If Anil Kumble should wish to roll up the pitch on which he recently claimed ten wickets, then similarly I would wish to replicate the success which the 1st XI enjoyed during the 1998 season.

The 1st XI performed consistently well throughout the season with a number of individuals making important contributions to the overall team effort. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed my first season as Captain of the 1st XI, however, I am particularly grateful to my Vice Captain, Jeff Oliver and Andrew Morgan for their continued support and advice. Unlike previous seasons the team displayed a new determination to win those games which went down to the wire and undoubtedly this generated the enthusiasm and confidence which would culminate in the deserved success which the 1998 season brought.

On the playing front, the personnel largely remained the same, however, the addition of Stuart Taylor and Carl Gamble undoubtedly improved the ground fielding which in previous seasons had maybe been one of the weaker areas of the side. Stuart Taylor's perseverance and commitment throughout the season epitomised the team spirit which prevailed in the changing room, after being given the responsibility for opening the batting, Stuart was unable to capitalise on the undoubted talent which he had displayed in the winter nets, however, after a string of good performances for the 'C' Division Team he was able to contribute some useful innings during the latter stages of the season.

Whilst discussing the batting, Ollie Edwards, Aaron Shankar, Geoff Oliver and Phil Ottaway all contributed with useful knocks throughout the season. One innings which particularly springs to mind was the belligerent '84' which Phil Ottaway scored against Cramlington, Phil followed this innings with a dogged '50' against West Wylam, therefore, displacing the myth that his 'railway sleeper of a bat' had lost its middle.

The main stays of the 1st XI batting were Messrs. John Jessop and Andrew Morgan. Both batsmen used different techniques to accumulate their runs, John Jessop talked the opposition bowling attacks into submission and then proceeded to contribute a healthy '404' runs for the season. In considering all of John's innings, the '76' which he scored against Northern Electric was undoubtedly a match winning knock in which was a very closely fought game. Unlike Mr Jessop, Andrew Morgan accumulated his runs with his usual calmness befitting a man of his experience, however, it has not gone unnoticed by the team that Andrew readily sacrificed his wicket when approaching the half century mark and hence it was felt by the majority of the team that he had reneged on at least four jugs of beer, much to the dismay of Andrew Crawford.

In concluding the analysis of the 1st XI batting, one innings which remains in the memory is that of John Gardner's at Morpeth in the Barlow Cup. Playing a Morpeth XI boosted by the presence of their left arm Australian 'quickie', John opened the innings and preceded to dispatch the Australian to all corners of the ground and in true 'Decker style' the normal opening partnership of the 1st XI were told in no uncertain terms how to deal with opposition opening attacks in the future.

The 1st XI bowling attack was headed by myself, John Gardner and Jeff Oliver with able support provided by Ollie Edwards. As in previous seasons Jeff Oliver topped the bowling averages with 39 wickets at an average of 8.44, Geoff s best bowling of 7-17 against Whitley Bay undoubtedly won that game as we had been dismissed for '93 all out'. John Gardner's bowling performances consistently improved throughout the season, the last three games of the season against Cramlington, Hebburn, West Wylam produced 17 wickets for John including his best figures of 7-36 against Cramlington. In analysing 'Decker's' bowling it was noted by a number of anonymous members of the 1st XI, that John seemed to perform better when carrying an injury. If John turned up on the morning of the game with a limp or not fully fit, the omens were good for a five wicket haul.

On a personal note when I took on the role as 1st Team Captain I wondered how the responsibility would affect my ability to take wickets, on reflection I would confess that I only took half the number of wickets which would have reasonably been expected of me had I not been Captain. Joking aside, I enjoyed a successful season in 1998 and this was reflected by the 54 wickets which I captured, the 9-37 I achieved at Northern Electric was a personal best and gave me great satisfaction. The subsequent celebrations proved to be particularly expensive and I still have no recollection of what happened after 8.30 p.m. on the particular night in question.

In securing the championship the 1st XI also managed to defeat Clara Vale in the final of the Barlow Cup. The performance in the final was in line with those that had secured our day out at Stobswood, and I was particularly pleased by both the commitment of the team and the support which we received from the Club on the day of the final itself. The highlight of what was a splendid day was the sportsmanship which prevailed between both sides and I am sure that you will echo my thoughts in wishing Clara Vale all the best for their coming season in the Premier League.

Finally, I would just like to say that it was a pleasure to captain the 1st XI during the 1998 Season and hopefully the success that was enjoyed will continue in 1999 and on the completion of the forthcoming season we will have secured our place in the Premier League for the Millennium.