MAGNIFICENT BULLS CHARGE INTO REGIONAL FINAL OF THE NATIONAL CLUB C

31st May 2026

SNCC 221-5 (40o) Chris Hewison 12, Sol Bell 77, George Drissell 22, David Edwards 9, Adam Cragg 52, Rob Peyton 19*, Oli McGee 10*: Josh Dowson 0-62, Harvey Websdale 1-34, Sam Wood 0-29, Caleb Bradford 2-38, Lalith Akkaraju 2-51.

Richmondshire 108 ao (29.5o) Gary Pratt 22, Dan Hodgson 37, Owen Kelly 10, Lalith Akkaraju 18: George Drissell 0-24, Calum Fletcher 3-20, Oli McGee 1-17, Nicky Phillips 3-15, Hamish Barrie 3-30.

SNCC won by 113 runs- advance to Regional Final v Woodlands (h) Sun 21^st June.

On another gloriously sunny day, after compiling a competitive 221-5 in their 40 overs, mainly thanks to Sol Bell (77) & Adam Cragg (52) at his destructive best, the Bulls, without Wightman, Alexander & Bushnell, stunned the visitors with a bowling & fielding display of the highest order, tumbling Richmondshire out for 108 in the 30th over, taking 8 catches, four outstanding & featuring another legside stumping for w/k Rob Peyton. Hamish Barrie, making only his second 1^st X1 appearance, took three wickets. A deeply satisfying day for supporters & players.

The Bulls were invited to bat, Hewison & Bell faced the right arm seam of Dowson (Grove) & Websdale (Park). In over 3 Hewey launched Dowson into Moor Road North. Sol cut & drove Websdale straight for 4, 25 after 4 overs.

Then, after a maiden, Hewey (12) went back to force Websdale & was bowled, 27-1. After 10 overs the score was 50-1. George cover drove & guided to third man for 4. Wood (rm) & Bradford (sla) took up the attack. They bowled tightly to a well set field & at 74 in the 18^th George (22, 43b, 2x4) lofted Bradford towards deep extra cover where White made good ground to take the catch. Drinks were taken at 78-2 after 20 overs. 

There was a little in the wicket for both seam & spin. As the slow left arm of Bradford & Akkaraju bowled 8 overs, many attacking shots were finding fielders in the ring. Sol reached 50 in the 24^th taking 4,2,4 off Bradford. He repeated with 4,1,4, 2 from Akkaraju in the 27^th  surviving a tough chance at deep long off.

At 123 Edwards (9) missed a slog sweep & was bowled by Bradford. Enter Adam Cragg, 136-3 after 30 overs. The last 10 overs saw 85 runs scored. At 139 in the 31^st Sol (77,93 b, 9x4 ) making room to drive Akkaraju over cover, was stumped by Hodgson as the ball drifted wide of off stump. Another magnificent innings after his 150 the day before at Burnopfield.

The pressure to score quickly was on, almost a run out but then Adam drove Wood over cover & reversed Akkaraju both for 4.Dowson returned at the Park end but conceded 7 in the 34th, Akkaraju 13 in the 35^th as Adam picked up to mid wicket for 6 & reversed again. In the next Dowson was struck for 6,6,2,4,4 displacing tiles on a Moor Road roof, Craggy straight driving & pulling to mid wicket, 195 after 36, 22 from the over, Adam 52*.

Sadly, from the first ball of Akkaraju's next the reverse failed & Cragg was bowled (52, 28b, 6x4, 3x6) magnificent !! 195-5. Rob (19*) & Oli (10*) rose the score to a competitive 221 after 40 overs. Would it be enough ?

Carr (rh) & Pratt (lh) faced the spin of George Drissell (Grove) & seam of Cal Fletcher (Park). There was turn. In over 4 Carr (7) edged Cal to first slip where George took an outstanding catch, low, right handed at full stretch. George suffered in the next as Pratt & Hodgson drove & cut 14. Cal's opening 6 overs conceded only 18.

45-1 after 10 overs. Oli & Nicky bowled 13-20 for only 15 runs. In Nicky's second Pratt (22) drove hard back towards the bowler where Nicky took a very good catch midriff height, 58-2. In the next White (2) was lbw sweeping to Oli, 60-3.

At drinks after 21 overs the total was 76-3. Hamish Barrie (ob) had bolwed one over. In the next 8.5 overs the visitors lost 7 wickets for just 32 runs as the Bulls pulled off one amazing catch after another. At 80 in Hamish's second, Hodgson (37, 53b, 4x4) drove hard to short extra where Adam took the catch. Three balls later Percival (0) pulled straight to George at mid wicket.

In Calum's 8^th Rob Peyton pulled off another legside stumping from a wide, Kelly (10) dismissed. 4 balls later Wood (0) cut hard towards point where Hewey took a blinder, high to his left in one hand -wow ! 81-7.

At 83 in the 27^th Dowson (1) launched Hamish to wide long on where Nathan made rapid ground to his right taking he catch at full tilt in front of the scoreboard, 83-8. Akkaraju struck 6.6 off Hamish to mid wicket in the 29^th but in the next Nicky took two in 4 balls as Bradford chipped to Adam at short mid wicket & Akkaraju squirted to backward point where David made good ground to his left to take another outstanding diving catch. C'est magnifique mes amis!!

Three wickets each for Calum, Nicky & Hamish, one for Oli. Some outstanding catching but also fielding, Oli & Nicky off their own bowling, Nathan at mid off & long on, Sol at point, Adam at short extra cover, Cal in the deep, David at backward point & third man. Fielding matters, catches win matches !

Onward to the Regional Final v Woodlands (h) Sun 21^st June from 1100. We hope you can be there, the journey continues.

Duncan.