Season report 2008

A successful season and the boys can be very pleased with their efforts. They suffered only one defeat at the hands of Tynemouth. They learnt from that and later in the season got their revenge when they beat Tynemouth in the final of the Premier League Cup at Norton. It was an excellent team performance in the final. The batting, bowling and fielding were of the highest standard. One of the independent umpires in the final said to me afterwards that the South North performance was the best he had seen in recent years from an under 11 team.

Adam Clark was the captain for the season and did really well. He took his responsibilities seriously and got the team working for him all the time. Thanks Adam and well done.

Particular mention must be made of Johnny McPhillips. In a cup game early in the season against Benwell Hill he was at the crease for 4 overs. He did not get all of the strike yet finished not out on 50. An outstanding batting performance. He then went behind the stumps and kept wicket very well. Benwell Hill were being outclassed and Jonny chose not to take several stumping opportunities. I spoke to him after the game and he said that it was clear South North were going to win and he did not want to make the margin of defeat any worse for Benwell Hill. I think that displayed a maturity beyond his years. Thank you Johnny.

There were some good bowling performances during the season. James Ruddick bowled well in the cup final. Adam Clark had the remarkable figures of 5-0 against Benwell Hill. Harry Young and James Lowdon bowled consistently well.

The top fielder of the season was Rory Davidson. He usually stood at point and very little got past him. In a game against Stocksfield he was directly responsible for 3 run outs which helped South North win the game comfortably.

As a team the players pulled together very well. It was a pleasure acting as their team manager. My thanks go to John Dodds who coped so well with another wet summer.  I would like to thank Nicky Phillips, Martin Speight and John Ruddick for their encouragement throughout the season.  My final thank you is to the parents for acting as chauffeurs without complaint.

Stewart Davidson

Under 11 Reds Team Manager