BULLS WINNING START AT SUNNY HETTON: BIRTY & SEAN ON FIRE !

21st Apr 2019

SN began their 2019 NEPL campaign with an emphatic, 133 run win at sunny, Lillywhite Terrace on Saturday 20th April. Simon Birtwisle (79 from 82balls 13x4 1x6) & Sean Tindale (10-6-14-5) led the way for the reigning champions on a wicket that offered something to the bowlers throughout.

SNCC 178ao (48.2o) Birtwisle 79, Graham 39, Ruddick 13. Winn 4-51, Grimwood 3-21, Turner 2-50

Hetton Lyons 45ao (29.2o) Tindale 5-14, Wade 1-16, Crozier 2-10, McGee 2-3.

SN 25 points Hetton Lyons 4.

Losing the toss & being asked to bat, Simon Birtwisle & Chris Hewison faced the medium pace of Robert Talbot & Karl Turner. Birty was in superb form, driving & steering to leg such that the score raced to 68 in the 14th over, (SJB 53*) before Chris Hewison (7) lofted Turner to mid off. This was to be the highest partnership of the day.

The introduction of Chris Winn's lively medium pace, with movement off the seam, saw two wickets go down in the 19th over as Sean Tindale (7) was bowled & Jacques Du Toit (0) on league debut, well caught by w/k Jarvis Clay low to his right. 85-3.

Birty & captain John Graham, in Adam Cragg's absence, took the score to 122 before Birty inadvertently chipped slow left arm Grimwood  to mid wicket for a sumptuous 79. (13 x4, 1x6, 82b, 99 m.)This was a superb innings, immaculate timing despite the helpful surface he had faced.

Sam Dale joined Graham but, after one nice cover drive for 4, hesitation over a third run saw Dale (5) just fail to beat Talbot's throw from the boundary. 145-5 at lunch. Post lunch the innings rather fell away, Graham (39, 78b, 65m) was adjudged lbw to Grimwood, & two balls later Oil McGee (0), also on debut, was bowled. 154-7 in the 40th.

Rob Peyton hit 3 nice shots before trying to drive Winn & being caught at extra cover for 8. James Ruddick played a nice cameo, two lovely boundaries & another edged past slip before he too was bowled by Winn for 13, 175 -9 (47th). Lee Crozier joined Gareth Wade (1), who had defended stoutly for 27 balls, before he was very well caught by Walker low at 2nd slip ending the innings at 178 with Crozier undefeated on 2. 17 extras included 9 no balls, Winn finished with a creditable 4-51. Luke Husband (u15) bowled one nice over of leg breaks.

The Lyons had 61 overs to get them. Walker & Turner faced the pace of Sean Tindale & Gareth Wade. Walker took a boundary off Tindale's first ball but was bowled off stump by the 6th. 4-1. Malkin hit Wade for two boundaries through the leg side before Gareth got his revenge, bowling the home Captain for 9, 22-2  in the 8th. 

Thereafter it became something of a procession with batsmen tied down by good seam bowling with enough movement both ways to be never in. Clay (1) was bowled by Tindale in over 13. Two overs later Tindale ended Turner's vigil (7 from 43 balls) as Hewison took a catch at square leg. 24-4.

In his next over Tindale had Winn superbly caught low down by Chris Hewison at backward point from a hard hit slash & from the first ball of his 10th over, Errington played on, 36-6 in the 19th. Wade's spell 8-1-16-1 had allowed no respite but he was replaced by Crozier at the pavilion end in the 18th.

Martin (7) attempting to break the shackles smacked Crozier to point where Tindale took a good low catch, 36-7. Sean Tindale's superb spell ended 10-6-14-5 & he was replaced by debutant Oli McGee's slow left arm. With the third ball of his second over, Talbot hit McGee to point where Dale took a straightforward catch, 38-8. After two more maidens, McGee had Birbeck (2) smartly taken at first slip by Du Toit & the innings was wrapped up when Crozier had Grimwood lbw for 6 after only 29.2 overs.

A good team performance with everyone making a contribution, delighted to welcome back Chris Hewison after 7 years at Swalwell & to embrace SNCC debuts Jacques Du Toit, Oli McGee & Gareth Wade. A very satisfactory start but with things to work on before we face the challenge of promoted Burnopfield on Sat 27th April at Roseworth Terrace. An 1115 start, we hope to see you there.

DDS.