BULLS WIN T20 v LANCHESTER BUT FALL SHORT AT CHESTER-LE-STREET

22nd May 2024

 Fri 17^th May 2024: NEPL T20 group F 2/3: SNCC v Lanchester (h).

Lanchester 81-7 (20o) Charlie McPhail 27, Jack Slane 20: Tom Rogers 3-8, Sean Tindale 1-4, Oli McGee 0-9, Will Alexander 2-20, Nathan Gough 0-18, Lee Crozier 1-14.

SNCC 84-1 (12.1o) Chris Hewison 14, Sol Bell 54*, Rob Peyton 12*: Pasindu Madushan 0-16, Cam Metcalfe 0-26, Ibrahim Khan 0-22, Callum Barnes 1-14, Josh Renton 0-6.

SNCC won by 9 wickets- 6 points, Lanchester 0.

A straightforward win for the Bulls after Lanchester won the toss & chose to bat. Storey (0) edged behind from ball 2 off Tom Rogers. In his second over Madushan (4) went the same way, 12-2.

14-3 in over 6 as Brinton (3) skied Will Alexander to mid on where Tom took the catch. Oli bowled 4 overs for 9. In over 10 Patterson (3) swung Will to deep square leg where Sol took the catch, 30-4.

Progress by McPhail & Slane, an over when Nathan could not find the right line but then Lee, Sean & Tom finished the innings. At 65 in the 16^th McPhail (27) hit Lee to long on where Tom took the catch. In the next over Renton (1) was caught by Adam at mid wicket & in the 19^th bowled by Sean, Somersall (1) was caught by Nathan at mid on. Slane (20*) at the end, 81-7 (extras 16.)

Chris Hewison & Sol Bell faced the off spin of Madushan & the seam of Metcalfe; a maiden to start. 20 at the end of the 4^th over, Sol pulling for 6 to square leg. Khan's leg spin went for 11 in over 5, including another maximum to Sol, 31-0 after 5 overs.

Chris drove straight for 4 & in the next another to backward square leg, 42 after 6 overs. The slow left arm of Barnes claimed the wicket of Chris (14) in the 8^th stumped as he advanced, 54-1. Rob Peyton joined Sol & both scored freely in overs 9 & 10, 71-1.

Sol reached his 50 in over 12 & from the first ball of the 13^th hit to midwicket to seal the win, Sol (54*,35b, 5x4,2x6) & Rob 12*.

The final T20 group F game is on Friday 31^st June v Tynemouth (a).

NEPL PREMIER DIVISION: SAT 18^th MAY 2024: SNCC v CLS (a) 45/45o

SNCC 217-6 (45o) Simon Birtwisle 29, Sol Bell 20, Chris Hewison 11, Sean Tindale 20, Adam Cragg 83*: Quentin Hughes 0-15, Liam Simpson 0-69, Mark Watson 2-49, Josh Wilson 2-33, Seb Hughes-Pinan 1-40, Kyle Coetzer 0-10.

CLS 221-4 (43o) John Coxon 12, Jacob McCann 55, Andrew Smith 26, Kyle Coetzer 77*, James Thompson 27: Tom Rogers 2-37, Jonny Wightman 0-47, Sean Tindale 0-52, Oli McGee 1-35, Lee Crozier 1-52.

CLS won by 6 wickets- 24 points, SNCC 5.

CLS won the toss & chose to field. Simon Birtwisle & Sol Bell faced Quentin Hughes (ob) & Liam Simpson (rm).  After 17 overs the score was 47-0, Q  bowled his 9 overs for only 15 as a nagging length & well set fields restricted the rate.

At 49 Sol (20) was bowled by first change Watson (rm). At 63, Birty (29, 64b,1x4,1x6) was lbw sweeping, Wilson (ob) the bowler from around the wicket. In trying to up the rate Hewi (11,21b) holed out at long off, Smith taking the catch off Seb Hughes-Pinan, 71-3. Sean (20,49b) showed some urgency but at 115 he played back to Wilson & was bowled.

Tom Rogers (33) joined Adam Cragg & drove hard & straight. 2x4 & 2x6 in a 14 ball innings provided some much needed momentum, until he was caught at long off by Smith off Wilson at 169, 5 down in the 41^st over.

Remarkably the 150 had come up in the 40th over so to get to 217 after 45 overs was all down to Adam who plundered 6x4 & 5x6 magnificently in a 57 ball innings of 83*. Rob Peyton (2) was run out at 171 when Adam was only 47* so an explosive next 4 overs saw 46 runs scored: Nathan 7* at the end. 217-6, much better than it might have been but one sensed a below par score.

Coxon & McCann showed intent. At 32 Coxon (12), having been dropped by Rob two balls earlier, edged Tom behind for Rob to take the second chance. McCann & Smith pushed on & at 89 Smith (27, 34b,2x41x6) was caught by Adam at short extra aiming to leg off Oli, 2 down. Oli, enjoying the challenge of bowling at Coetzer intent on attack, had a good first spell.

Rogers went around the wicket to the left-handed McCann (55, 65b,5x4, who gloved a bouncer to w/k Rob at 106. On 10 Coetzer seemed a tad fortunate that an lbw shout off Lee was turned down, a faint inside edge perhaps. Thereafter, although aerial a little, he batted very well in company with James Thompson, some near misses notwithstanding. Several bowling changes in a attempt to get a wicket proved unsuccessful.

150 in the 35^th over & 200 in the 42^nd but at 205 Thompson (27,56b, 2x4) ran past one from Lee to be stumped by Rob, 4 down. Oli & Lee suffered in their last two overs, Cole Pearce striking 2x4 in a 4 ball innings in the 43^rd to win the game. Coetzer finished on 77* (78b, 7x4, 2x6) a consummate display, CLS winning by 6 wickets with two overs left. 

Food for thought for the Bulls. Perhaps the wicket got a little quicker as the game progressed but was there a lack of intent to take the bowlers on in the first 10 overs in order to rotate the strike ? Scoring rate comparisons show 50 runs (SN 18.3o, CLS 9.1o), 100 runs (SN 32.5o, CLS 20.3o), 150 runs (SN 39.1o,CLS 34.3o),200 runs (SN 44o, CLS 41.2o).

Big games coming up,  Sat 25^th May: NEPL  SNCC v Newcastle (h) 1200 45/45 then Sun 26^th May: National Club Championship Round 2: SNCC v Norton (h) 1300, 40/40.

An exciting weekend ahead, we hope you can be there to cheer the team on.

Duncan.