1864'S TRIUMPH AGAINST TYNEMOUTH
9th July 2025
BULLS OVERCOME CASTLE EDEN ON A TRICKY WICKET
9th Jul 2025
BULLS OVERCOME CASTLE EDEN ON A TRICKY WICKET
Sat 5th July 2025: NEPL Div 2: SNCC v Castle Eden (a) 105o, win/lose/draw.
SNCC 151ao (39.2o) David Edwards 29, Tom Jones 17, Ben Sidney-Wilmot 17, James Lunn 13, Danny Collins 23*, Ben Hobbs 14: Ash Grant 3-48, Jacob Darby 1-47, Tom Gorham 4-25, Will Iceton 0-6, Ben Lawrence 2-13.
Castle Eden 83ao (28o) Martin Dunn 9, James Dawson 9, Kane Iceton 11, Liam Irwin 19: Tom Jones 2-31, Ru Fletcher 3-15, James Lunn 4-14, Ben Hobbs 0-11, Danny Collins 1-3.
SNCC won by 68 runs- 24 points, Castle Eden 4.
On a tricky, reclaimed, dry wicket that suited the slower bowlers the Bulls were invited to bat. Edwards & Jones faced the sla of Grant & seam of Darby. An opening stand of 44 was creditable on a surface taking spin & with uneven bounce.
In the 5th David struck Grant for 3x6 from balls 1,3 & 5, straight, to mid wicket & over extra cover. Tom drove consecutive boundaries off Darby in over 6 straight & to mid wicket. It seemed that at any stage a wicket might fall to the unpredictable surface. At 44 in the 7th David (29, 24b, 2x4, 3x6) drove high to the long off boundary destined for 6, but after misjudging, Gorham retreated to take a one handed above his head.
5 runs & 2 overs later Tom (17) was lbw to Grant aiming to leg, 44-2. In the 14th Jan (3) leading edged to mid wicket off Gorham's gentle swing. Then three wickets in two overs as Jacob (4) was caught at mid on driving Grant aerially, Ru (13) got one that stopped & lobbed a catch to cover & George (0), working to leg, was bowled, both to Gorham; 72-6 in a hole.
A steadying partnership of 27 between Ben Sid & James Lunn pushed the score to 99 in the 26th when Lunny (13) was bowled by Lawrence playing back. Ben, a very useful (17) followed in identical fashion in over 30, 114-8.
But Danny Collins & Ben Hobbs, both batting with intent, ensured a defendable total taking the score to146 before Ben (14) aiming to cut, edged to point. Will (1) succumbed to good delivery from Darby leaving Danny (23*, 35b, 3x4) a most positive intervention, the Bulls151 all out in 39.2 overs.
Grant & Gorham, with 7 wickets between them, had shown that slow bowling was the most difficult to score off on this wicket so Tom Jones (lb) & Ru Fletcher(rm bowling at the stumps) faced the opening pair of Dunn & Dawson.
19-1 in the 4th when Dawson (9) edged Ru to w/k Ben Sid . 21-2 in the 5th as Dunn (9) top edged Tom to short fine leg to be caught by Will. Tudball (3) followed in over 9 edging a cut to Ru at slip off Tom, 34-3. 38-4 in over 10 when K Iceton (11) defending, was bowled by Ru.
Gorham (6) followed in similar fashion bowled by Ru defending in over 14, 52-5. A very good spell from Ru - 9-4-15-3. One run later C Tudball (1) was caught by Jan, chipping to square leg off Lunny (ob). Lunny's accuracy was hard to get away & in over 21 Lawrence (7) chipped him to David at mid wicket, 67-7.
Irwin (17) had been resolute but in over 25 he edged Lunny to Ru at slip, 80-8. The end was nigh as Will Iceton, defending, was bowled by Lunny in the 27th & in the 28th Grant (1) was lbw to a full Danny Collins delivery, 83 all out in 28 overs.
Ru, moving it both ways, Lunny & Tom were the pick. Three overs from Ben Hobbs aside, not a day for seamers Will & George. Runs from the lower order vital in achieving a defendable total.
Onward to Sat 12th July: SNCC v Chester-le-Street (h) 1200, 105o, win/lose/draw - an important game against the league leaders for the still second placed Bulls. We hope you can be there to cheer the team on.
Duncan.