It was a mixed weekend of weather and results for the Hill on Saturday 6th/Sunday 7th June. Saturday was an awful damp day and it was a miracle that all 3 games got finished, and it was a mixed back with a narrow 2 wicket loss for the 1's against Burnopfield, the 2's hung on for a losing draw against Newcastle City, however the NTCL 3's had a nail biting win against Newton, this was supplemented on Sunday with an excellent win for the NEPL 3's against champions and league leaders Chester-le-Street. Read on for more info.
NEPL Premier Division - 1st XI v Felling (h) - Lost by 2 wickets
It was a damp miserable afternoon but just about playable, so all eyes were on the captains at the toss. Unfortunately for us, Burnopfield skipper Ross Whitfield called correctly and inserted the Hill on what was going to be a testing wicket, and so it proved.
We lost skipper Bell early, soon to be followed by Adam, and when the pro departed for 28 (all 3 wickets to Matty Oswell) we were 38 for 3, however Toby Barton and Sam Dinning led the recovery before Sam (22) was adjudged LBW to leave us 103 for 4, however after that wickets fell regularly, Barton going quickly after, new man Morgan Barnes fell for 12, Max for 10, and we eventually stumbled to 148 all out with Ben Cant the not out batsman on 16.
In reply we snared Burnopfield dangerman John Oswell early for 1, and wickets fell regularly thereafter 27 for 2, 63 for 3, 85 for 4, 95 for 5, however skipped Ross Whitfield (43 not out) remained at the wicket and his presence proved crucial as he held the innings together eventually finding a match winning 9th wicket partnership with Josh Boushfield (31 not out) to surpass our 148 in the 34th over.
It was a tremendous effort by our 3 seamers who bowled all but 2 of the 34 overs, Sam Martin-Jenkins the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 58 off 11.4 overs, Mark Watson also bowled superbly with 3 for 40 off 12 overs, Ben Cant didn't get the rewards his efforts deserved as he finished with 0 for 38 off 8.
Next up is a trip north to old foes Ashington in what is a crucial game as we aim to get back to winning ways.
NEPL 1st XI Scorecard v Burnopfield (h)
NEPL Division 2 - 2nd XI v Felling (a) - Losing Draw - Match Report by Ayush Chakraporty
On a gloomy day in Gosforth, skipper Peter Jones won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Gabriel Mellor and Nazifullah Habibi started exceptionally well, keeping things tight and proving difficult to get away for the first 20 overs. The breakthrough came via Mellor, who removed Newcastle City’s opening batsman with a wonderful delivery.
Following a brief rain delay, however, the momentum shifted. A costly array of dropped catches combined with some powerful hitting from the hosts allowed Newcastle City to capitalize. Anchored by a brilliant century from V.Gaggar, they finished their 58 overs on 280-5. It was a tough day at the office for the bowling unit, with Ayush Chakraborty the pick of the attack taking 3 wickets, while Mellor and Habibi claimed one apiece.
Our reply started brilliantly. Harsh Patel and Ayush Chakraborty struck the ball cleanly from the outset, scoring well above the required rate to quickly post a 50-run opening stand and put the Newcastle City bowlers under immediate pressure.
The partnership was broken when Patel fell for 22, flicking one straight to square leg. Chakraborty followed shortly after for a well-made 43, the unfortunate victim of a delivery that offered zero bounce and resulted in a plumb LBW. Liam Hynd (16) and Michael Maclauchlan (30) then looked to rebuild, putting together a convincing partnership. However, both fell in relatively quick succession to the left-arm spinner. In true Benwell fashion, a middle-order collapse ensued, leaving the lower order with the mammoth task of batting out the remaining overs to salvage a draw.
Thankfully, the lower order delivered a masterclass in defensive resilience. Aside from the occasional expansive swing towards cow corner from Khaled, it was a collective, gritty effort to block out the opposition.
The rearguard action was anchored by a monumental, two-hour stint from Peter Jones. Setting aside his notorious disdain for batting, Jones patted back countless deliveries to finish on 16 not out, successfully bailing the team out to secure the draw at 188-9 after 52 overs.
Overall, it was a highly respectable effort from the boys to manufacture a draw from a difficult position. The result keeps us 3rd in the league. We go again next week against Ashington at home.
NEPL 2nd XI Scorecard v Newcastle City (a)
NTCL Division 5 South - 3rd XI v Greenside (h) - Lost by 268 runs - Injured Vice Captains Match Report by James Walder
The 3rd XI travelled to Humshaugh to play Newton and it was the return match for Nick and Jeff Mason and a welcome first sighting of Kaush.
Skipper Chris 'Cherry' Pounder continued his impressive run of losing every toss this season and with rain forecast we were asked to bat. Both Masons and Nick Walder were early wickets before Kaush and I Habibi put on a good partnership only ending with a great catch on the boundary edge. I Habibi who had opened the batting kept the scoreboard ticking over with only Jamie Fletcher-Woods reaching double figures. I Habibi was eventually out for 96 falling just short of a first BHCC 100 as the team posted 167.
Despite not picking up early wickets, the bowlers limited scoring opportunities until Jamie got 2 wickets. At around 50/2 Newton then had a good partnership and were in the driving seat until 2 wickets from Kaush put the pressure on. Good tight bowling pushed up the run rate and I Habibi got a great run out to leave Newton needing 8 off the last over. Nicholas was bowling and only went for 3 runs ending up with 9 overs 1 for 13 as Newton ended on 163 for 7.
A good win in a tight game with good fielding and bowling getting us across the line.
NTCL 3rd XI Scorecard v Newton (a)
NEPL Sunday Division 1 v Seaham Harbour (a) - Won by 28 runs - Injured Captain's Report by Matty Hynd
The NEPL 3s took on champions Chester-le-Street at home on a windy day at the Hill. Stand in Skipper Andy Dawson won the toss and elected to bat.
Harsh and Ayusb got us off to a good start before Harsh was bowled for a well made 28. Nav Safi was quickly out and we were in a good position at 102/2, however a mid order collapse meant that we lost a few wickets starting with Ayush 76 from 82. The middle order failed to get double figures and we lost 6.wickets for 14 runs! Andy Dawson counter attacked and Ollie Smalley batted sensibly as they put on 54 for the 9th wicket with Andy finishing on 49 from 31, and we ended with a competitive 187/8.
CLS started confidentiality as they added 50 for the first wicket , before Hector removed opener Armstrong for 17. CLS suffered their own collapse as the retuning Jeff Mason removed Hood and then Nick Walder removed the impressive Simpson for 43. Nick then removed the danger man Allen and CLS were under pressure at 82/7. Eagle counter attacked and put on 52 with Liam Nairn before Nairn was out. Eagle was then well caught by Ayush for 58 from 40 and CLS fell short at 159 all out.
Another great performance from the young team well supported by the returning Mason brothers. All the bowlers played their part with Nick walder 3-11, Jeff Mason 3-24 and Nick Mason 2-13 the pick of them.
NEPL 3rd XI Scorecard v Chester-le-Street (h)
