Match Reports

Saturday 27 May 2002

Newcastle 1st XI vs Sunderland, Osborne Avenue, Jesmond (...just around the corner from the excellent Billabong Bar and Bistro)

Quietly confident on the balcony Continuing his fine form with the coin, skipper Neil Wake won the toss and asked Sunderland to bat first. 'Wakey' and Alex 'Angry' Brown opened the bowling, both bowling tidy opening spells and were unlucky not to pick up a couple of wickets. Sunderland openers Roseberry and Old made steady progress before reaching the 90s when debutant Tom 'Tractor-boy' Byrne collected the prize scalp of Mike Roseberry for 47. Sunderland reached lunch at 110-1 after 34 overs.

Part-time 'dog's-dinner' Scott 'faaaak' Kay and our premier spinner Johnny Bailey proceeded to turn the screw after lunch and were rewarded with three quick wickets as Sunderland, attempting to up the scoring rate, were reduced 140-4. It could have been worse for Sunderland, but Newcastle's fielding was generally sloppy and at times farcical. P'haps the lads just wanted it too much! Stuart Pattison benefited from four dropped catches mainly at long-on and log-off. The highlight of them being a high-speed collision between 'Tractor-boy' and Jon 'Village' Hurford running in from long-off and long-on respectively. Pattison managed to progress to a fifty before being bowled by a seething Angry Al Brown.

Jim prepares to face Franlyn! The dropped catches induced some controversy, and the subsequent learning of one of cricket's many laws. Pattison, miss-timing a drive, thought that Tom Byrne had caught him at long-off and started to walk from the ground in disappointment. After some delay the bails were removed and an appeal was made, but the umpire said not out because the batsmen had left the field in the mistaken belief that he was out. An understandable decision, but the baffling thing was that Pattison was credited with a run yet not having completed the run before the bails were removed...MADNESS.

Village made up for his dropped catch by running out the unlucky and highly-regarded Chris Robson without scoring. Sunderland, batting for a full 65 overs, finishing on a score of 220-9 with Angry and Baz taking three wickets apiece.

Wayne Ritzema and Scott Kay opened the batting and made steady progress before Franklyn Rose cleaned up Ritzy. Scotty and Jim 'OAP' Mathewson put on about 100 for the second wicket with the filthy Aussie beginning to dominate the attack, upercutting Rose for 6 for the second year in succession. Jim fell LBW as did Matty Hynd, but Scotty continued to punish the Sunderland bowlers, reaching his 100 with a six over the pavilion off the bowling of Applegarth. Scott's fine ton, from only 81 balls, was warmly appreciated by the crowd and the majority of Sunderland's team clapped. However it was noted that certain experienced players deemed it unnecessary to clap a chanceless 100.

Kay in action against Rose Kay finally fell for 111 and it was left to Will Allen to anchor the innings with an excellent 40 including a great pull off Franklyn for four. Sound support was provided by Tom Byrne, who completed a promising debut, but it was left to Clive Porter and Village to see Newcastle home with four overs to spare, Newcastle registering their first league win of the season by four wickets.