BULLS WIN AT SUNDERLAND MAINTAINS 16 POINT LEAD WITH ONE TO GO

5th Sep 2022

                  NEPL Premier Division, Sat 3^rd Sept 2022, SNCC v Sunderland (a)

 Sunderland 172ao (49.2o) Dan Shurben 17, Chris Youlden 17, Joe Defty 36, Rob Potts 38, Hamza Tahir 30: Jonny Wightman 2-42, Sean Tindale 2-23, Calum Fletcher 0-24, Oli McGee 1-29, Lee Crozier 2-38, Simon Birtwisle 3-7.

SNCC 173-5 (37.1o) Sol Bell 35, Simon Birtwisle 29, Rob Peyton 41, Sean Tindale 18, Adam Cragg 14*, Parth Mannikar 15*: Hamza Tahir 1-34, Kieran Waterson 0-35, Micky Allan 1-34, Joe Defty 1-21, Brett Hutchinson 1-19, Milo Coates 0-2.

SNCC won by 5 wickets- 20 points, Sunderland 4.

A blistering opening stand of 66 in in 8.2 overs by Sol & Birty, in reply to Sunderland's 172, set the Bulls well on the way to a 5 wicket win at Ashbrooke. This win maintains a 16 point lead over Burnmoor with one game remaining. So, 5 points required to seal a 14^th NEPL title, from the game v Hetton Lyons (h) on Sat 10^th September.

Winning the toss, the home team were invited to bat. Shurben & Stuart faced the seam of Wightman & Tindale. 7 off Jonny's 1^st but in the second, Sean struck Stuart (0) on the grill & bowled him next ball, 7-1. Allan (11) joined Shurben, taking 4's off Wightman until in the 9^th Jonny trapped him lbw on the back pad, 30-2.

7 runs later Shurben (17), driving, inside edged on to Jonny, 37-3. Cal Fletcher's 5 over spell was tight but wicketless & a partnership of 26 followed between Youlden & Defty as McGee & 3 overs later Crozier entered the attack. At 63 in the 25^th Youlden (17) appeared to york himself, chopping on to Oli, 63-4.

Pritchard (6) hit one 4 but succumbed, on the crease, lbw to Crozier in the 28th, 70-5. Potts & Defty battled. Defty may have been fortunate to survive a caught behind appeal when sweeping McGee & very well caught by w/k Parth down the leg side off pad & glove.

After accelerating, & with the score at 105, Defty (36) chipped Crozier to mid off, half way back, where Oli took the catch, 6 down. Tahir was equally positive striking two early boundaries & he & Potts put on a good 63 for the 7^th wicket, finding interesting places to score, until in the 48^th over Potts (38), attacking, was bowled through the gate in Birty's 3^rd over. Waterson (0) followed, yorked first ball by Tindale & then Birty completed an uncelebrated hat trick !..... having Tahir (30) caught by McGee at mid off & next ball trapping Coates(0) lbw from the first two balls of the last over, 172 all out.

Sol & Birty faced the sla of Scotland International Hamza Tahir & the seam of Kieran Waterson. After a two over spell, Tahir was replaced by Allan. 20 -0 after 4 overs as Birty hit 2x4 & 31 after 3 as Sol hit 10. In over 6 Birty drove & flicked 3x4 off consecutive Waterson deliveries & in the next Sol took 3x4 +2 off Allan mainly through the leg side, exhilarating to watch. At 66 in the 9^th Sol (35 6x4) flirting, outside edged to w/k Youlden off Allan.

At 85 in the 12^th Birty (29, 6x4) got one that bounced unexpectedly & gloved to slip off Defty. A pity, just 4 needed for Simon to be the first to achieve 12000 NEPL runs. Rob Peyton was again imperious 3x4 driven off Defty in the 10^th & he was joined by Chris Hewison. Hewi (2) slapped a short ball off Hutchinson to point at 96 in the 15th.

Rob continued to score 4 or 1 & after 2 consecutive 4's off the slow left arm of Tahir in the 20th, attempted a third & was caught at mid off for 41 (8x4). (He will reflect again that after looking in no trouble at all, he should have gone on !!), 118-4.

Sean joined Adam & the pair, eschewing risk, pushed singles towards the target. 121 after 21, 142 after 30. Hutchinson, Tahir, Stuart & Waterson were rotated in search of a wicket. At 146 in the 33^rd Sean (18) pushed forward to Stuart's sla, the ball turned to take the edge & be caught at slip by Allan. Parth joined Adam & got off the mark with 5 as a throw from short fine leg, clipped the bowler's stump & raced to the boundary.

A cover drive for 4 followed, two x 2 for Adam & one over later, a 4 & a 2 to Parth bringing the score within one. A wide & a run completed the win from the first ball of the 38^thover, Adam 14* (65b) Parth 15* (15b).

One tough game to go on Sat 10^th Sept against third placed, & playing well, Hetton Lyons. We must continue to maintain the standards set. Onward, mes amis!

Duncan.