BULLS WIN 2ND X1 BANKS BOWL 100 OVERCOMING CHESTER-LE-STREET & NEWCASTLE CITY.

25th Aug 2026

Two Sundays, two cup wins for the Bulls as they overcame the challenge of Chester-le-Street & then, in the final, hosts Newcastle City to win the Banks Bowl 100 for the first time.

On a gloriously sunny Sunday 23^rd August, Newcastle City defeated Sacriston in the first semi final before the Bulls faced CLS, a repeat of the T20 final last Sunday.

SNCC 116-7 (100b) Ben Hobbs 56* Hamish Barrie 19, Will Phillips 9, Joseph Dresser 8: Gabriel Hughes-Pinan 0-8, Liam Simpson 2-25, Josh Metcalfe 2-18, Liam Colledge 2-26, Ethan Connolly 1-32, Matthew Burdon 0-6.

Chester-le-Street 100 -8 (100b) Matthew Cranston 48, Liam Simpson 11*, Matthew Burdon 11*: Will Phillips 2-23, George Gray 2-17, Hamish Barrie 1-14, Joseph Dresser 0-13, Nicky Phillips 3-19, Danny Collins 0-12.

SNCC won by 16 runs- advance to the final v Newcastle City.

The finals day used three different wickets & on the evidence of the first few sets there was little bounce, some turn & a very short leg side boundary. After 50 balls the Bulls were 26-4 hitting only one boundary & playing 27 dots. CLS employed 5 spinners & one seamer.

Sam (1) was caught by a retreating mid on off Liam Simpson after 16 balls. Nick (5) skied to mid on in Simpson's next set, 7-2. Angus (3) cut to point off Metcalfe at 18 (33 balls) & Will (9) was bowled by Colledge in set 9.

But it got better thanks to Ben H & Hamish who shared a partnership of 58 for the 5th wicket. Hamish (19) was bowled by Metcalfe at 78 (81b), Joseph (8) struck Colledge for 6 but was bowled next ball, 95-6 & Danny (4) was lbw to Connolly (94b) at 101.

The big finish was supplied by Ben, who had already driven 4x6, scoring 2.6.2,X,2,1 off the last set finishing 56* (35b, 5x6) a magnificent effort on a tricky wicket, the Bulls finishing 116-7.

Chester began steadily but at 20 after 15 balls Metcalfe (6) was bowled by Hamish. Joseph bowled 10 balls for only 4 & then Nicky picked up two wickets as Allen (2) was lbw & Harry Simpson (1) caught by Will P, 29-3. Joseph bowled another 10 balls for only 8 so after 50 balls, 39-3 including 3x4 & 26 dots.

Some acceleration from Cranston with 2x6 1x4, but after 67 balls Cook (7) was caught by Nicky off George. In the next set Cranston (48, 40b 3x4 3x6) edged Nicky to w/k Sam, 73-5. Two wickets in two balls for Will P in the next set as Colledge (2) drove high to long on for Angus to take a well judged catch & next ball Jackson (0) in two minds, drove back to the bowler, 77-7 after 79 balls.

George then bowled Connolly (4) 79-8 & although Liam Simpson (11*) & Burdon (11*) scored 16 off the last 10 balls their efforts left them 16 runs short. The Bulls fielding had been very good again, some nice catches were taken, Nicky's 20 balls produced 3-19 which included 2x6, all 8 wickets falling to spin.

                      BANKS BOWL 100 FINAL SNCC V NEWCASTLE CITY

SNCC 145-6 (100b) Nick Tomlinson 19, Sam Ewart 24, Will Phillips 14, Angus Southern 59: Jawad Khan 1-32, Farhan Mohammed 1-27, Adid Mukhtar 1-39, Akshay Saharan 0-14, Raja Anees Bashir 1-25, Siraj Ahmed 1-5

Newcastle City 122ao (89b) Faisal Mohammed 37, Bilal Ahmed 22, Farhan Mohammed 12: Will Phillips 3-31, Hamish Barrie 1-17, Joseph Dresser 1-5, George Gray 2-23, Danny Collins 0-23, Nicky Phillips 2-17.

SNCC won by 23 runs- NEPL Banks Bowl 100 winners 2026.

On a new wicket centrally placed, the Bulls again chose to bat, Ewart & Tomlinson faced the sla of Khan & rm of Farhan Mohammed. 25 without loss after 25 balls 3x4 10 dots, including an almost nightmare run out. Then in Mukhtar's first Sam struck 1,6,4,2, 39-0, but in the next Nick (19, 17b 3x4) sweeping, was lbw to Khan.

Angus drove 4 then 6 in set 9 but in the next Sam (24, 22b, 1x4, 1x6) was bowled by Mukhtar at 64 after 48 balls, 2 down. Will P & Angus put together a partnership of 28 until Will (14,11b,2x4) was stumped off Ahmed, 92-3, after 68 balls.

Angus stroked 2x4 off Mukhtar reaching 53*, but catastrophe in the next as Ben H (5) was caught & next ball a mix up going for 2 saw Hamish (0) run out without facing a ball, 117-5. Angus sought redemption in an imperious 6 one ball later!

Ball 88 saw Angus (59, 29b,6x4 2x6) aiming to leg, lbw to Farhan Mohammed, 130-6. Another demonstration of elegant front foot driving, cutting & picking up behind square leg. 15 more runs as Ben Sid (6*) & Joseph (7*) scampered ending with a steer fine for 4, a competitive 145-6.

Faisal Mohammed, once a SNCC junior, & Ahmed faced the spin of Will Phillips & Hamish Barrie. 14 without loss after 10 balls but then a wicket as S Ahmed (7) was caught by Nick off Hamish, 14-1.

Faisal was driving hard, taking 7 off Hamish & 12 off George, 40-1 after 30 balls. Danny suffered too in set 7 then in set 8 Faisal drove Joseph hard to deep mid wicket where Will Phillips made 10 yards to his left & took a superb catch in two hands, feet from the rope, of a ball destined for 6, wow ! 56-2 after 40 balls.

George then took two wickets in the next set as Anees Bahir (1) was very smartly stumped off a leg side wide by Sam standing up, shades of Peyton & Wightman. 5 balls later Mohsin Shafiq (7), also once of SN junior, edged to w/k Sam, 63-4 after 50 balls.

In the next set Seman (2) was very well caught by Will P off Nicky 65-5. Bilal Ahmed showed intent taking 2.1.4 off Nicky then 6, 4 off Danny until he (22, 17b, 2x4,1x6) was bowled by Nicky, 95-6. In the same set Saharan (3) was run out after a chase toward fine leg, dive, recover & good return from Ben Sid to w/k Sam, 98-7.

Hamish conceded 7 in set 16 & then after a 6 to Farhan M (12) in set 17 he was bowled by Will, 113-8. In set 18 Will bowled Mukhtar (1) swinging. Khan struck his first ball for 6 straight & then edged a drive toward backward point where Nicky, diving forward, held the catch, 122 all out with 11 balls remaining.

Another remarkable day for the Bulls who had again bowled & fielded as well as ever & two performances where one batter stood out & others supported admirably.

Will Phillips was named Player of the Final for his three wickets & two super catches. But this was a team effort, so all credit to them, to captain Ben Sid in marshalling his resources successfully & especially to scorer Rupert Brown, who operated both scoreboard & laptop under the unrelenting pressure of the 100 format, compounded by the difficulty of accurate bowler identification.

Onward to see if the final of the Roseworth Trophy can be organised as the 2^nd team target the treble !! We hope you can be there.

Duncan.