BULLS BOUNCE BACK WITH DEFEAT OF YOUTHFUL FELLING. Sat 22 May 2026, NEPL Div 2: SNCC v Felling (h) 50/50 win/lose

22nd May 2026

Felling 88ao (33.1o) Marc Foster 27, Sean Rowell 18, Danny Norman 16: Allan Davidson 0-20, Will Phillips 0-18, Will Young 2-12, Hamish Barrie 4-27, Joseph Dresser 3-10, James Lunn 1-0.

SNCC 92-4 (24.1o) Sam Ewart 18, Olly Alexander 23*, Will Phillips 13, Ben Sidney Wilmot 19*.: Anwar Dawlatzia 0-17, Tony Trotter 0-13, Brad Lowery 1-15, Harry Blythe 2-30, Rob Newman 0-18.

SNCC won by 6 wickets- 24 points, Felling 1.

The Bulls earned their second win of the season against a youthful Felling side who were dismissed for 88 in the 34^th over. The fielding was good with stops made, catches taken & energy evident. The target was reached by the hosts in 24.1 overs for the loss 4 wickets, all eminently preventable, & it was left to Olly Alexander & Ben Sidney-Wilmot to guide the Bulls home sensibly.

A sunny day &  Felling chose to bat on what turned out to be a slow. low wicket with occasional bounce & some turn. Allan Davidson (rm) & Will Phillips (ob) were faced by Marc Foster & Sean Rowell. 36 without loss after 10 overs, Allan tucked into the legside & Will P a tad too short. Will Young (rm Grove ) began a spell in the 11^th & Hamish Barrie (ob Park) in the 14th.

Despite conceding a no ball in his first & a wide in his second over, Will Y, having conceded 8, persuaded Rowell (18) to loft into the off side where Will P made good ground to his left to take a diving catch, 49-1.

Hamish began with a maiden, Will Y followed suit & then Foster (27) lofted Hamish to mid on where Lunny  took the catch above his head, 49-2. After drinks in Will Y's 5^th Gilmore (2) drove back to the bowler who took a good catch, waist high on follow through, 59-3.

Hamish was unlucky to see chances to long on & slip spilled but he was bowling with control from a high arm. Joseph Dresser (rm Grove) entered the attack in over 23 & from the last ball Hill (3) edged & w/k Ben Sid dived low to his right to take an excellent catch, 64-4.Hamish probed & in his 7^th Norman (16) advanced but missed & was neatly stumped by Ben, 73-5.

At the same score Blythe (1) drove Joseph to mid on where Sam took  a straightforward catch, 73-6.  Three overs later Newman (0) drove off  the back foot back to Hamish the bowler, 80-7. Trotter (4) succumbed in the next lobbing into point where Will Y took a neat catch moving to his left, 81-8.

In the next Nicholls (4) was bowled by Hamish who completed an exemplary 10 overs taking 4-27.  Will Y 2-12 from 6 overs & Joseph 3-10 also from 6, supported well. The innings ended with the first ball of James Lunn's league season when Lowery (0) skied a catch to mid on, the third of Will Young's afternoon.

In reply Nick Tomlinson & Sam Ewart faced the seam of Dawlatzia (Grove) & Trotter (sla) Park. Sadly, for the 4^th time in 5 innings Nick (0) was run out as his call for a single to an extra cover space was not responded to by Sam & his retreat from over half way was beaten at the striker's end, 6-1.

Olly Alexander joined Sam who then pulled & drove Dawlatzia over square leg/mid wicket 3 times for 4. Despite some playing & missing with the occasional ball bouncing, so not easy to score quickly, at 36 in the 13^th Sam's (18, 35b, 4x4) drove but lost his middle stump, 2 down.

Will Phillips (13, 16b, 3x4) ) likes to sweep but in the 16^th he was bowled around his legs by Blythe's leg break, 52-3. Four overs later Jan Ozmen (5) pulled Blythe hard, but straight to deep backward square leg, 68-4. Hmm !

Olly had been batting calmly and, joined by Ben Sid, the pair guided the Bulls home as Ben, surviving a chance to the w/k, driving boundaries through extra cover & to long on in the 24th & Olly clipped through mid wicket in the 25th, 92-4.  Olly (23*,44b, 3x4), playing each ball on its merits & Ben (19* 21b, 3x4) standing tall & punching down the ground, an undefeated partnership of 24.

This win sees the Bulls rise to 8^th place on 65 points.

Onward to Sat 30th May: NEPL Div 2:  SNCC v Newcastle City (h) 110 overs win/lose/draw from 1100.

We hope you can be there to cheer the team on.

Duncan.