Match Reports

Saturday 10th May 2003

Newcastle 1st XI vs Benwell Hill (Away)

Old failings returned to haunt Newcastle 1st XI on a weekend that is best forgotton.

After winning the toss and electing to bat against a Benwell Hill side smarting from the previous weekend's league cup defeat, we were soon in major trouble at 6 for 4, losing Ritzy, Matty, Andrew Moffat & Ryan in a torrid first ½ hour. Things only got marginally better as Kingsley and Will set about restoring some pride; however after such a poor start we were always behind the game. Newcastle eventually limped to 81 all out with Kingsley top scoring with 26 and Will 18 not out at the end. The Benwell Hill pro claimed 6 wickets and bowled excellently, removing the top order and then polishing off the tail with 3 straight yorkers leaving Will high and dry on 18.

Knowing that we needed to take early chances to stand any possibility of getting into the game, we dropped their opener early and the Hill never looked under any pressure cruising to a 9 wicket win. Johnny Bailey bowled well under the circumstances, taking the only wicket to fall.

After a promising start to the season Newcastle were brought back to earth with a bang and coupled with the poor performance on the Sunday which saw an 8 wicket reverse at the hands of Sunderland in the National knockout, it really was a weekend to forget.

However all is not lost! Just as 3 good results in the opening couple of weekends does not make us unbeatable, 2 bad ones in a weekend does not make us the whipping boys!

Time to show some character and look forward to the visit of league leaders Chester-Le-Street at the weekend. Let’s hope we can look back at this weekend and see it as the weekend that changed our season for the better.

Newcastle 2nd XI vs Benwell Hill (Home)

The seconds have hit the ground running and continued their hot start to the season by beating the Hill on Saturday afternoon.

Image: a grumpy Legend! With Kingsley "I'm the highest runscorer in North East cricket, dont you know?"McSlicington departing to the ones, Johnny "Look at me, I'm a villager too" Spry entered the fray. Hattie was back, replacing Jezza, but the rest of the team remained unchanged from Phili the previous week. Dave lost another toss, and they decided to bat. They were slowly away, but Newcastle found it hard to take a wicket, even with the Slice and Village II bowling well. Slice, at times, betrayed his cuddly self by transforming into a snarling poodle each time their lack lustre openers played and missed at one that 'did a bit'.

Newcastle slowly chipped away until Anil Humble went beserk and ripped out four of the middle order. And so it was looking good - forty overs gone, six down and only 100 or so on the board - it looked as if we would be in the bar before the first team. But again we were guilty of lacking a killer instinct. We let them back in, dropping "The man with no shots" a couple of times on his way to a workmanlike fifty. With a couple of lusty big hits later on they amazingly found themselves with over two hundred.

Image: There's only one Ports! Spirits were low over tea, but the sun was shining and a run chase beckoned. Rodders and Village got the engine warmed up with a sprightly start, despatching the grunting Monica Seles to the point boundary on a number of occasions. Both fell to good catches but with fifty on the board after ten, we were well set. Clarky and Ports set to work. Ports nurdling, Clarky awe-inspiringly brutal, the chase was looking somewhat straightforward. Clarky then fell just short of what would have been a handsome half century, but this Newcastle team bat all the way down and not a flicker of concern was seen on the balcony. The lads sat back in the evening sun to enjoy the scoreboard rolling freely towards the target.

Jacquesy and Johnny Spry banged contributions while Ports upped the tempo - including a monster six.

Ports completed his fifty and the two legends (pictired) red inked the win. A justified win in a game which we very very nearly made a mess of.