BULLS DRAW WELL CONTESTED AFFAIR WITH CHESTER-LE-STREET.

16th Jul 2025

BULLS DRAW WELL CONTESTED AFFAIR WITH CHESTER-LE-STREET.

         Sat 12th July 2025: NEPL Div 2: SNCC v CLS (h) 105o, win/lose/draw.

SNCC 222ao (54.3o) Tom Jones 12, Jan Ozmen 19, Andrew Doig 93, Jacob McCord 26, Olly Alexander 10, James Lunn 28, Ben Hobbs 10*: Gabriel Hughes-Pinan 0-53, Brett Eagle 4-45, Josh Metcalfe 1-70, Josh Wilson 4-25.

Chester-Le-Street 212-7 (50o) Ethan Connolly 27, Josh Wilson 101, Gabriel Hughes-Pinan 22, Luke Allen 18, George Harrison 14: Ben Hobbs 0-48, Danny Collins 1-38, Tom Jones 2-66, Will Young 0-24, James Lunn 4-32.

Match drawn: CLS 18 points, SNCC 10.

On the hottest day of the year so far, the top two teams in Division 2 played out a well contested draw at Roseworth Terrace. Ben Sidney-Wilmot captaining, David Edwards on 1st X1 duty. The Bulls chose to bat, the left handed Tom Jones & Nick Tomlinson faced the off spin of Gabriel Hughes-Pinan & seam of Brett Eagle.

Tom (12) edged down the legside to w/k Wilson standing up to Eagle at 15 & then Nick (5) cut hard but saw Metcalfe take an outstanding, one handed catch at third slip in Eagle's next over,18-2 after 8 overs.

Jan & Andy settled, the rate at 3's, straight & cover driven boundaries to both & when Metcalfe (ob) began a long spell Jan swept twice for 2. But in the 15^th Jan (19) & well forward to Metcalfe, was adjudged stumped by w/k Wilson, 46-3.

Jackson (rm) bowled a tight 4 over spell, Metcalfe wheeled away & Burdon (ob) had a 3 over spell. The total had risen to 118 after 30 overs as Andy accelerated to & beyond 50* driving straight, steering behind point & Jacob over mid wicket. Sadly, in the over before second drinks Jacob (26, 57b, 4x4) an innings of restraint, was run out at the bowler's end returning for two but being defeated by the return from fine leg, 128-4, Andy 64*.

An all spin attack conceded 30 runs in 6 overs as Olly Alexander joined Andy. Having given up the w/k gloves Josh Wilson began a spell of off spin from the Park End & getting turn from around the wicket persuaded Olly (10) to play on,158-5 after 41 overs.

In his next Andy (93, 103b, 12x4, 1x6) aimed to steer fine but also played on, 169-6; a pity, an excellent, well paced innings deserved 7 more. The experienced Eagle & Wilson bowled the last 12 overs. Ben Sid (6) was bowled by Wilson in the 47^th, Danny Collins (8) edged behind off Eagle in the 50th, 191-8.

James Lunn's 3x4 provided some momentum & in company with Ben Hobbs (10*) the pair put on 29 until Lunny (28, 34b, 3x4) was caught on the mid wicket boundary. In the last, 55^th over, Will (2), on the crease, was bowled by Wilson, who finished with 4-25: the Bulls 222ao.

In reply, with 50 overs available, Metcalfe & Connolly faced the seam of Ben Hobbs (Grove) & Danny Collins (Park). The winning draw was 204. At 29 in the 8th Metcalfe (13) drove Danny towards mid on where Nick made ground to his left to take a good, low catch. Tom Jones began a spell in the 13^th & in his second Connolly (27, 44b, 5x4) edged to slip where Andy obliged, 48-2.

Josh Wilson entered at 4, defended soundly, got well forward, used his feet to the spinners & punished anything short or full positively. 9 from Will's first, then 10 from Tom's next, 25 runs in 3 overs. 

Lunny entered the attack from the Park end in over 26 & proceeded to provide the control others could not, taking 4-32 in 13 overs conceding only two boundaries. At 104 in the 30^th Gabriel Hughes-Pinan (22) edged to w/k Ben off Lunny, 3 down, Wilson 39*. 124-3 at second drinks after 34 overs as Allen swept Tom for 3x4 consecutively.

Two boundaries to Wilson from Tom immediately after the break took him to 52* but a difficult, missed chance to mid wicket from ball 6 as the skier over the retreating shoulder was caught but spilled.

In the 38th Allen (18) forward, was stumped by Ben Sid off Lunny, 142-4. A scoreboard malfunction was frustrating, but Wilson continued to use his feet well & when Ben returned for a three over spell he could not find the right length being driven, pulled or cut, conceding  22 from 3 overs.

Danny, now from the Grove end, suffered too as Wilson accelerated, taking 24 from two overs, many to mid wicket as he reached 100*,198-4 after 45 overs. In the 46^th Harrison (14) edged Lunny to Ben Sid & in the next Wilson (101, 101b, 12x4, 4x6) skied to mid wicket off the returning Tom to be caught by Nick, an excellent innings for his team,198-6. 

Jackson (1) heaving, was lbw to Lunny in the next, 199-7. An edged 4 off Tom gave the visitors the winning draw from the first ball of the penultimate over. With the field in, a back foot force through cover & 4 byes concluded the innings at 212-7. The sun still shone.

The Bulls remain in second place in NEPL Division 2 on 245 points behind CLS on 318.

Onward to Sat 19^th July SNCC v Tynedale (a) 105o win/lose/draw from 1200. We hope you may be there to cheer the team on.

Duncan.