YOUTHFUL BULLS BATTLE TO DRAW AGAINST HETTON LYONS.

12th Aug 2025

                    YOUTHFUL BULLS BATTLE TO DRAW AGAINST HETTON LYONS.

Sat 9^th August 2025:NEPL Division 2: SNCC v Hetton Lyons (h) 105o win/lose/draw.

Hetton Lyons 226-7 (52o) Allen Marchant 116*, Ethan Dixon 24, Taylor Moulder 16, Alex Birbeck 14: Will Young 2-23, Joe Dresser 1-49, George McConnell 1-36, Jacob McCord 2-53, Jacques Graham 1-42.

SNCC 120-9 (53o) Jan Ozmen 18, Will Carr 13, Aadi Bethanabatla 22, Joe Dresser 32, Jacques Graham 19*, Will Young 0*: Gary Adey 0-27, Harrison Lowther 5-33, Charlie Burdon 3-33. Miles Birbeck 1-21, Taylor Moulder, 0-5, Ethan Dixon 0-2.

SNCC losing draw 7 points- Hetton Lyons winning draw 18 points.

A much changed Bulls 2nd X1 missing senior players Edwards, Lunn, Doig, Fletcher, Davidson & Tomlinson gave opportunities to teenagers Will Carr, George McConnell, Jacques Graham, Aadi Bethanabatla, Joe Dresser & Olly Alexander.

In the event, from the depths of 47-7 chasing 226, the Bulls numbers 8 Aadi (22, 47b), 9 Joe (32, 67b),10 Jacques (19*, 62b) &11 Will (0*, 21b) salvaged a wonderfully resilient losing draw, batting 30 overs & taking the total to 120 against a fired up Lyons team whom, it seemed in the throes of several impassioned lbw appeals, could not quite accept that the young members of the home team would not roll over but would fight.

Cheers accompanied every dot ball in the tense last six maiden overs relieved only by a no ball in the last as Jacques, taking the spin of Burdon & Will, the seam of Adey, were defensively skilful, obdurate & ultimately undefeated. Bravo, mes amis, c'est magnifique!! "If  you cannot win, you do not lose" is the mantra & one of the reasons why the NEPL have a partial win/lose/draw format.

The Bulls invited the Lyons to bat. Marchant & Alex Birbeck faced the seam of Will Young (Grove) & Joe Dresser (Park). A wayward start, 27 from 3 overs including 12 extras several of which were wides & then a good come back for after 10 overs the total was only 38.

Marchant drove down the ground Birbeck nudged singles. George McConnell started a 6 over spell but conceded a 4 ball every over. Jacob McCord from the Park end showed good control & at 64 in the 20^th over Birbeck (14) mistimed a drive which lobbed to mid on where Jacques had to make good ground in to take a tumbling catch off Jacob.

Miles Birbeck (0) on the front foot, also mistimed in Jacob's next to be caught by the bowler on follow through, 71-2. 90-2 at drinks after 25 overs, Marchant 38*, Jacques two overs of slow left arm but tending to pitch too short. The fielding had been generally good interspersed with the occasional misfield.

Marchant reached 50 in the first over after drinks with a back foot force through cover. In the 31st over Moulder (16)  missed a pull to Jacques & was bowled in slow motion it seemed, 120-3. Slower deliveries achieved bounce & turn.

Jacob completed a 12 over spell in the 36th, 2-44 was a good return for his consistent line & length. Will & Joe returned to bowl overs 37-48. Will getting his reward for a very good second spell, in his 9^th as first Dixon (24) was bowled attempting to reverse & Lowther (0) swinging & missing, a double wicket maiden,177-5 after 42 overs.

Marchant got to 100* in the 45^th with a single to point. Two overs later Tomys (6) edged Joe down the legside for Ben Sid to take a very good tumbling catch at full stretch, 192-6.

George uprooted Walker's (6) leg stump in over 49, 201-7. Marchant continued to drive pleasantly & in company with Burdon (9*) the declaration came after the 52nd over, Marchant an excellent 116*,140b, 19x4), 226-7 (52o); 35 extras boosted the total including 16 byes, 7 leg byes & 12 wides although many of the byes would have been wides in a week's time !!

Will Young, an excellent 12 overs 2-23 was the pick, consistently straight, 4 maidens, conceding only 2 boundaries & only 10 scoring shots. Jacob too, 14 very steady overs 2-53 with two maidens, a good job for the team.

In reply Olly Alexander & Jan Ozmen faced the seam of Adey (Grove) & Lowther (Park). A cut through gully in the first for Olly then three maidens. A steer to third man for Jan but in the 8th Olly (4) was lbw to Lowther on the back foot, 16-1.

At 27 in the 12^th Jan (18) forward but missed & was bowled then Angus (0) unlucky to be adjudged caught by w/k Tomys off his thigh when the ball moved in extravagantly, both to Lowther, 27-3. Will Carr (13) glanced a boundary to fine leg first ball. Then in the 16th struck consecutive boundaries off Lowther over mid wicket & straight only to be undone next ball, playing over a fullish ball & bowled, 40-4.

George (4) on the back foot, was lbw to Burdon's leg spin aiming to leg, & Ben Sid (1) drove but edged to third slip off Lowther in the next, 41-6. Jacob (6) drove back to Burdon's left in the 23rd to be caught to by him, shoulder high, on follow though, 47-7.

Drinks were taken at 1736, 61-7 as Aadi, pulling to square leg & driving over mid on off Miles Birbeck, & Joe resisted. Joe swept Burdon to backward square leg in over 27. A partnership of 28 ensued only to be ended in unfortunate fashion as Aadi aiming to steer, played on to Birbeck. A resolute innings 22, (47b 4x4) for his team, 76-8 after 32 overs, 21 to go, stick with it boys!

Joe was joined by Jacques. Joe pulled Birbeck to mid wicket. Jaques drove Lowther over mid off & three balls later clipped to mid wicket. These blows of defiance were mixed with solid defence as Dixon (ob), Moulder (ob), Lowther, & Adey attacked. In over 40 Joe pulled Adey to mid wicket & then cut the next past point, 100-8.

Then gloriously Joe launched Burdon to mid wicket for 6 & then to long on for 4. Sadly Joe 32( 67b 5x4 1x6), aiming to sweep was bowled around his legs in over 45, 115-9. Jacques back foot punch through cover off Buron saw the end of the scoring, 120-9 after 47 overs.

The rearguard action began, Jacques took the leg spin of Burdon, Will the seam of Adey & the pair resisted the next 6 overs gloriously, Jacques finishing 19* (62b 4x4) Will 0* (21b), the best 0 he will ever get !!

Breathless but wonderful to see such character & resilience from young players. They have to remember such days & never think a cause is lost.

Onward to Sat 16^th August NEPL Div 2 SNCC v Benwell Hill (a) 1200 45/45 win/lose. We hope you can be there to cheer the team on.

Duncan.