third man but at 207 in the 43^rd was run out by Smith's direct hit at the non striker's end. Jacob (1) steered to point in the 47^th with the score at 239. Ben Sid hit a boundary off Smith but his single enabled Gavin's explosive finish as Mr P smote 21 of 22 in Cooney's over- 1,4,4,6,6, straight or over wide mid on, so 261-6 after 48 overs.

The umpires seemed to enjoy their first tea for three years.

Brigham & Dinsdale faced  the seam of Allan Davidson & Gavin Paton. Wides bedevilled both but in the 7^th Allan bowled Brigham (4) leg stump, 18-1. The powerful Dinsdale had stroked three nice boundaries but at 36 in the 10^th, radar working better, Gavin bowled K Hutchinson (2).

This became 40-3 in the next over as Dinsdale (19) drove hard at Allan for Ru to take off at first slip & take a stunning catch two handed, high to his right! Bravo ! At the same score in Sadiq's first, Boal was bowled, stuck on the crease, 40-4. This became 49-5 in the 16th as Ben Sid took a neat w/k catch to dismiss Cooney off Sadiq.

Sadiq pitching it up & with spin posed problems, Yaqoob apart, batters were unable to master. The wind had dropped a little & the sky darkened but there was no rain. Ru began a 6 over spell to ensure 25 overs were completed to enable a result.

Sadiq continued & at 69 in the 20^th Gillon (0) cut at Sadiq for w/k Ben to take another sharp catch, standing up, 69-6. In Ru's 5^th over the powerful Arulthas *(8) was called for an impossible single by captain Yaqoob & was stranded as Gavin's exocet hit middle stump at the bowler's end, 101-7. The sky darkened & bowlers rushed.

Amid all this Haseeb Yaqoob had explored most parts backward of square on the offside & he reached a most creditable 50 (55m, 46b, 9x4). Sadiq bowled Winlow (4) middle stump at 112, drinks were taken, the sky darkened further, a light drizzle began.

Sadiq finished the game with two wickets in 4 balls in the 30th. C Hutchinson (4) swung & missed to be bowled & Smith was bowled second ball. 121 all out in 29.4 overs. Sadiq's figures 9.4-1-39-6, a delightful reward  for accurate leg spin bowling against batters reluctant to use their feet. 43 league wickets so far for Sadiq with one game to go in 2022. C'est magnifique!

The 2's still 12 points second at the top of NEPL Division 2 to Tynemouth, who face fourth placed Ashington (a) on Sat 10^th Sept, when the Bulls go to Hetton Lyons (a). Still all to play for, we must continue ! Come along to support it will be exciting!

Duncan.