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LATEST NEWS |
Wednesday 28th July 2010 Edwards fires Eagles to brink of promotion The Eagles extended their winning run last night and strengthened their grip on a place in the top three with a crushing victory over Park House. Batting first Steve Edwards in his first game of the season was fluent from the start and in partnership with Jonny Appleby put the Park House bowlers to the sword. The hundred partnership was posted in just the eighth over as Edwards made his first fifty for the Club and then extended it to the first NEMWL century with 8 fours and 5 sixes. After finally being dismissed for 102 with the score on 159 Appleby went on to finish on 65 not out as an imposing total of 189-2 was reached. Tight bowling from Duncan McGregor (3 overs for 3) snuffed out Park House's reply but it took until the 10th over for Dominic Smith (1-24) to take the first wicket. Craig Moffat (3-5) then claimed 3 quick wickets and Roger Bell (1-20) a fifth as after their 14 overs Park House ended on 77-5. A victory in next Wednesday's visit to 2nd placed Proctor & Gamble should see Ponteland promoted with two games to spare - the withdrawl of Kingstonians from Division IV yesterday may result in an extra promotion place from Division 5. Tuesday 27th July 2010 A review of July The 1XI won 2 and lost 1. Consett won by 5 wickets after Ponteland's top order were dismantled. Wayne Ritzema (41) and a debut fifty from Ed Common providing the bulk of Ponteland's runs in a total of just 124. The 2XI won 2 and lost 1 Against Consett the side scored 189-7 with Simon Edmondson scoring 67 and Chris Morgan 37* before Wayne Denham and Robert Hall took 3-16 and 3-19 respectively as they reached 158 The 3XI won 2 and lost 1 The final 6 fixtures started with a defeat to Newcastle City with Ponteland only managing 110-4 chasing 117-8. Simon Raw 37, Jon Varley 26* and Alan Varley 3-20 NEMWL Beat Stonebridge and Boldon to strengthen promotion hopes, whether Belmont was played or rained off has not been provided Friendly won 1 and lost 2 Captain Neil Pinnock struggled to get teams out over the last three weeks. A 10 man team with John Parker preventing it being 9 got past Chatton with a retired 52 from Chris Morgan and an unbeaten 38 from Adam Wilkin. Charlie Machell with 5-21 is the first seamer to take 5 wickets in a Friendly game since Jonny Appleby in 2007 (and only the second since 1999) Under 18s Percy Main conceded, Seaton Burn was rained off and chasing 105-9 against Alnwick after Ashley parker took 5-35 Ponteland only managed 91 with Parker and Alex Gray both scoring 17 Under 15s Lost their final two fixtures 52 all out against South North, Charlie Machell 18* and Hamza Ahmad took the only wicket in a 9 wicket defeat before 47-9 with Oli Parker scoring 22 in a 7 wicket defeat to Ashington, with Mark Waters, Marc Dixon and Tom Morgan each taking a wicket. Wednesday 7th July 2010 No website updates before 27th July The website will not be updated again before Tuesday 27th July. 1st and 2XI results will be available from the league website, they are supposed to be on by Tuesday and once Craig Moffat has his Internet connection re-established the NEMWL results and match reports will be on our pages of the league site. NEMWL league tables tend to be updated on a Saturday. Team photos taken last week are now online
Tuesday 6th July 2010 Eagles rearguard action repels Barbarian attack The Eagles looked to extend their winning streak to four today with the visit of the Matrics Barbarians. After winning the toss they chose to bat and lost an early wicket to the impressive Charlie Machell, caught by Keith Crerar. Machell's 3 overs included a maiden, not easy in 8 ball overs and conceded just 13. At the other end Duncan McGregor enjoyed the rare luxury of bowling with the wind and his 3 overs only conceded 12. Oli Parker bowled two unsuccessful overs for 18 but Keith Crerar continued his recent fine form with a wicket first ball caught by McGregor at point which was followed by an excellent one handed caught and bowled of a powerful drive, that was clinical / casual in its excecution. With Crerar (3-27) bowling his third and Craig Moffat (1-21) getting a fifth wicket, well caught by Peter Nesbitt running in from the deep, a target of 106 was set off 14 overs. After less than 4 overs of the reply the Eagles were seemingly down and out as Will Urwin was bowled for 1 then in the following over by Dolan 3 wickets fell, all for ducks. Chris Morgan was bowled, Dave Waters went lbw first ball, and Dom Smith bowled. The next over from Stephenson saw Peter Nesbitt lbw for 4 as scorers rushed back to get ready and umpires almost rotated on a ball by ball basis as the score crashed to 8 for 5. Chris Barlow, having been scoring just 5 balls earlier then battled through the rest of the over from Stephenson that saw him dig out 4 successive yorkers and alongside skipper Moffat the score slowly started to climb as both were able to successfully rotate the strike working the ball into gaps for quick singles. The advantage of 8 ball overs became apparent as the required run rate didn't climb significantly and it was Moffat who scored the first boundary in the seventh over. By the 10th over the score was into the 80s as Moffat scored the innings' first six the ball rattling off the football field fence. Barlow then took advantage of two low full tosses from the returning Dolan, hammering both through extra cover for 4s and incredibly the Eagles were in control of the game. With the partnership on 91 Moffat then became Dolan's 4th victim bowled for an excellent 42 in the 11th over. McGregor with four runs and a couple of no-balls saw the remaining six runs scored midway through the 13th over for an outstanding 4 wicket victory, Barlow finishing unbeaten on 33, his highest score in midweek cricket. Despite the chaos at the start the Eagles still managed a run rate of 8 an over to claim two batting bonus points. Matrics Barbarians 105-5 (A.Jackson 28, K.Crerar 4-0-27-3) Ponteland Eagles 106-6 (C.Moffat 42, C.Barlow 33*, N.Dolan 3-0-17-4, A.Stephenson 4-0-17-2) Monday 5th July 2010 U18s win tonights game by forfeit, Percy Main are unable to field a side. Saturday 3rd July 2010 Taylor's turn to torment The second half of the season started today in the reverse fixture from Sunday against Ryton. The First Eleven showed one change from the previous week with Ed Common unavailable Richard Moller returned to the side. Winning the toss James Ealey had no hesitation batting first and in the opening over an edge from last weeks centurion Wayne Ritzema flew through the slips for four. The opening bowlers continued to test the Ponteland batsmen and with the score on 29 Akhtar made the breakthrough bowling Ritzema for 26 then 6 runs later Bainbridge pulled off an excellent diving catch off his own bowling to dismiss Darwood for 18. Ealey and Stuart Taylor then took the score up to 98 before Ealey (19) gave Akhtar his second wicket, again with a catch off his own bowling. Tom Common (11) shared in a stand of 70 with Taylor as the latter reached his fifty of 47 deliveries. Following Common and Dan Wright's quick dismissals it was Jonny Appleby who played the supporting role as Taylor accelerated his innings to reach his second century for the Firsts off 89 balls. From that point on he opened up against the tiring bowling attack and charged to an unbeaten 149 off 109 balls with 17 fours and five sixes. The partnership with Appleby (23*) passing 100 off the penultimate ball as Pont's innings finished on 270-5. In the reply Ryton were soon in trouble, Craig Moffat (2-20) taking the first two wickets, including the main Ryton run scorer this season, Robinson bowled for just 7. Taylor, opening the bowling in the absence of Ed Common claimed the third with an edge behind to Dan Wright as his six overs conceded just 9 runs. Once again though it was Ponteland's bowler of the season Howard Wright who then took control claiming the next four wickets, two bowled, one caught by Taylor at first slip and an lbw as Ryton struggled to keep their innings going. Ealey (1-10) took the eighth with an excellent catch by Ritzema before Wright (5-28) claimed the 9th and final wicket as Ryton were bowled out for 103 in just the 29th over with Ryton's 11th man unable to bat as he had left at the tea break. Ponteland 270-5 (S.Taylor 149*) Ryton 103 (H.Wright 5-28) This was Stuart Taylor's second century for the first eleven and his ninth for the club. The unbeaten partnership of 101 with Jonny Appleby sets a new record for the sixth wicket as the previous record set by Andy Morgan and John Gardner in 1997 was ended on the same score, this was Taylor's fifteen century partnership for the side, five behind Andy Morgan. Taylor also becomes the first player for the first eleven to take part in three fifty partnerships in the same innings, Paul Higginbottom was the first to achieve this for the Club in 2009 against Victorians in a Sunday match. It is also the first time in first eleven history that two consecutive games have been won by a margin of over 150 runs.
Friday 2nd July 2010 Last ball defeat leaves 3XI outside the top six play-offs Ponteland hosted second placed Tynemouth in a must win game to clinch a place in the top six before the league splits. Tynemouth won the toss and opted to bat first and got off to a flying start as the openers attacked John Hill and debutant Jack Schofield. Hill (2-30) and Schofield (1-26) fought back in their final overs but the score sat on 56-3 off 8 overs. Alan Varley continued his outstanding run of form bowling six overs for just 19 runs and claiming one wicket, but at the other end Robert Hall (0-22) was unlucky with two difficult chances to the keeper standing up missed. Hall junior was then replaced by his dad Phil for the final two overs and he conceded just four runs while taking 4 wickets as the innings slumped to 104-9. In reply Matty Bell survived a confident early appeal for caught behind but captain Raw (4) and vice captain Ottaway were early casualties. Jon Varley and Bell kept the side up with the rate before Bell (37) was out lbw. Matt Smart (13) and Jon Varley (25) retained the momentum but both were dismissed within moments of each other and with Phill Hall (3) and Andy Denyer first ball falling in the final over a scrambled 2 by John Hill left Ponteland just one run short of the Tynemouth score. The news came in later that Ashington and South North had been rained off, the only senario where both sides could stay ahead of us, picking up three points each. Humshaugh collected a single bonus point in their defeat to Morpeth and finished level on points. However they progress to the top six by having beaten us. Next weeks fixture is therefore a home game against Newcastle City, followed by a home game against Benwell & Walbottle. the season then finishes with away games at Backworth, Morpeth and Percy Main. Thursday 1st July 2010 TOMA Fund U18 6-a-side Tournament Ponteland cricket club is hosting a 6-a-side tournament supporting the TOMA fund this Sunday 4th July. Matches start at 9.30am and take place at both Ponteland and Benwell & Walbottle. Two groups of five will battle it out to play the final at Ponteland, scheduled to start at 5.30pm. Jordan Thompson was a talented junior cricketer at Ponteland who was diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukaemia (AML) on Valentines Day of 2006 at the age of 13 and tragically passed away in 2007. Donations can be made on the day or through the TOMA fund website. Wednesday 30th June 2010 Wanderers halted by Eagles The Eagles travelled to Stocksfield today looking to strengthen their top four position. The Eagles won the fixture but awaiting match report and full details. Next week sees two home fixtures on Tuesday and Friday against Matrics Barbarians and Stonebridge Spitfires, the teams that currently sit third and fifth in the league. Tuesday 29th June 2010 23rd of June was an exciting day for a large number of Northumberland schools as they made their way to Stocksfield Cricket Club to compete in Year 6 Mixed and Girls Asda Kwik Cricket County Finals. In a battle to become county champions and represent Northumberland in the Regional Final for the North of England, Berwick Middle School beat Ponteland Middle in the Year 6 Mixed competition. In the girls’ finals Ponteland Middle did not manage to make up for the lost mixed final and lost to girls from Ovingham Middle. Both teams contain players from the Ponteland Juniors. The above finalists along with Cullercoats Primary and Gosforth Central Middle for Year 6 and Valley Garden Middle and Gosforth Central Middle for girls will represent Northumberland in the Regional final. This is to take place at Stocksfield Cricket Club on July 6th. Our young players should therefore get a lot of local support in their battle against the best teams from Cumbria and Durham. The winners of this will then progress to the National Final to be held at Derby County Ground on the 13th and 14th July involving the best 16 teams from the UK. The Asda Kwik Cricket Competition was launched in 2008 and immediately drove a dramatic increase in the number of children playing cricket in Primary Schools. The competition continues to grow. It is actively supported by the England Cricket Team. ASDA, who are the national sponsors, supported the Northumberland Final by providing healthy snacks and drink to keep the young players refreshed throughout the day. Big thanks go to Asda community colleagues from Gateshead, Ashington, Cramlington, Benton and Gosforth who attend their local kwik cricket competition every year. Monday 28th June 2010 Photo Gallery now available from yesterdays 1XI match. The Under 18s were reduced to a rained off match tonight against Newcastle at the Heaton Medicals ground. In initially dry conditions Ponteland lost the toss and were put into bat. Opening batsmen Dan Wright (18) and Will Urwin (36) put on 68 for the first wicket when Wright pitched it to mid on and two balls later Urwin followed in the same way. A small collapse followed with Robert Hall, Graham Adamson and Mark Waters all being dismissed cheaply by the misely bowling attack during the middle overs. A spirited partnership between under 15 captain Charlie Machell (23*) and Dom Smith (25*) containing many high quality shots from both batsmen saw Ponteland across the 20 over line at 145-6. Unfortunately as the ground was a University pitch the match had to be called off as the weather continued to worsen. The game was rained off but the side left feeling confident and looking forward to the next fixture on the 5th of july. Match Report by Will Urwin Sunday 27th June 2010 Records rewritten as Ritzema routs Ryton On another hot sunny day at Ponteland the 1XI faced Ryton in the re-arranged opening fixtures of the season in a match sponsored by Grange Lea Care Home. Winning the toss Ponteland opted to bat first and it was quickly obvious that it was an excellent batting surface. A solid start saw Ponteland reach 50 in the 15th over, with Wayne Ritzema reaching 30 off 50 deliveries and Matt Darwood 33 off 60. From that point onwards runs came freely as the 100 partnership was posted in the 23rd over and Ritzema cruised past fifty. Darwood reached his fifty off 72 balls before the 150 partnership came in the 30th over. Ritzema went on to complete his first Ponteland century off 122 balls and after giving his only chance on 127 took just 35 more to reach his 150. The partnership then passed the previous record opening stand of 190 then the 1XI highest stand of 214 set in 1991 and the all time record of 230 from the 2XI in 1990. Darwood with his first century on the horizon skied one to long on 88 to become the first wicket to fall on 258 in the 47th over. Stuart Taylor then joined Ritzema for the final 3 overs and further history was made as Richard Dreyer's 1XI record of 164* from 1992 was passed before Tony Murphy's record individual score of 170* (from the 2XI in 1984) was also surpassed with a straight six. With Ritzema struggling with a knee injury Taylor (19*) finished the innings with two fours, a 'Dilscoop' flick over the wicketkeeper and a switch hit, to take the score to 304-1 off the fifty overs. In reply Ryton started aggressively with Robinson scoring boundaries freely whenever given the opportunity and scored 41 of the first 54 runs before being the third wicket to fall as Darwood took his second catch in the gully off Duncan McGregor (1-31). Howard Wright followed up his five wickets the day before with 3 for 20 as the Ryton innings faltered. Ed Common in his second spell took the 6th wicket to reduce the innings to 93-6. Common (2-28) claimed his second as Dan Wright produced a brilliant diving catch behind the stumps then James Ealey (3-1) wrapped up the innings in double quick time as 3 wickets fell for no runs to leave Ryton 110 all out and victory by 194 runs. Ponteland 304-1 (W.Ritzema 180*, M.Darwood 88) Ryton 110 (N.Robinson 41, H.Wright 3-20, J.Ealey 3-1) The score of 304-1 and the margin of victory by 194 runs are both Ponteland 1XI records in the Northumberland and Tyneside Senior League. Wayne also set 2 new individual records for Ponteland, highest individual score, and the most fours in a 1XI innings with 24 - Derek Younger's 162* for the 2XI contained 27 as did Stuart Taylor's 169* in a friendly. The partnership of 258 with Matt Darwood was the highest ever for any team at the Club passing the 230 set in 1990 in the 2XI. Bizarrely the previous record of 164* for the 1st Eleven by Richard Dreyer was also set on the 27th June, this time back in 1992!! The previous record of 23 fours was also unsurprisingly in this innings. The only link between the two (and the 1st 200 partnership in the 1XI see below) is that all 3 games were scored for by Chris Barlow. The first partnership of 214 in the 1XI was in 1991 against Belsay between Andy Morgan and Brett Elliott. The partnership was matched in 2006 against Annfield Plain by Lloyd Anderson and Malcolm Clarke against Annfield Plain. The first double century partnership for any team was also 214 between Andy Morgan (again) and John Charleton in a friendly against KSTOB in 1981. There have been 2 partnerships in excess of 200 in the 2XI, the previous club record of 230 was between John Jessop and James Sayers in 1990 against Ellington. Tony Murphy's score of 170* contained 10 sixes and 12 fours, the 10 sixes are a 2XI record but Graham Irvin's 136 against Warkworth in a 20 over game contained the club record 14 sixes in a single innings - and he only batted 13 overs! Phil Ottaway is the only player to pass 130 for both the 1st and 2nd Eleven. Wayne is the 10th different player to pass 130 runs in an innings. From 1959 - 1999 there were just 8 scores beyond this mark but in the 11 years since 2000 there have been a further 8.
Saturday 26th June 2010 Wright takes 5 but 1st slip up The 1XI lost the toss against Newcastle City and had to field first. The City openers both survived early edges into the slips and Kashyap, then on 12, profited most adding 42 to his score as the bowlers toiled on an excellent surface at Pont. Howard Wright finally dismissed both openers as Wayne Ritzema standing up caught Jennison (24) and Stuart Taylor held onto the slip chance of Kashyap (54). When Jonny Appleby caught City pro Jappie (1) off James Ealey and Wright had Nair (18) caught by his son Dan shortly after the innings sat on 116-4 after 27 overs. The next two batsmen took the score into the 150s before Moffat (1-46) and Wright (5-53) claimed further wickets. The 8th wicket then put on 60 to push the score past 200 before Ed Common (1-35) bowled I.Shah for 37. James Ealey claimed the 9th wicket as J.Singh (14) was dismissed in the final over to set a target of 238 to win. Ponteland's bowlers however did manage to give away a combination of 14 wides and no-balls. In reply Ponteland's openers put together a relatively untroubled opening stand of 56 before a tight single resulted in Ritzema (32) being run out. Matt Darwood (35) followed shortly after before Taylor launched a counter attack scoring 30 off 19 deliveries before being caught at deep midwicket off Jappie. James Ealey (7) and Dan Wright then followed off consecutive deliveries to give Jappie a hat-trick to suddenly reduce the innings to 109-5. Tom Common and Jonny Appleby rebuilt the innings befire Common (25) was caught. Howard Wright (8) and Ed Common (5) were dismissed trying to keep Ponteland in with a chance and despite the best efforts of Appleby (43*) and Moffat (19*) Ponteland fell 21 runs short. Newcastle City 237-9 (P.Kashyap 54, I.Shah 37, H.Wright 5-53) Ponteland 216-8 (W.Ritzema 32, M.Darwood 35, S.Taylor 30, J.Appleby 43*, R.Jappie 3-74) Friday 25th June 2010 U15s slump to new record low The U15s took on Morpeth today at Ponteland and conceded a record 20 over total at any level for Ponteland as Morpeth rattled up 210-4. To make the performance even worse they were then dismissed for just 16, the third lowest Ponteland score ever after the 1XI's 12 in 1980 and the U15s 11 against South Northumberland in 2008. Thursday 24th June 2010 Ashington take the spoils James Ottaway took over the captaincy with Simon Raw away on holiday and must have felt like Simon had taken most of the team with him as a large number of the regular players were missing as well. Winning the toss he asked Ashington to bat first and at the half-way point at 57-3 Ponteland were in a seemingly dominant position with wickets for Alan Varley (1-26), an excellent catch standing up to John Hill by Chris Morgan and a run out by Hill. U15 Oli Parker (0-18) on his 3XI debut then bowled 2 tidy overs for just three runs, before tiring in his third - he blamed the arrival of his dad to watch! Dangerous batsman Williams was still in and after Phil Hall took a wicket caught by Dave Waters he burst into life, smashing 23 off Phil Hall's third over as he flew into the eighties. Eventually on 83 in the final over he skied one into the covers and the back pedalling captain clung onto a difficult catch. Hill (3-26) completed his sixth over with another wicket again well caught by Peter Nesbitt as the fielding held firm to the end - nearly..... A final run out chance ended up with another contender for comedy moment of the season as they tried to steal a run off the final ball and keeper Morgan spurned the opportunity to walk to the stumps and flick the bails off by having a throw, missed and despite both batsmen being in the middle at this point were able to complete the run to finish with 147-6. In reply a 'gung ho' approach was adopted, Will Urwin battering the first three balls for 4, but Dave Waters was then bowled first ball by Watson. Urwin (18) followed in Watson's next over, Neil Pinnock then hitting three fours before becoming his third victim. James Ottaway (13) followed soon after and we sat on 44-3 in the sixth over. Peter Nesbitt and Chris Morgan then regrouped the innings, Nesbitt becoming increasingly fluent and the 3XI record equally stand of 68 brought Pont right back into it, but the 16th and 17th overs proved crucial as just 7 runs were scored and at the end of the 17th Morgan (20) was dismissed. Shortly after Chris Barlow (4) gave up his wicket run out by giving the keeper an easy option as Nesbitt committed to a second run he wouldn't have made. The gamble almost paid of as Nesbitt reached his first ever fifty in the final over, finishing unbeaten on 57 but with 16 needed only 9 runs were acheived and a spirited chase resulted in a 7 run defeat. Man of the Match: Peter Nesbitt Tuesday 22nd June 2010 Eagles stomp on the Spiders On another baking hot day at Pont the 'Eagles' looked to win back to back matches in the NEMWL for the first time. Losing the toss against the Black Widows they unsurprisingly opted to bat first. A combination of poor calling for a quick single and the reactions of "Ponteland's top fielder" two time Roy Storer Fielding Trophy winner Jonny Appleby saw an easy run-out off just the second ball of Keith Crerar's opening over. Two balls later Chris Barlow took a catch at a deeper than normal mid-off to leave the innings in tatters after just four balls. Crerar then bowled Dunn (4) and Appleby at midwicket added a catch to his collection in Crerar's next (3-17) and when Stuart Taylor (1-7) bowled the number 6, Duhrin (1) the score was 27-5. Tom Common on his birthday and Andy Denyer bowled the next 4 overs between them and conceded an evenly split 34 as the innings crept above fifty. The partnership was finally broken by Roger Bell with Wall bowled for 21, then moments later Jeffreys was dismissed in the same manner, as Rog's demon offspin also broke the bail! Captain Craig Moffat then dismissed the top scorer A.Dunn (26), again bowled and Bell (3-13) and Moffat (2-8) ended the innings on 87. Ponteland's openers Appleby and Matty Bell (no relation) started carefully but soon got into their stride, Bell scoring fluently through the off-side with some powerful drives. The target needed to be reached before the end of the 11th over to claim maximum batting points and although both batsman gave chances with skied catches the fielders were unable to take them and the 10 wicket win was duly completed, Bell unbeaten on 42 and Appleby 38. The opposition voted Keith Crerar as Man of the Match. The 10 points takes Ponteland up to 41 points in the league and should keep us just behind the top four depending on other results. League Table (last weeks 8 point win over Corinthians is missing from the online table) Monday 1st June 2010 2XI cross the Burn Ponteland 2nd XI continued their recent revival with their third consecutive win, this time by four wickets over Seaton Burn. Often described as the bogey ground of the side, with no win recorded their since 2004, Ponteland put to bed their recent hoodoo with a convincing performance. Having won the toss, skipper Chris Morgan elected to field on an extremely windy day, with the traditional green wicket at the Welfare Ground looking like it would favour the bowlers. And the decision looked to be the correct one as Pont ripped through the top order of the home side, as John Gardner claimed two of the victims, as they slumped to 2-3. John Hill got the other wicket.
The hosts then launched a counter attack with Darren Carr - often a thorn in the side of Pont, hitting some menacing blows off Hill as he was ably supported by left handed Richard Kyle as the score increased somewhat. Report by Chris Morgan |
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On a sunny, hot monday evening under 18's captain Ashley Parker lost the toss and Bedlington elected to bat. Ben Lott took the new ball along side Scott MacMasters who was making his first appearence in two seasons for Ponteland. Lott struck early dismissing two of Bedlingtons key dangermen bowling a very tight spell. MacMasters then dismissed the remaining opening bat with an outswinging delivery which took the edge and was brilliantly caught low down by Dom Smith at 1st slip. The Bedlington middle order then steadied the ship with two solid innings with very few chances being given. A further wicket was taken by Robbert Hall with an inswinging yorker that put Ponteland back in with a shout of the game. The last ball of Bedlington's innings saw a runout taking Bedlington's score after 20 overs to 111-6. Will Urwin and Graham Adamson got ponteland off to a fast start as the 1st over saw 11 runs but Urwin was dismissed moments later with the score on 13. This brought Dom Smith to the crease who had been struggling for form and in the next over Adamson got a good delivery which nipped back bowling him for 0. Lott fresh off his 50 for the friendly side the day before seemed to be in great form as he momentarily carted the Bedlington opening attack to all parts reaching a very fast 12. Smith was then run out for 5 trying to alternate the strike. Robert Hall was the next in and he battled through the heat adding a very needed steady innings to the Ponteland score. Lott was soon dismissed for 12 by a good seeming delivery from the Bedlington opening bowler. Skipper Ashley Parker then arrived in the middle to support Hall who was still scoring freely boosting the Ponteland total. Parker showed the team why he was in up the order as he gave hall the strike playing a wide array of orthadox and unorthadox shots untill Hall was dismissed for a very solid 37. A minor collapse then took place in the Ponteland camp until under 15 Mark Waters in at 9 showed why he should be moved up the order taking Ponteland to 105-9 with 3 overs remaining. He was joined by MacMasters in the middle but unfortunately fell 2 runs short as there was an attempt at a quick single to get waters on strike meaning Ponteland fell 2 runs short of the required 111. Sunday 20th June 2010 The Sunday side finally got some decent weather and responded magnificently against Victorians. Winning the toss skipper Chris Barlow had no hesitation in batting first and the openers got off to a solid, if slightly fortuitous start as Under-18 Will Urwin was dropped twice in the opening overs. Dave Waters (20) was the first to go with 71 on the board and Will mixed a series of edges with some powerful hitting and some high class shots. Having raced to his fifty off just 48 balls he then accelerated but as the innings mid-point arrived the drinks break appeared to finish off his concentration and he offered up 3 consecutive catching chances, the third was taken and his innings ended on 80, with the score on 137. Stuart Taylor then rocketed the score in the next two overs before being stumped for 47. Debutant Faisal Padikaran was run out off the first ball he faced but Under-18 Ben Lott and Neil Pinnock (11) added a further 24 before Neil was out lbw. Lott continued to bat fluently and was the dominant partner in a 6 over stand of 44 with Chris Barlow, reaching his first senior fifty off just 36 balls before being stumped next ball. Number 8 Jack Schofield then took over, encouraged by his captain to initially play himself in he scored 26 off his first 22 balls before launching a devestating attack in the final four overs after Barlow (14) was dismissed. He scored 34 off the next 11 he faced to record his first Ponteland fifty as U15 Mark Waters (4*) shared in a 48 run partnership and scored his first senior runs. Schofield (60) was dismissed with 1 ball remaining which gave U15 Oli Parker (1*) the chance to score his first senior run off the final delivery as the Sunday team recorded its highest ever score with 303-8 off 40 overs. In response Victorians skipper Bradshaw took an aggressive approach punishing some early width from Mark Waters before hitting a low full toss from Parker (2-16) to Taylor at extra cover in the second over. The two then combined again two overs later to dismiss the second opener for 14. Mark Waters (1-18) then bowled Kahil and after the two juniors had finished the first 8 overs the score sat on 34-3. Schofield (0-15) bowled a tight 4 overs spell but it was Ross Harrington who ended any remote hopes Victorians had of challenging as he returned his best figures for Ponteland with 3-21, 14 of which came from his sixth and final over. Lott (2-5) bowled the number 8 and then dismissed the number 4 Asif (17) who had held off the attack while 5 wickets fell. Padikaran (1-1) then claimed the ninth wicket before catching the final batsman off Pinnock (1-5) as the innings crashed to 89 in 23.1 overs, the last 7 wickets falling in just 10 overs. ---------------------------------------------------- Its been a busy weekend for statistics and records. Both the total of 303-8 and the 214 run victory margin are Sunday team records. Not including debutant Faisal, there were also 8 club personal bests, Ben Lott, Mark Waters, Oli Parker (bat and ball), Jack Schofield (bat) and Ross Harrington (ball), the highest in 1 game bar the first season the club reformed after World War II. The record score conceded was on a double weekend created by the bizarre decision of the league to cancel matches earlier in the season for Princess Diana's funeral. The Cowgate game on the Sunday saw the Second XI have only 9 players (after also only having 9 the day before against Wallsend and conceding 270).
Chris Barlow has joined a select group of Captains at Ponteland after passing 100 games in charge of the Sunday team. After taking charge towards the end of the 1998 season from John Jessop, Chris has had two spells as the elected captain 1999-2001 and again since 2005, although as a result of Phil Barlow's work commitments he was also captain for most of 2004. The captaincy has alternated with Neil Pinnock since 2009. Chris has also captained more players for the Club than anyone else with Sundays debutant Faisal Padikaran being the 152nd.
Note: Stuart Taylor captained 93 1XI games between 2004 and 2008 recording 41 wins, 43 losses, 1 draw and eight abandoned. Saturday 17th June 2010 Ponteland's First Eleven looked to return to winning ways following the poor performance at Backworth last Saturday against Seaton Burn at home in a fixture sponsored by Michael Offord's Opticians. Winning the toss Ponteland chose to bat first on an excellent looking pitch, with Matt Darwood returning to the side, Paul Higginbottom returning to the Seconds and James Ritzema a late replacement for the injured Craig Moffat. Wayne Ritzema and Darwood opened the innings and after a cautious start against the opening bowlers became increasingly fluent against the change bowlers. Having scored just 92 the week before this score was passed without the loss of a wicket as Ritzema reached his first fifty for Ponteland off 75 balls and the 100 partnership was posted in the 26th over. With the partnership on 129 Ritzema was caught at deep square leg off Wright for 85, a shot on any other ground that would have been a six. Darwood (55) then reached his first fifty of the season before being bowled by Wright (2-51). James Ritzema and captain James Ealey kept the score moving before Ealey (12) was lbw and Tom Common (1) both fell to White. James Ritzema was then caught for a Ponteland best of 36 and Jonny Appleby (5) also fell in the push for quick runs at the end of the innings. Dan Wright (11*) helped push the final score to 219-6 with a straight six in the final over. With the sun breaking through the clouds Ed Common then produced a devastating opening ten over spell with Karunarate lbw for 0 and Alderson caught at extra cover in Common's next over by Richard Moller again for 0. Herbert and Lyall produced some resistance and pushed the score up to 51 before Herbert was excellently caught at gully by Darwood for 17 and Coleman was bowled two balls later for 0 to leave the innings on 51-4, Common with 4-18 off 10 overs. Ealey had replaced Howard Wright in the 14th over and after an expensive opening over then had Lyall (28) stunningly caught by Moller at extra cover, a two handed diving catch with his body completely off the ground. In his next over Carr was dropped off a skier at point by James Ritzema before he chipped one low back to Ealey (2-39) who held onto another excellent catch just off the ground, leaving the innings at 57-6. A defensive rearguard then follwed between White and Weldon as Seaton Burn settled into a period of accumulation and no wickets fell between the 18th and 39th overs as the score crept along to 98, a few aerial shots clearing fielders and Ealey spilling a simpled catch at mid-off. After such a quiet spell the game suddenly jumped into life again as Ponteland tore through the lower order, 4 wickets falling for just one run (a no-ball) in 11 balls. Howard Wright made the breakthrough, trapping Weldon lbw for 11, then Duncan McGregor (2-13 off 10 overs) stepped in with two wickets in two balls as Moller took his third catch to dismiss top scorer White for 31 and Wright lbw first ball. Howard Wright (2-27) finished the innings with a fourth catch to Moller, as the last man drove firmly and was well caught at extra cover. Ponteland 219-6 (W.Ritzema 85, M.Darwood 55, J.Ritzema 36, White 3-26) Seaton Burn 99 (A.White 31, E.Common 4-18, R.Moller 4 catches)
Two stats worthy of mention from this game. Duncan McGregor is the first bowler to reach 200 wickets in the NTSL for Ponteland's first team since our move to the league in 2002. In all first eleven league matches he now has 469 wickets and is currently third on the all time list, five behind Jeff Oliver in second.
Since 1950, when our detailed records begin, and the start of this season there had been just two instances where outfielders had taken four catches in an innings for the first eleven. Richard Moller was the second this season to take four after Paul Higginbottom took four at 1st slip two weeks ago against Cowgate.
Thursday 17th June 2010 On a glorious sunny evening the 3XI faced off against Newcastle City at Broadway West looking to move a step closer to making the top six play-offs with skipper Simon Raw having to keep for the first time since May 2007 . Batting first Newcastle City's openers made a steady start before John Hill (1-27) bowled Brar for 20. Alan Varley produced a tight spell conceding just 19 off his five overs but the bowlers struggled to make inroads and the second wicket didn't fall until the score was 96 when Phil Hall (1-39) bowled Hussain for 42. Several uncharacteristic dropped catches in a sloppy fielding display didn't help and City finished with a competitive 122-2 off the 20 overs, which Ponteland bowled in just 60 minutes. In reply Ponteland made a sluggish start with openers Peter Nesbitt (7) and Neil Pinnock (1) falling early on. James Ottaway's aggressive tactics towards some gentle spin bowling quickly got the innings back up to the rate, his 24 coming off just 15 balls. Jon Varley (7), Maty Bell (4) fell relatively quickly but Matt Smart and Simon Raw kept the team in touch with the asking rate before Smart (15) was bowled by youngster S.Singh whose 6 overs for just 14 runs looked to have put City in control. With Mukhtar then bowling the 18th over for just 3 runs, 16 were required off just 2 overs. Raw and Phil Hall managed to keep the runs coming though, getting 8 off the next and when Hall (7*) flicked 3 off the penultimate ball the scores were tied. Frustratingly for Raw (32*) he failed to get any bat on the final delivery and the keeper standing up was able to hold on to the ball and the game finished as a tie. Newcastle City 122-2 (F.Hussain 42, A.Mukhtar 44) Ponteland 122-6 (S.Raw 32*, J.Ottaway 24) The game also saw another Ponteland debut, as electronic scoring was used for the first time. Here are the first ever Ponteland batting waggon wheels.
Tuesday 15th June 2010 The 'Eagles' resumed their NEMWL campaign after last weeks defeat to Kings School with a return to Heaton Medicals this time to take on BA's Corinthians. Early on run scoring proved difficult, when Neil Pinnock was bowled for 1 with the score on 12, ten of those had come in extras. Andy Denyer (3), Roger Bell (4) fell as well and at the midway point of the innings Ponteland sat on just 38-3. Ponteland's batsmen then contributed to their own demise with Chris Morgan run out for 0 and Chris Barlow run out without facing after an initial call for 2 runs was changed too late. Ealey and Appleby then took the score to 71 before Appleby chipped one back to the bowler and Tom Common and Keith Crerar were both bowled without the score changing. The remaining five overs however saw Ealey and skipper Craig Moffat rescue the innings with an unbroken partnership of 52. Ealey finished on 56 and Moffat 22 as Ponteland fell just five runs short of securing both batting points. In reply BA's innings started like a rocket, Clough was extremely aggressive, especially to Jonny Appleby (0-27) in his first two overs of the season after a shoulder injury. When Tom Common bowled the other opener for just 3 in the fifth over the score was already on 44. Common then took the second wicket as well and Chris Morgan stumped Coles off Crerar (1-18) before Common (3-21) took his third wicket, all bowled, dismissing Clough for 52. With the game in the balance though it was the spin of Andy Denyer that proved crucial as the batsmen struggled with his turn and he conceded just 5 in his first two overs and took a wicket, Ealey (1-13) then dismissed Case but as the final over began Corinthians required 10 to win. Moffat ran out Hiscock for 21 off the first delivery then Morgan took his second stumping as Burnip went down the wicket to give Denyer (2-8) his second. Three singles were conceded off the remaining 5 balls and a six run win to the Eagles to push us back onto the fringes of the promotion race. Next up the Black Widows at home on Tuesday 22nd June Ponteland 123-8 (J.Ealey 56*, C.Moffat 22*, J.Case 3-37) BA Corinthians 117-8 (N.Clough 52, T.Common 3-21, A.Denyer 2-8) Ponteland 8 points, Corinthians 3 For anyone wondering the team has been branded the Eagles by skipper Craig Moffat in honour of Club Captain James Ealey and the Sunday Sun's constant inability to get his name right in the paper! Monday 14th June 2010 Another stat snippet today after Sunday's rain-off. As many already know (those who have him as a friend on Facebook probably dread the updates after every game) Under 18 player Will Urwin has had an extremely successful start to the season. By the end of May he had reached exactly 400 runs in all senior games, the 10th time this has been achieved. Only two players have reached 400 just for 1 team, Brett Elliott with 526 1XI league runs in 1991 and Lloyd Anderson with 435 in 2006. In both cases they set club and league records for runs in a season, Brett with 1,066 and Lloyd 1,200, Lloyd's record still stands at both league and club levels.
Prior to this Will had managed 110 runs in 19 innings since his Ponteland debut and is the only junior to have reached this mark. Sunday 13th June 2010 The frustrating Sunday season continued with the home fixture against Davipart rained off, the side has only played 4 out of 9 fixtures so far. A further note on the Father and Son combinations, Peter Jones has been in touch via the website. He never played in the 1XI or 2XI with his father Allan but knew that they had played together for Pont. A quick bit of research showed that they played together in at least 2 friendlies and 4 midweek fixtures between 1967 and 1969. (Several scorebooks from this era are missing so there may have been more). Saturday 12th June 2010 Pont batting Layt to rest After the emphatic victory the week before the 1st Eleven came crashing down to earth with the trip to Backworth. The team showed two changes with both Stuart Taylor and Howard Wright unavailable and replaced by the returning Andy Morgan and Dave Waters called up from the seconds. In reply Ponteland's opening bowlers bowled tightly but failed to take any wickets but in the 12th over with the score on 38 Duncan McGregor (2-23) claimed the first with an lbw and then Ritzema completed a sharp legside stumping to get the second. Tom Common then pulled off an outstanding diving off Waters (1-19) but at that point the score was 86 in the 29th over and Backworth completed the win 2 overs later. Ponteland 92 (K.Layton 7-13) Backworth 96-3 Backworth 20 points, Ponteland 1 Hill Back's them up Ponteland 2nd XI continued where they left off from last week with a convincing display to overcome Backworth by six wickets. Report by Chris Morgan In taking five wickets for just 18 runs John Hill recorded his career best figures for Ponteland, surpassing his 5 for 38 against Bomarsund back in 1991. He also becomes only the eighth player to take 150 wickets in the 2XI.
Friday 11th June 2010 The U15s winless season continued today at Backworth although they did produce a much improved performance with the ball and in the field. Batting first on a green wicket the inexperienced top order struggled, with the majority of the 8 wickets to fall all dismissed bowled the batsmen often stepping back to expose their stumps. From 15-4 Dan Gallacher (5) and Oli Parker (6) put together a small partnership but both fell in quick succession and the side slipped to 32-6. Adam Lawson and Damien Cooke then batted solidly for the majority of the remaining overs before Cooke was stumped and Ponteland ended on 52-8. In reply Charlie Machell with 3 wickets, 2 bowled and 1 caught by Cooke and Oli Parker (1) reduced the Backworth innings to 33-4 off 9 overs but the target was just too low to defend and despite Marc Dixon taking the fifth wicket Backworth completed the win in the 15th over. Thursday 10th June 2010 The 3XI boosted their chances of a top six finish against bottom of the table Morpeth with a comfortable victory today. After putting Morpeth into bat Ponteland were soon amongst the wickets as Alan Varley (1-24) struck in his 1st over. Jonny Furness (2-15) bowled tidily at the other end as big shots were mixed in with regular wickets. It was the change bowlers that took a strangle hold on the game though as Robert Hall and Andy Denyer tore through the lower order, father and son uniting for Robert's first as his father Phil, making his seasonal debut, took the catch as part of a strong Ponteland fielding display. Peter Nesbitt and Jon Varley also holding good catches. Hall (3-11) and Denyer (3-15) dismissed Morpeth in the 18th over for just 73. There was however time for a 'comedy moment of the season contender' after Andy Denyer palmed a catch over the boundary for six then on throwing the ball back in he lost his balance and ended up flat on his back right next to the 1XI net practice. John Gardner found it highly amusing! In reply Ponteland lost an early wicket as skipper Simon Raw was bowled for 7 but Matty Bell (27) and Jon Varley (22*) put Pont in site of victory before a mixup saw Bell runout. Phil Hall (5*) helped Varley take the side to victory in the 16th over. Morpeth 73 (R.Hall 3-11, A.Denyer 3-15, J.Furness 2-15) Ponteland 74-2 (M.Bell 27, J.Varley 22*) Ponteland 6 points, Morpeth 0 Before anyone else asks there have been numerous occasions where its been caught father bowled son or vise versa. Phil and Robert have completed the set as Robert caught one off Phil in the 2XI in 2008 against Consett. Mike and Chris Barlow and Alan and Jon Varley have also 'done the double' in recent history. Wednesday 9th June 2010 A young and relatively inexperienced U11 team has had a harsh introduction to the wonderful world of real cricket with a hard ball, pads, helmets and boxes. Most of the boys are U10 and in their first match against Tillside on Sunday 23rd May they were up against much more experienced boys. Tillside batted first and scored 90 runs for two times out giving them a nett score of 278 (both teams start on 200). Chris Jeffrey took both Tillside wickets. Ponteland scored 67 runs but were out ten times giving them a nett total of 207. Thomas Reeman with 17 (once out) and Ryan Gerrard 15 (once out) top scored for Ponteland. Their second game was against Tynemouth in the cup. Ponteland batted first and made a promising start putting on 28 runs for the first two pairs. Unfortunately the later pairs came unstuck and were out several times giving Ponteland a nett score of 201. When Tynemouth batted they were only just ahead after 3 pairs had batted having been out 4 times. However, their final pair batted confidently and made the game safe finishing with a nett score of 254. Some of the Ponteland fielding was excellent and the boys will grow in confidence now that they have a couple of games behind them. Monday 7th June 2010 Pictures of the double rainbow by Duncan McGregor from the Thursday night game against Backworth last week.
Sunday 6th June 2010 Having arrived at Priors Park for the fixture against KSTOB under leaden skies it was no surprise when the drizzle started. The game was quickly cut back to 20 overs a side and they scored 120-5, wickets for Dave Waters (2), Adam Wilkin, Jack Schofield and Charlie Machell. After a strong start in increasingly farcial conditions Tom Common (12) was first to go and a steady stream of wickets followed as it was imposible to hit boundaries in the wet conditions. Regular wickets fell and several suggestions that it was time to give it up were knocked back by the fielding side and the game ended in a monsoon, Dave Waters completing his first fifty for the club finishing unbeaten on 62 as Ponteland fell 8 runs short on 112-8. Saturday 5th June 2010 The 1XI took on Cowgate looking to kick start their season after 3 games without a win. The team showed two changes from the Alnwick game with Wayne Ritzema returning to the side and Paul Higginbottom promoted from the 2XI following 62 against Alnwick the previous week. In a match sponsored by Anderson & Garland Cowgate won the toss on a warm but hazy day and without hesitation chose to bat. Ponteland's opening bowling attack kept the Cowgate batsmen under control, the main source of runs early on from a constant flow of no-balls from Craig Moffat and an unlucky set of overthrows when James Ealey's run-out attempt clipped the top of the stumps after the batsmen reached his ground and flew away for 4 runs. With the score on 17 Ed Common found the edge of Balasandrum's bat and Higginbottom held an outstanding catch at 1st slip. 10 runs later the remaining opener, Kak, tried to hit Common over the top and back pedalling at extra cover Richard Moller held another difficult chance. Common (3-13) then claimed the 3rd wicket of his opening spell as Anderson tried to leave a ball which somehow cannoned off his thigh pad into off stump. With Wright replacing Moffat after 4 overs it was Wright's away swing that took centre stage, regular wickets falling with two more slip catches for Higginbottom and another catch for Moller although Tom Common dropped one with what was described by the fines convenor as a "Billy Elliott moment". With the whole of the side appealing for an lbw Higginbottom kept his eye on the ball however, pulling off his fourth catch at first slip, again off Wright who claimed his fifth next ball with an lbw. Wright (5-24) then failed to claim his hat-trick when he bowled yet another no-ball. Moffat (1-24) claimed his first wicket of the game with an edge taken by keeper Ritzema, which was again heading for Higginbottom! A mix up in the running between the final pair gave Richard Moller the opportunity to end the innings with a run out and Cowgate were dismissed for just 64 in 28.2 overs, a total boosted by 15 no balls which equalled the highest score by a batsman in their innings. Higginbottom's 4 catches as an outfielder is the most in an innings by a Ponteland player since joining the Tyneside Senior League. With the first innings ended so quickly the game resumed straight away with tea still an hour away. Ritzema and Higginbottom opened the innings, with fifty overs to reach the target they adopted a safety first approach, their target clearly being to reach the target without losing a wicket. When tea came the innings sat at 37, Higginbottom dropped in the slips off the only chance, and after the break Ritzema was also put down in the same area but the two saw the side home in the 21st over without any further chances to give Ponteland the maximum points in a 10 wicket win. Cowgate 64 (E.Common 3-13, H.Wright 5-24, P.Higginbottom 4 catches) Ponteland 65-0 (P.Higginbottom 31*, W.Ritzema 24*) Ponteland 20 points, Cowgate 0 The Second XI finally ended their run of five games without a victory with an excellent victory over Cowgate - easily the side's best performance of the season to date. Report by Chris Morgan Wednesday 2nd June 2010 Regular followers of Ponteland are well aware of what normally happens after a wet weekend - stat attack. Following Howard and Dan Wright's appearance in the 1XI and Andy & Chris Morgan in the 2XI the question was asked is this the first time a father and son combination have appeared in both teams on the same day. The easy answer (Statto was absent from the discussion) is no. On 6 occasions Andy & Chris have been in the 1XI when Mike & Chris Barlow were in the 2XI and of those 6 Phil Barlow also played. Furthermore in those 6 games there was a second father and son combination in the 2XI at the same time with Phil & James Ottaway twice and Geoff and Jonny Appleby once. Further father and son teams in the 2XI have included Phil Hall with Robert twice with George also appearing in one of those, Alan & Jon Varley and Max & Stuart Taylor also turning out together in 1999 against Hawthorns, Stu probably doesn't want reminding that Max outscored him! Ron, Mike & John Shuttleworth and also Ron & Andrew Fairweather have all appeared together. One final notable father and son game includes several of those already mentioned. Mike & Chris, Geoff & Jonny, Phil & James and Alan & Jon all appeared in the same 2XI game at Belsay (8 of the team). Mike Barlow is the only player to date to have been both the son and the father in these combinations having played in the same side as father, Tom, in the 1950s and '60s. Coming soon - Will Urwin's start to the season - its position in Club history. Tuesday 1st June 2010 After the fantastic sunny bank holiday monday with no cricket scheduled the miserable wet conditions returned and both fixtures fell victim. Simon Raw lost the coin toss in the Ian Appleby Cup to be knocked out by Ashington while the NEMWL fixture against Stonebridge Spitfires had to be cancelled, the game is re-arranged for Friday 9th July as the Under 15s do not have a game that night. Sunday 30th May 2010 Persistant morning drizzle and a waterlogged area in the bowlers run up from the rugby pitch end resulted in the Riding Mill fixture having to be cancelled. Saturday 29th May 2010 The 1XI suffered a watery end to their game at Alnwick at the tea interval having reached 139-8 off their fifty overs, Captain James Ealey recorded the first individual fifty for the 1XI this season with 72. After a combination of batting collapses and bowling atrocities ruined the Second XI's chances of victory in the past few weeks, this time it was the good old fashioned English weather which thwarted their chances as rain came down on what would have been an almost certain victory against Alnwick. Report by Chris Morgan Wednesday 26th May 2010 Heavy rain brought the first cancellation of the season today, the NEMWL fixture against KSTOB. The fixture has to be re-arranged and with both sides out of (or in Ponteland's case not in) the cup Wednesday 9th June is the likely date. Sunday 23rd May 2010 Another glorious sunny day saw the Sunday team skipper win the toss and choose to bat first against Blagdon. The game should have had a dramatic start as Will Urwin was dropped off the second delivery but it was opening partner Chris Morgan (3) who finally fell first with the score on 10. Urwin and Richard Moller rode some further luck as the score slowly crept to 73 at the 20 over mark. The release of pressure came with the switch from seamers to spinners and the innings accelerated from that point. Both batsmen reached their fifties then passed their highest scores for the club before Will fell first on 82, the stand of 136 the highest ever against Blagdon (and only the second century stand for Ponteland in this fixture). Stuart Taylor then scored a quickfire 40 off 23 balls before his dismissal, caught at long-off, sparked a mini collapse with 4 wickets falling in 3 overs as Moller (71) and Neil Pinnock (6) both fell to exactly the same dismissal as Taylor trying to hit down the ground into the wind. Debuting Under 15 Charlie Machell (1) was bowled and the innings ended on 223-7 off 40 overs when Dave Waters holed out trying to hit the final delivery out the ground, Chris Barlow remaining unbeaten on 4, Hughes claiming 5-36. In reply U15 Oliver Parker took the first wicket and despite an early onslaught which saw 67 off the first 10 overs once Keith Crerar had dismissed Hughes for 35 Ponteland were able to exert some control over proceedings. Waters (2-22) claimed two middle order wickets before once again the introduction of a spinner changed the game. This time unlike the acceleration of the Ponteland innings Pinnock (3-31) pushed Blagdon further behind the rate with Truscott stumped by Urwin off his first over and further wickets to a catch by Crerar and an LBW saw them 7 down. Jack Schofield (1-42) then got his first Ponteland wicket, before Machell (1-6) capped a promising debut performance with an excellent delivery to account for the always dangerous Dave Reay. Parker (2-29) in his second spell finished the game in the final over when Gibson (74) clipped one to deep midwicket where Pinncok took a good catch into the sun to complete a 58 run win. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ponteland Middle School's boys & girls teams reach the finals - qualify for regional play-offs 
