Benwell Hill CC

Season opening wins for 2s and 3s but 1s lose in battling display against reigning champions (with match reports)

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 09:14:00 +0000

The 2026 NEPL season began for the 1s with the toughest fixture of all against the 2024 and 2025 Premier League winners Burnmoor, with the Hill eventually going down by 5 wickets in a battling display which bodes well for the season ahead.

NEPL Premier Division - 1st XI v Burnmoor (h) - Lost by 5 wickets - Match Report by Phil Haves

On a blustery Saturday morning the First Eleven hosted current League Champions Title favourites Burnmoor.

Belly lost the toss and the visitors asked us to bat first.

This soon became 104/7 when Abu walked past one and was stumped off Bridge.

In reply Max got us an early breakthrough dismissing Greenwell with the score on 12 and when another debutant Mark Watson (Harpo) dismissed Brown we felt we had an outside chance of a surprise victory.

An encouraging start to the season albeit not the result we had wished for however this game against the strongest all round side in the League will not define our season.

Shotley Bridge are the visitors to NBMS Denton Bank on Saturday.

NTCL Division 5 West - 3rd XI v Matfen II (a) - Won by 70 runs - Captains Report by James Walder

A young 3rd XI team (one u14, four u15s and two u16s) travelled to Matfen for the start of the season in some wet and windy conditions.

A wet pitch and outfield meant it was hard work with the ball doing plenty in the wind and off the pitch.

James was ably supported by Seb as we started to tick off the batting bonus points with James reaching 61 before being bowled by ex-Hill player Ramin Aatif chasing late runs.

Some early wickets from Khaled (2 for 12) and tight bowling got us off to a good start and the young bowlers coped well with a challenging wind blowing across the pitch.

A great 30 point win to start the season and positive to see all the juniors contributing to a real team effort.

Following our successful Championship winning season and promotion in 2025 the First Eleven begin 2026 with optimism and anticipation that we can consolidate our position in the top tier as well as progressing deep in cup competitions.

Phill Bell begins his second season leading the side which sees a number of changes to the playing squad.

Also joining to lead our seam attack is Mark ‘Harpo’ Watson who moves from Ropery Lane for 2026.

As well as the formentioned first teamers, we have recruited Aaryan Wagh from Bates Cottages CC, brothers Inayatullah and Nazif Habibi who have moved to the area from Birmingham, plus groundsmanMark Charlton who will all bolster the playing numbers throughout all teams, whilst we are delighted to welcome back Ben Mussett who returns to the area after a year in Australia.

Joe Fletcher (taking over from Peter Jones) will lead the Second Eleven for the first time and is hopeful that his young side with one or two experienced hands (including vice captain Peter Jones) will make its mark in both at the top end of the League and in Cups.

Chris Pounder is once again at the helm of the 3rd Eleven this year assisted by the experience and quality of James Walder and they are looking upwards towards a potential promotion push from Division 5 West of the NTCL.

The Academy side,once again ably led by Matty Hynd, will continue to provide competitive cricket on a Sunday enabling our junior cohort the opportunity to develop and progress their skills in the longer form of the game and they remain key to the future of the club.

As mentioned Rory Mustard will miss the first part of the season through his school commitments at Repton School and we look forward to his return for the second half of the season whilst Pete Halliday is taking an early season sabbatical from the game.

1st's progress in ECB National Knockout

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:07:00 +0000

Sunday saw the first competitive fixture of the 2026 season as we entertained Malton & Old Malton CC from the Yorkshire Premier League North in the Preliminary Round of the Rothesay National Clubs KO Cup.

On a blustery afternoon the visitors won the toss and elected to make first use of what looked like a decent deck for the middle of April.

In reply new South African professional Dave Christie with 51 from 46 balls ( 7x4 & 2x6) and new signing Toby Barton with 12 got us off to a solid start with 32 for the first wicket.

The game was an excellent run out in a closely fought competitive game prior to the start of the NEPL season on the 18th.

Bar Prices to increase from 3rd April - an explanation

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:32:42 +0000

We would like to inform members that, from 3rd April, we will introduce an increase to our drinks prices.

As always, we have ensured that we keep prices for members as low as possible and try to ensure that all our prices remain very competitive in the local area.

Over recent months, however, the club has seen significant cost increases across a number of areas such as Government Alcohol Duty, Supplier and Brewery Price rises and General rising operating and staff costs .

As a club we have worked hard to absorb as many of these costs as possible and to minimise price increases up to now.

We hope you appreciate the reasoning behind this current increase and thank you for your understanding and continued support.

As always, all income generated goes back into running and improving the club.

Chairmans News : April 2026

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:32:00 +0000

The light nights have arrived and outdoor practice gets underway tonight weather permitting.

Members will be excited to learn that after some reflection and following a prolonged period of fasting I have decided to make myself available for selection to all the team captains.

Visitors to the Denton Bank cannot help to have been impressed at how impressive the ground looks.

It has been a busy time for Janice Mussett and the team and the recent functions have helped to keep the bar takings healthy.

In line with my New Years Resolution I will keep this brief but I do want to reflect on the recent death of Eric Nicholson a Life Member of BHCC and father of Director of Cricket Philip.

Like Eric, we have lost a few dedicated Hill `lappers` in recent years but thankfully our Club is in robust shape both on and off the field.

There is much to look forward to – starting on April 14th.

Happy Easter

Simon Lunn

BHCC Chairman

Email: The AGM elected a new General Committee, and it was particularly pleasing to see some new faces come forward to volunteer their time.

On March 16th the General Committee will meet to elect three Sub-Committees with the remit to oversee policy Finance, House and Social and Cricket and Ground in 2026 – 27.

At the meeting it was brought to the attention of Members is that the Club recently received a generous legacy from one of our legendary players NCD Craig who died in 2025.

The cricket season is bounding towards us and maybe we can wish for another glorious summer?

I will close there as Joe Moore tells me I go on too long!

The following iwas my Chairman's Report that I presented at the Annual General Meeting on Monday February 23 2026.

This report represents my 10th such submission to the Membership – it reflects a positive year both on and off the Cricket Field.

I will start by providing a list of work carried out over the last 12 months to invest in the Club House and in the Ground.

New Carpet in the Upstairs room

New Pavilion Steps

Improvements to the former tennis courts (ongoing)

New Coffee Machine Courtesy of Keith Whitfield)

New Club Sign (courtesy of the Craig Family)

A new Outfield Slitter

New Cooler for the Bar

New Ice Machine for the Bar

Additional work on the Roof at the front of the Club House and above the office.
New furniture in the bar

A big screen in the Bar courtesy of the Social Committee

A new Sightscreen

Soon the plan is to improve the area in the front of the Club House, to overseed the Tennis Courts with the aim of enhancing our Practice Facilities and to further improve the Club House.

At this juncture I would want to record the grateful thanks of the Board and General Committee for the generous support of Members and other stakeholders in the Club.

On the cricket field I am delighted to report that after a one-year hiatus the Club will play in the top Division of the North East Premier League in 2026 – this is the highest standard of Cricket in the North East and extremely competitive.

The other cricket aspects of the Club – Seconds, Thirds, Women, Juniors – had varying degrees of success but we are in as robust a state of health as I can recall which is no mean feat considering the social and economic pressures of modern-day living.

The Squash Section continues to operate successfully with a thriving membership of c.

Benwell Hill Cricket Club is run by a mixture of Amateur and Professional individuals who give selflessly of their time for the greater good.

Equally my colleagues on the Board and on the General Committee also fully deserve the gratitude of the Membership.

I must report that The Deputy Chairman of BHCC Hugh Dyson a.

Finally, in 2026 the Club will celebrate 100 years of cricket being played on Denton Bank.

Simon Lunn

Benwell Hill CC Chairman

February 2026

2026 Annual General Meeting - Minutes

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:51:00 +0000

Please find below a copy of the minutes from the Benwell Hill 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) which was held on 23rd February.

Attendees:

S Lunn (Chair), S Williamson (secretary), H Dyson (vice chairman), W Dawson (Treasurer), P Haves, B Pearson, A Dawson, G Haxon, B Angus, T Williamson, T McVinnie, M Avery, M Hynd, C Pounder, P Brown, M Maclauchlan, M Williamson, S Frisken, A Chapman

Meeting commenced at 7:15 pm when a moment of silence and reflection was held for members and friends of Benwell Hill who had sadly passed away in the previous year.

PJ Nicholson, WJ Smalley, B Evans, R Gibson, D Archbold, P Bell, M Wright, A Heather, D McKay

2.

2025 AGM (20/2/2025) – the minutes from 2025 AGM were agreed as accurate reflection of what took place in the February 2025 meeting.

3.

Simon welcomed everyone to what he believed to be 143rd Benwell Hill AGM since the formation of the Club back in 1883.

Simon Lunn presented his Chairman's Report, a copy was provided to all attendees, this report is available to view on the Website News section, see

4.

Club Treasurer Larry Dawson provided a precis of the Club Accounts for 2023/24.

The Treasurer explained the financial position between the Limited company and the CIC, in terms of the Limited Co.

In 2023/24, the Limited Co made a profit of £69,886, an increase of £2,393 (3.

Overall, the CIC accrued a deficit of £5,916 in 2023/24 as against a surplus of £20,644 in the previous year.

The Treasurer also gave an update on the accounts as of February 2024, including recent areas of expense (including £9k on new cricket clothing) and upcoming major areas of expense (including £14k on new furniture for the downstairs lounge, new carpet for upstairs lounge and building/repair/ improvement work on stairs leading to cricket ground and the seeding of the old tennis court area.

5.

President: Tom Williamson re-elected (Proposer - M Avery; Seconder – A Dawson).

Cricket Secretary: Scott Williamson will succeed the late Keith Shaw (Proposer – L Dawson; Seconder – P Haves).

Membership Secretary: Gordon Haxon re-elected (Proposer – A Dawson; Seconder – L Dawson).

Ground Secretary: Position unfilled, as was in 2024 the position remains unfilled, and will be taken to next General Committee meeting for further discussion.

Fixture Secretary: Andrew Dawson re-elected (Proposer – P Haves; Seconder – C Pounder).

House and Social Secretary: Phil Haves re-elected (Proposer – S Williamson; Seconder – P Bell).

Treasurer: Larry Dawson re-elected (Proposer – S Williamson; Seconder – H Dyson).

Assistant Treasurer: Position unfilled, as Larry reported that Bill Smalley had indicated he wanted to stand down as treasurer for coming year, as there were no nominations it was agreed to discuss the filling of this important role at the next General Committee meeting.

Squash Secretary: Martin Avery re-elected (Proposer – A Dawson; Seconder – M Hynd).

1st XI Captain: Phill Bell will succeed Pete Halliday as Club Captain, following his appointment by the Cricket Committee at the end of 2024.

1st XI Vice Captain: Max Williamson re-elected (Proposer – P Bell; Seconder – A Dawson).

2nd XI Captain: Pete Jones will succeed Matty Hynd as 2nd XI Captain (Proposer – A Dawson; Seconder – C Pounder).

2nd XI Vice Captain: Jake Robson will succeed Pete Jones as 2nd XI Vice Captain (Proposer – A Dawson; Seconder – M Hynd).

Note – the Saturday 3rd XI have joined the Northumberland and Tyneside Cricket League (NTCL) for the 2025 season following the absorption of the West Tyne League into that pyramid structure, we will start in Division 5 West.

NTCL 3rd XI Captain: Chris Pounder re-elected (Proposer – A Dawson; Seconder – P Bell).

NTCL 3rd XI Vice Captain: Michael Maclauchlan will succeed David Ladd as 3rd XI Vice Captain (Proposer – C Pounder; Seconder – P Haves).

NEPL 3rd XI Captain: Matty Hynd (Proposer – A Dawson; Seconder – C Pounder).

NEPL 3rd XI Vice Captain: Position unfilled, it was agreed to discuss the filling of this important role at the next General Committee meeting.

Ladies Captain: Laura Pearson (Proposer – A Chapman, Seconder – A Dawson).

Ladies Vice Captain: Amy Chapman (Proposer – L Pearson, Seconder – P Haves).

All Officer positions above, as well as the Head of Senior Cricker (Phil Nicholson) and Life Members qualify for membership to the General Committee.

In addition, the following people were elected to General Committee:

General Committee (re-elected): S Lunn, T McVinnie, Haxon, D Archbold, H Dyson, B Angus, B Pearson (Child Welfare Officer), S Frisken, M Reeves, M Wright, P Brown

General Committee (new members): P Halliday (not present at the meeting), A Heather (not present), L Crozier (not present), R Gibson were all proposed and seconded.

The following sub committees were also agreed:

Cricket Selection Committee: P Haves, D McKay, A Dawson, re-elected, they will make up the selection committee alongside P Nicholson and the Captains and Vice Captains of each team.

Squash Committee: Martin Avery, Pete Brown re-elected (Proposer – P Haves, Seconder – S Williamson).

6.

CIC - Existing board members: S Lunn, L Dawson, H Dyson unanimously re-elected.

CIC - New board members: S Williamson, M Avery elected to the CIC Board (Proposer - L Dawson; Seconder - H Dyson).

Limited Company – Existing board members: S Lunn, P Haves, W Dawson unanimously re-elected.

Limited Company – New board members: D Archbold was elected to the board, (Proposer - L Dawson; Seconder - P Haves).

7.
Phil Haves summarised the rule changes in the proposal above, which were to bring them up to date with current processes and bar hours.

8.

A reminder was given that we are still looking for Match Ball Sponsors for the coming season, Tom McVinnie and Tom Williamson kindly agreed to take up some of the remaining spaces.

Larry Dawson raised suggestion to engage Club Members on ideas for future conversion of the Tennis Court area.

Meeting closed at approximately 8:10PM by Hugh Dyson.

Junior Season 2025 - Coaches Review and photos from Junior Presentation Evening

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 16:02:00 +0000

As we begin to look forward to the new junior season ahead, we can also look back with pride at the fantastic season our junior teams and players enjoyed in 2025.

We celebrated the season at our ever popular Annual Junior Presentation Evening back in November.

Read on to see our Award winners and click on the downloads to read the summary of the season from each coach.

Under 15s

Barry Pearson Under 15s Season Review - Under 13s

Jim Robinson's Under 13s Season Review - Under 11s

James Walder's Under 11s Season Review - All Stars

Benwell Hill All Stars Season Review -

Individual and Team Award Winners

Neil Hamilton Trophy Winner : Liam Hynd

British Legion Award : Charlie Krzysiak

Leon Mexter Award : Seb Fletcher-Woods

Tom Hounsome Award : Oliver Smalley

Alan Evans Award : Sukhveer Bhinder

New Year Message from the President

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 19:49:00 +0000

I would like to wish all members a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

I would also like to wish all our teams (cricket and squash) every success in 2026, with a little bit of luck, and lots of hard work I am sure they will represent the club in the best way, the 'Hill way'!

FInally, many thanks to all of you for your membership of Benwell Hill, and I hope everyone realises we are all the keepers of the castle, not the owners.

Change of Date for Annual General Meeting - moved to Monday 23rd February 2026

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 10:39:00 +0000

The 2026 Annual General Meeting has been moved to Monday 23rd February, it will be held in the clubhouse lounge at 7:15pm.

The meeting agenda will be :

Tuesday Quiz NIghts at the Hill - new teams welcome

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 15:57:00 +0000

Tuesday nights are Quiz nights at Benwell Hill in the winter months (unless there is a clash with a Newcastle United game).

Future Date are :

Tue 6 Jan - Quiz Master Alan

Tue 20 Jan - Quiz Master Simon

Tue 27 Jan - Quiz Master Larry

Tue 3 Feb - Quiz Master Barry

Tue 10 Feb - Quiz Master Phil

New sponsors announced for 2026 season

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 20:06:00 +0000

We are delighted to announce Jellyfish Energy as the first of our new Sponsors for 2026.

Notice to Members - Trial allowing children (aged 14 or under) to stay past 8:30pm has been suspended

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 09:02:00 +0000

Unfortunately due to a recent incident the trial allowing children aged 14 or under to stay in the upstairs lounge after 8:30pm, if accompanied by their parents/guardians has been suspended.

Therefore with immediate effect all children aged 14 or under must vacate the club premises and ground by 8:30pm.

Note - Children aged 15 to 17 must be accompanied by their parents/guardian after 8:30pm.

Chairmans News : Christmas 2025

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 16:07:00 +0000

The NEPL Annual Dinner held on November 28th brought the curtain down on local cricket for 2025.

Plans are well advanced for the 2026 season when a number of new players will bolster the overall playing strength of the Club.

On and off the field the Club continues to invest in our facilities and to work to maintain the high standards we currently enjoy.

BHCC remain a true collective – an organisation led by committed volunteers but supported by a number of wonderful professionals.

To find out ‘what’s on ‘over the Festive Period and beyond, as in all Hill Matters, please consult the website or our social media sites (Facebook or Instagram), or ask Phil Haves or Geoff Chambers, or alternatively Pat or Margaret from behind the bar, I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Simon Lunn

BHCC Chairman

Mobile: 07791 683827

Email: simon.

North East Premier League Dinner photos

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 16:01:00 +0000

The Hill were officially presented with the North East Premier League Divisione One trophy on Friday 28th November at the Annual North East Premier League dinnner.

As ever there was a strong Hill contingent present at the Dinner, which was made up of players, ex-player, officials and muppets - we will leave it to you to decide which category each of the attendees (identified in the photos below) fit into.

Also present at the Hill table on the night but camera shy were two of our new signings for 2026, Ben Cant and Mark Watson.

Notice to Members - Trial allowing children in the Upstairs Lounge after 8:30 PM

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 16:10:00 +0000

Current rules dictate that children must vacate the premises (including the foyer and outside playing area) by 8:30pm.

This concession is for the upstairs lounge area only, children must not congregate in the entrance foyer area or outside areas after 8:30pm.