ACADEMY FIND A WAY TO A CONVINCING WIN AT SACRISTON,
28th May 2025
BULLS TAME LYONS & RISE TO FOURTH IN NEPL DIVISION 2
28th May 2025
BULLS TAME LYONS & RISE TO FOURTH IN NEPL DIVISION 2
Sat 24th May 2025: NEPL Div 2: SNCC v Hetton Lyons (a) 45/45, win/lose.
Hetton Lyons 137ao (36.5o) Shaun Birbeck 67, Josh Errington 23: Allan Davidson 0-28, George McConnell 1-25, Tom Jones 3-15, James Lunn 2-18, Nick Tomlinson 0-19, Jacques Graham 2-27.
SNCC 138-3 (19.5o) Nick Tomlinson 54, Will Carr 40* Angus Southern 18*, David Edwards 17: Dan Walker 0-15, Steven Errington 0-26, Alex Birbeck 2-34, Lilly-Mai Taylor 1-36, Jack Neilson 0-4, Josh Errington 0-21.
SNCC won by 7 wickets - 24 points, Hetton Lyons 2.
As Sunderland supporters headed to Wembley, the Lyons were weakened and winning the toss, chose to bat. A sunny day at Lilywhite Terrace with a strong breeze blowing across the ground saw the wicket pitched towards the scorebox side.
Alex Birbeck & Shaun Birbeck(lh) faced the seam of Allan Davidson (rm) & George McConnell (lm). Bedevilled by 7 wides from George & some variations of length, the total had reached 30 after only 5 overs but then in the 6th & from round the wicket, George bowled Alex Birbeck (4) aiming to drive straight but beaten through the gate.
Shaun Birbeck plundered 3x4 off George in the 8th & Dan Walker 1x4 in the 9th off Allan. Tom Jones (lb) entered the attack in over 10 & bowled Walker (7) around his legs. James Lunn (ob) then bowled three consecutive maidens, the third saw Errington (2) lbw, 58-3. A bit of spin & bounce on a used wicket was encouraging.
Slow progress for the home team as the spinners combined to stifle the scoring rate. In 7 overs the total rose by only 21 to 79. Nick Tomlinson (ob) had a 4 over spell in tandem with Jacques Graham (sla) then in the 30th Josh Errington (23) drove Jacques to mid on but was defeated by a direct hit to the bowler's end by Tom, 112-4.
Shaun Birbeck pulled a Lunny drag down for 6 in over 31 then in the next Paul Walker (1) drove hard back to Jacques who took a good caught & bowled, chest high, 129-5. At the same score, in Lunny's next the 33rd, Shaun Birbeck (67, 104b, 12x4 1x6 ) was lbw aiming to work into the legside, 7 down.
In the next McGilvray (1), responding to a Taylor shot over the infield, was run out, returning for two but not able to beat David's throw to bowler Jacques who completed the dismissal.133-7.
Two overs later Taylor (6) drove Jacques to mid on where Lunny took the catch, 137-8. Tom then took two wickets in over 36 as first Jack Neilson (1) was lbw & then, from ball 5, David Neilson (0) was caught by Nick at mid wicket. 137 all out.
The spinners had bowled 27.5 overs & taken 7 for 79, Tom 3 wickets from 7.5 with one maiden , Lunny 2 from 9 with 5 maidens, Jacques 2 from 7 overs, but 19 wides, in a total of 25 extras, is an area for improvement.
In reply David Edwards (rh) & Nick Tomlinson (lh) faced the seam of Dan Walker & Steven Errington. Nick stroked through the covers & clipped off the legs & David drove either side of point. Nick took 3x4 from Errington in the 6th one all run to the long boundary, 41-0.
Then having stroked Alex Birbeck's off spin for 2x4 David (17, 19b 2x4) & forward, was bowled; 49-1 after 7 overs. Jan (1) was lbw sweeping in Birbeck's next, 58-2 but Nick stroked 2x4 off Josh Errington in the 10th, 69-2.
Lilly-Mai Taylor's sla entered the attack from the scorebox end in over 14 & Will Carr hit a boundary. In over 26 Taylor found some turn to defeat Nick's defensive push & he was bowled. A good innings from Nick (54, 48b, 9x4), driving fluently through the covers, 90-3.
Angus Southern joined Will Carr & immediately stroked a boundary & then two more in Alex Birbeck's next, driven straight. In Taylor's next both struck boundaries. Jack Neilson's only over went for 4 & then in the 20th Will Carr pulled 4x4 to the short boundary to win the game, Will 40* (37b 6x4) Angus 18* (12b 4x4).
A comprehensive victory but one senses there will tougher challenges to come. But Sunderland did get promoted !!
Onward to Sat 31st May SNCC v Benwell Hill (a) 105 overs, win/lose/draw 1200 start. We hope you can be there to cheer the Bulls on.
Duncan,