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The 1^st XI made the short journey to Blyth on Saturday as 1st played 5th in a highly anticipated local derby. Ashington were at full strength whilst Blyth were unfortunately missing 6/7 players through holidays & COVID isolations, which was a shame as it dampened the spectacle a little and tipped the scales heavily in the away sides favour.

Captain Dent finally won a toss and finally chose to bat first!! There would have been a full on mutiny had he decided to bowl first given it was clear blue skies, 30 degrees and a batting line-up so starved of time in the middle they were forgetting what it was like to bat. If anyone saw Callum bat at Stobswood you’d of thought he’d never played cricket before.

Colin was soon out without troubling the scorers as he chopped onto his stumps for 1 off the bowling of Ebdale, the ball keeping a little low as Colin looked to dap the ball through 3^rd man. The score 27-1 in the 9^th over. This brought two of the leagues in form batters together and a chance to set a foundation for a big score.

Ebdale was excellent up front and bowled 6 over for 10 runs in his first spell giving very little away, his partner Nikhil ‘No Bharti no Party’ was less accurate however and struggled to control the swing on the ball. Matty took advantage with some lovely cover drives and cuts to get the innings going.

Given Blyth’s limited bowling options Ebdale had no choice but to spell himself & Bharti after 6 overs each. This brought off spinner Reitze and young seam bowler Finnie into the attack. Finnie, up from the 2^nd team was excellent and quickly settled into a rhythm swinging the ball into the right hander on a good length. He only really went for runs when searching for the wonder ball and gave Peacock the chance to relive some pressure with a few clips off his legs when bowling too straight. Peacock moved quickly to 30, Matty on 38 and the score 80-1 off 20. Blyth have a good player on their hands in Finnie who also batted with good application later on in the game.

Reitze got into his groove and began to tie Peacock down with his off spin, Blyth had several chances to get in the game with a missed stumping and a tough chance dropped at mid-off. But with those chances missed it was Matty who took up the aggressor role to move the score along. He played a succession of lovely flicked sweeps along the ground for 4 through square leg, Reitze clearly a little aggrieved as these were all taken off middle stump but Matty is in good form and was seeing the ball well at this point.

With the score 130-1 and plenty of batting to come it was time to up the ante and push the innings along. Peacock, who was now struggling, decided he’d had enough (of boring everyone) and hit three 6’s in as many balls to take his score quickly from 46 to 64, including one that bounced on the clubhouse roof and onto the road. He was out the very next ball caught at point to give Reitze a well-deserved wicket for his toil. Ashington 159-2 off 30 overs, Matty 78*

Blyth were now into their 5^th & 6^th change bowlers, Dent and Matty took full advantage as the away side went past the 200 mark quickly. Dent took 20 off one over, all genuine cricket shots including several sumptuous cover drives. Matty was continuing to build and was punishing anything near his pads sweeping or pulling through the leg side.

Blyth brought their openers back on and began to regain some control, after a quick start to his innings Dent was tied down by Ebdale and was ought caught for a solid 40 from 34 balls. 300 now looked more like 250 as Matty was beginning to tire a little, which in the heat was perfectly understandable. He could have made life easier on himself but he refused to take off lucky jumper, which is 13.5 togs and made in the 1970’s.

Lewy came to the crease and not long afterwards Matty went through for his first ever league hundred, a marvellous innings recognised by a standing ovation from his team and spectators alike. Matty finished 117* off 143 balls with 20 fours and moved top of the league runs scored in the process. Lewy, not to be completely overshadowed by his brother whacked a massive 6 onto the rugby pitch for good measure. Ashington finished 260-3

Cory was still suffering from his lightly bruised lats, so was unavailable to bowl and somehow is continuing to blag a spot as specialist batsman at 7. So James & Greaves took the new ball for the away side. James suffered an early bout of the Yips as his opening over went for 12, including 2 head height no balls which we’re pretty sure he should have been warned and then spelled for! Greaves at the other end was having no such problems, he quickly accounted for Reitze, Matty taking a lovely catch down leg off a feather edge. Craig smith will be disappointed as he was trapped LBW on the back foot to a full delivery movements later, Blyth 19/2 and in trouble.

Bharti was in no mood to hand around and scored quickly, putting the pressure back on Greaves with a number of crushing drives through Mid-off. The usually excellent Lewy Tanney dived over one and then kicked one over the boundary which didn’t help the situation! The mood worsened as in the very next over Richards should have had Bharti caught at slip but Dent put down a sitter as it bounced in and quickly out again. Denty confirming the stereotype that he drops sitters and only takes worldies.

Richards had now recovered from the yips and was back in the game in a big way as he trapped Bharti in front of all 6 stumps for 24 runs to leave Blyth 54/3. Sam Thornton was batting admirably at the other end and had moved into the 20’s. Colin was later fined on Sam’s behalf as he somehow managed to convince the umpire to bring a drink on when we were in the 8^th over??

This has been a long match report so I’ll speed it up a bit for you now. Greaves made his way quickly through the middle order taking 3 further wickets, add in a couple from former Blyth favourite Lawrence and Blyth collapsed to 73-8. Greaves picked up his 5fer via a brilliant Matty Tanney stumping, 1 handed, mid-air off the back foot! Greaves who recovered form his own early season bout of the yips now has 21 league wickets at 12.05 with an economy of 2.42.

James was taken out the attack and Scotty given some overs the blow off the cobwebs which will serve us well ahead of next week. Scotty got a little tap as newcomer Ahmed gave the total some respectability with 36 off 27 balls.

Ebdale was the last man in and now had to decide which former Blyth man he would least like to get out to between old pals Dent & Lawrence. He smashed Lawrence for a few boundaries which we all enjoyed, making easy work of his non spinning off spinners. I’m sure he’ll bring that up when they’re next on holiday together, it will make a lovely story whilst roasting marshmallows over the camp fire at Butlins. Ebdale was out bowled off Dent to end the innings. Blyth all out 141.

We’d like to thank Callum again for another TFC, his only contribution this week was a sore toe as he dropped an easy catch at slip and it whacked him on the boot. That’ll be £8 subs & £6 fines please Cal, cheers.

Another 30 points ahead of a huge game next week against GEMS. Massive thanks to the Masons Arms this week for the sponsorship….and the hangover as both sides had a brilliant night out after the game. Would recommend anyone in the area gets themselves down and has a visit.

Big Thank You to Masons Pub Blyth for being the match ball sponsor.

The 1^st XI entertained Benwell & Walbottle on Saturday hoping to continue the momentum ahead of some key fixtures over the coming weeks. Mark Lawrence returned to the side having served his COVID isolation, contributing £15 to the fines pot in the process as was stipulated prior to the season. Ben Lawrence on the other hand was far less fortunate and no sooner had he left the house and gone to school he got hit with a 2^nd isolation (stick in Ben!), Kelly kindly stepped up from the seconds to score the book.

Captain Dent won the toss and despite a baking hot morning, road of a wicket, clear blue skies and a batting line up completely starved of any time in the middle....he decided to bowl first..again..6 out of the last 7 games, but who’s counting. Cory Milburn was suffering from a side strain and playing as a specialist batsman only so Greaves & Richards took the new ball for the home side.

The opening exchanges were well matched as both bowlers enjoyed mixed fortunes with the new ball, Michael Birrell looked in especially good touch as he punished some loose early deliveries with several crushing drives through cover, Gavin Brown at the other end was very much in anchor mode playing much more tentatively. After a bright start Birrell soon began to struggle as the bowlers quickly realised that his only scoring shot was through the off side and when bowling straight he had very little to offer. Greaves soon struck as a shorter ball found Birrell’s inside edge and crashed into middle stump to leave the away side 30/1 off 10 overs.

Frisken was next in, he had batted 11 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season so there was some initial surprise to see him in at 3. Our surprise was quickly dispelled as he went into attack mode, he took a particular liking to Greaves and dispatched him for a huge 6 over long on. Having denied Richards a wicket with a bad drop, Peacock was quickly back in the game taking a good catch above his head at Mid-off to remove Brown for a patient 11. Both openers bowled out

J Richards 10-3-22-0

D Greaves 10-3-27-2

In the classic U13 captains approach of batting & bowling yourself where you want, David Dent brought himself on 1^st change much to everyone’s surprise. Poor Scotty Maddison resigned yet again to bowling 3^rd change, Scotty can take solace from Luke Shaw vs Mourinho and just needs to outlast Dent before he gets his true chance to shine.

Despite hoping Dent would get some tap, he quickly settled into a rhythm and the Benwell bowlers struggled terribly against his dibbly out swingers. He soon accounted for the dangerous Frisken (17 off 21), Lewy Tanney taking an excellent catch running back over his shoulder at mid-off. Frisken’s wicket started a collapse as Rahman, Bell & Ali all departed in quick succession without troubling the scorers. Ali, who had been extremely vocal on the side lines celebrating edged singles through slip as though he’d personally won the world cup went for a 2 ball duck and took home Vivo IPL worst shot of the day with a horrible howk that looped straight to mid off.

Dent more than justified his lofty bowling position in the end finishing with figures of 7-2-22-4 and decided to spell himself early to give the other bowlers some much needed overs, which is pretty selfless I suppose so we’ll let him have that one. He could have easily have had PB figures on another day had Mark Lawrence not dropped 3 simple catches at 1^st slip, rather than stand still and lean forward Mark went with the rather bizarre technique of diving backwards and proceeded to shell each catch in identical fashion. Cory reaffirmed his status as the league’s worst slip fielder with a drop off Dent to end his spell, this one going straight in and out of his ever growing kite.

Spin twins Lawrence and Maddison both picked up a wicket in largely uneventful spells, Scotty bowled a long 3.5 over spell and had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher with a severe nosebleed.

Stephen Reed who had been batting well to this point pulled a hamstring trying to run a quick single and was unable to run, Ali refused to go in as a runner because he’d done legs the day before and wanted to save his hamstrings for his bowling (we overheard that bit) so Frisken was sent in as a runner. Frisken was possibly a little too over excited as the innings finished with 2 run outs, both taken really well by Callum Milburn at cover. TFC supreme Callum at least contributing to justify his half day holiday from work, £8 subs & £6 max fine!

Benwell asked for a fielder as Reed wasn’t fit enough to take the field, it must have been an extremely sever hamstring pull to not be able to stand at slip but then again we once saw someone ring an ambulance at Kirkley for the same injury so all is fair game. We did the noble things and obliged the request but that’s not to say we didn’t bitch and moan amongst ourselves as we were already supplying an umpire and we’re a naturally selfish bunch of individuals, just to make that clear. It was however made a little harder to stomach as Reed sat supping Moretti’s and they had a 12^th man who was also ‘injured’ but was later seen dribbling a football round the outfield!

Matty & Colin can feel slightly aggrieved that I’m going to gloss over the batting innings but there really isn’t much to write about in all honesty. Other than to say both batters continued as they have done all season making easy work of a modest total, Colin played the anchor role and Matty the aggressor as they knocked it off with relative ease. Colin was out towards the end caught at cover. Matty finished 59* off 76 balls with 8 fours. He is now the clubs highest run scorer and 2nd overall in division 3 with 388 runs @ 48.5, he’s in a real purple patch and it’s lovely to watch.

Ashington Rugby CC took home the full 30 points and stay top of the league. A big weekend next week as we travel to Blyth in a big local derby whilst Corbridge entertain Berwick as 2^nd play 3^rd.

A huge thank you to David Tanney for sponsoring the match ball

Ashington Rugby CC 30 points

Benwell & Wallbottle CC 2 points

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Monkseaton 1st 150-8 (9 pts)      ARCC 2nds 151 All out (28pts) (C Harwood 42, O Mason 27)

ARCC 2nds travelled to Monkseaton on what turned out to be a glorious day looking to recapture there early season winning form and prevailed in a nail bitter.

Monkseaton won the toss and had no hesitation in asking ARCC 2nds to bat on a very green soft looking wicket. Harwood and skipper Rosser opened up the innings knowing that a good platform was a must. With the score at 40 off 12 overs, ARCC 2nds lost there first wicket which then started a change reaction of batsmen getting starts and out until young Owen Mason came to the wicket and with a cameo which included 2 sixes, ARCC 2nds posted a total of 151 all out with Mason contributing 27. This was a respectable target on a wicket that was difficult to judge the pace and bounce on.

ARCC 2nds knew that 151 was a competitive total but knew that they would have to bowl well and boy did they pull it off. Skipper Rosser opened up with his normal pair of Jobson and Mason who had obviously wiped the previous week from there memories as they both put the Monkseaton batsmen under pressure and eventually getting there rewards with the wickets of both openers. With the game in the balance at the have way point, ARCC 2nds then went to sleep allowing easy singles which allowed Monkseaton to keep up the rate but eventually recaptured the drive and desire to win. Wickets starting falling at regular intervals but runs where still flowing, ARCC 2nds now had to turn the screw. Skipper Rosser then brought back his opening pair to try and wrestle the win out of the claws of defeat with Monkseaton needing 24 off 8 overs and boy did they deliver. Young Mason started ramping the pressure up with his last 4 overs going for 9 runs and Jobson last 2 going for 4 runs including 2 run outs which restricted Monkseaton to 150 meaning that ARCC 2nds won by a single run.

ARCC 2nds would like to thanks todays match ball sponsor – Owen Jarvis and look to continue the drive for promotion by welcoming Bedlington 2nds to the Rec next week.

ARCC 2nds 192-6 (6pts) (M Adamson 62, S Rosser 55, J Little 37no)          

Rock 1st 193-3 (28pts)

ARCC 2nds welcomed Rock 1^st to the Rec looking to bounce back to winning ways after there first loss but unfortunately there was no bounce.

After 2 weeks inactivity due to the weather for both sides, Rock won the toss on a day where showers was forecast and asked ARCC 2nds to bat. Skipper Rosser and run machine Harwood opened up the innings looking to set a platform for the middle order to push on from but the early loss of Harwood in the 4^th over added further pressure to the middle order. Michael Adamson joined Rosser at the wicket and shared a stand of 104 to put ARCC 2nds into a solid position at the half way point. ARCC 2nds looked to push on but the run rate slowed with the loss of Adamson and then Rosser but a cameo 37 not out by Jay Little pushed the total to 192 for the loss of 6 wickets.

ARCC 2nds knew that 192 was going to be difficult to defend knowing that Rock had a couple of players that could score lots of runs and that’s how it turned out. ARCC 2nds bowlers delivered what has to be there worst performance of the seasons as a collective unit which the Rock batsmen took full advantage of and punished them at every opportunity. Runs flowed in all directions, to all parts of the ground and sometimes out of the ground. In amongst the carnage, the was some fine efforts by some of the younger players in Owen Mason and Matthew Adamson with the later taking his first 2^nd Team senior wicket with an excellent turning delivery. This was a disappointing performance considering the position the team was in but one the lessons must be learned from and fast.

ARCC 2nds would like to thank todays match ball sponsor – Anthony Elliot and will look to continue the season with a difficult trip to Monkseaton where they will be looking to get back to winning ways.

Match report for Corbridge CC 1^st XI vs Ashington Rugby CC 1^st XI

Match ball very kindly sponsored by The Unit Gym Ashington.

After last week’s 140 run victory at Stocksfield which included some memorable individual performances, we were back on the road travelling to an in form Corbridge side whom over recent years had become quite the bogey side for the Ruggaz. This fixture was the half way point in the season and a victory would see us sitting top of the tree and unbeaten in the league. One change to last week’s team saw the run machine Chris Harwood drafted in to replace fellow left hander Adam Peacock who was attending a friend’s 30^th birthday party…. Good luck in playing musical chairs Adam!

With bad weather forecast for most of the North East and sitting around all day with little to no cricket a distinct possibility, we arrived at the Stanners Ground to find that Corbridge seemingly must have its own micro climate and it was now a case of what time we’d start and not if. Skipper Dent won the toss and elected to field first hoping for early breakthroughs and not wishing to be shafted by the league rules of batting first in rain affected games. The match was reduced to 40 overs.

Fresh off the back of last Saturday’s heroic figures of 9-30 and confidence levels sky high, Cory, was again thrown the new ball to get us underway and regular new ball partner James Richards would follow suit from the other end. After some tight early exchanges and both bowlers hitting good areas it was Cory who made the breakthrough in the 5^th over disrupting the timbers of the dangerous Ross Atkinson with the score on 12. No.3 batsmen Thomspon arrived at the crease and was greeted by Milburn with some accurate back of a length bowling. Having worn one in the ribs and unwilling to get on the front foot, he too, was the next to hear the death rattle turning round to see his off stump pegged back by Milburn. Corbridge 20-2. Opposition captain Fowler strode out to the wicket and in his usual manner looked to play shots from ball one. Cory had other ideas however, and with his tail up ensured his innings lasted no longer than necessary and induced a healthy outside edge with wicketkeeper Tanney obliging behind the stumps. Fowler departed without troubling the scorers and Corbridge found themselves 20-3.

Special mention to James who bowled superbly at the other end without much reward yet providing the perfect back up. Opening batsmen Percival couldn’t lay willow on it for James’ entire 9 over spell and barring one uppish cover drive which saw a Paul Collingwood-esque one handed dive from Cory only for it not to stick, could have had a hatful of wickets on another day. Cries of ‘stop keeping all the wickets for yourself’ reverberated around the ground. Cory finished with figures of 9-3-18-3 and James 9-5-7-0. The king of swing Greaves and the ferret Mark Lawrence were introduced into the attack. Mark seemingly wishing to undo all the hard work done from the openers started with a flurry of full tosses which were duly dispatched to the fence in nonchalant fashion. To his credit, Lawrence struck back trapping the large frame of Rowell in front LBW for 7. Some say Mark has made a career out of bribing umpires into giving him horrific LBW decisions and Rowell was certainly banging on the same drum claiming bat first and then pad. The less said about that the better…

Greaves buoyed by a compliment from an elderly female Corbridge resident who compared him to her immobile and aging Jack Russell dog with ‘you both look very old and cuddly’ was steaming in from the Pavilion End. With the score on 38-4 in the 21^st over, Percival who by this stage had mastered the Chinese cut was bowled in comprehensive fashion by DG for 20. Father and son Andy & Corey Dover looked to rebuild but with little to no avail. Dover Snr was dismissed walking past yet another Lawrence full toss to be clean bowled and having been given a lifeline earlier in the over when Lurpak Lawrence shelled a catch at gully off Dean, Dover Jnr was then caught by the very man under a skying ball with the score on 54-7. The entire Garret-Jowsey family then one by one made their way to and from the crease in an attempt to move the score on for Corbridge, but with tight bowling from at the end from Lewis Tanney and Scott Maddison, they ultimately ended their innings with the score on 85-9.

Usual opening pair of M. Tanney & C. Thorton were entrusted with setting a solid foundation for what could have stood for a tricky run chase with dark skies closing in and a skilful new ball bowling pair for the opposition. Unlike recent times, Matty didn’t last long and after some probing line and length bowling from Dover Jnr he was soon walking off bat under arm having been caught behind for 4. The fall of the first wicket saw ‘The White Lara’ Chris Harwood joins Colin at the crease and the pair negotiated a tricky opening affair looking solid in defence and Chris quick enough to punish the rare bad ball on offer.

Corbridge, knowing they need early wickets to stand a chance of winning with only 85 on the board grew frustrated as the rugga boys kept the score ticking over and saw off Dover Snr who had bowled his allotted 9 overs straight through with no wickets. Harwood who has came back to form with a vengeance this season and seemingly now only knows exclusively where the middle of the bat is had decided it was time to put the foot on the gas. Corbridge introduced man mountain Rowell into the attack and he began by hitting the bat hard. Harwood, though, keen to assert some alpha male dominance in the heat of the battle was cashing in by carving a quintet of boundaries over backward point propelling us towards our target. Colin, undeterred as always by his ever-decreasing strike rate was providing ample resistance at the other end rotating strike where possible.

With the score on 73, Chris on 46 and dying for a pint of Moretti, he decided to play an ungainly howk across the line chasing a half century and was bowled by off spinner Jowsey. In typical ARCC fashion there was more wickets to come. When Colin fell foul to a quick stumping from keeper Atkinson for a hard grafted 17 and skipper Dent was caught behind for a 3^rd ball duck the scoreboard read 73-4. BOOM BOOM Milburn or Dr Snaffle (Cal Milburn), only a few of the nicknames he gives himself, was sent in to get the job done and with younger brother Cory at the other, he punched a straight drive back down the ground for four and we wrapped up victory in the 32nd over.

Another quality all round team performance which saw us pick up a crucial 29 points and negotiate our first 11 games of the season unbeaten. Closest challengers Berwick also managed to get played and pick up 27 points but the gap at the top only widened.

Next week we make the short trip to sunny Stobswood.

Big Thank You to The Unit Gym for being the match ball sponsor.

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2nd team game at home against Blagdon CC was called off due to the weather.

5 ponts each.

Big thank you to Ricky Gibson for sponsoring the match ball.

Alnmouth & Lesbury Howick vs Ashington Rugby Cricket club 2^nd XI

Howick – 12^th June 2021

Matchball kindly sponsored by Ant Elliott (current player)

On a glorious day in the glorious setting of Howick CC skipper Rosser won the toss and elected to bat on what looked a decent deck a sensible decision it would seem.

Once again Harwood and Rosser opened up and made steady but unspectacular progress against the Howick opening attack and had put on 73 when Rosser was trapped lbw by Riley for 21.  Usual no. 3 Adamson was in and quickly away before he too befell the same fate with the score on 107.  In the meantime Harwood had brought up his 50 with a six over long on and was joined by Milburn who established himself at the crease and had begun to attempt to accelerate the score toward 200 on a pitch that was a showing some uneven bounce when we were struck down by a succession of blows.

1^st Harwood was bowled by Riley who had settled into an impressive spell (finishing with 4 for 19 off 7) for 77, then Hetherington was trapped lbw in the same over for 0.  A couple of overs later drama queen Milburn was shot in the calf by a sniper in the trees and needed a runner to continue all but losing any momentum we had built up.

Tom More then Acaster along with the stricken Milburn scrambled to get us to 170 for 5 but at 140 for 2 with 7 overs left 200 looked possible.  Credit to the Howick bowlers who stuck to the task and with Riley impressive could be pleased with their efforts.

Usual opening pair Mason and Jobson for once didn’t quite get it right and the Howick openers reached 50 without loss relatively untroubled.  However we still had the man in form Gary Mordey and the returning Jonny Acaster at our disposal and Rosser made a double change which paid dividends almost straight away.  Mordey picked up three quickly then Acaster struck to leave Howick 54-4 having been 50 for 0.

With Acaster drying runs up at his end, Mordey despite an attempted counter attack picked up 2 more during his spell to complete another 5 for with Howick slumping further to 72-6.

Acaster 1 for 25 and Mordey 5 for 20 bowled out but earlier tormentor Riley and opening bowler Marley had established themselves at the crease and the game was certainly not over at this point.  Mason and Jobson returned and bowled well but couldn’t find the breakthrough.

The game came down to the last 4 overs with Howick needing 44 from 4 overs with 2 set batsmen at the crease, More and Jarvis the men tasked with finishing the job.  Despite picking up a wicket and a further run out neither could quite get it right and along with a few misfields/over throws Howick got home on the last ball to inflict our 1^st defeat of the season.  Things didn’t quite go our way toward the end and we probably left 15/20 runs behind 1^st innings as well as gifting a similar amount in the field.

As disappointing as it was (Particularly for Mordey who didn’t deserve to be on the losing side) credit should go to Howick who along with being amiable hosts had hung in when seemingly behind all game and in teenager Riley who added 49 not out to his 4 wicket hall had a matchwinner on the day.  We enjoyed a drink with them afterward and as we’d picked up 9 bonus points we are still top of the league so not a complete disaster

Despite the disappointment final word should go to Mr Chairman Paul Milburn who to his credit carried on having injured his calf to show his personal commitment but was unfortunately unable to field.  Enough of the platitudes however as half way through the Howick innings the game needed to be stopped to allow Alan Mason (70 odd year old grandfather of Owen) to carry his bag to the car while Paul followed limping comically like an injured puppy – needless to say maximum fines were administered

Ashington Rugby 170 for 5  (9 points)

Alnmouth Howick 174 for 8 (27 points)

Our very own Cory Miburn topped the Northumberland Bowling figs for this week and he was second overall in the country with his 9 wickets for 30 runs from 9.2 overs.

Stocksfield 2nds vs Ashington Rugby CC

Stocksfield – 19 June

Matchball kindly sponsored by Shaun Cole Plumbing Services

Team News – Adam ‘Rakheem’ Peacock returned from a family holiday/weekend away with the Mrs and replaced Jay Little who dropped down to the 2nds.

Toss - Skipper Dent won the toss and after a ridiculous amount of deliberation on a hot day and decent looking deck decided to have a bat.

Usual openers Colonel skunt and Captain nurdle aka Matty Tanney and Colin Thornton strode out to the middle to face the new ball as ever looking to set us up for a big score.

And indeed they did albeit it unspectacular fashion with the 50 then 100 partnership coming up followed by 50’s for both batsmen with the highlight the rarely spotted straight 6 from Colin.  They continued untroubled until the score was on 121 when Matty spooned up a catch from the bowling of the experienced Thirlwell for a well made 59.  With the pitch being a little sluggish and low bounce often a concern this was a great start for us, since Colin’s arrival and Matty stepping up a level it’s been refreshing that in one or both have gotten a score in practically every game this season which has allowed the lads in the middle order to play their natural game.  

Rakheem was next to the crease (looking chunkier than a giant Toblerone) and had been his usual impatient self whilst waiting to bat, lamenting the scoring rate of the openers .  Fortunately for him he got himself in (Avoiding a full chapter dedicated to him and karma) and added a little impetus to the innings for a while hitting some pleasing boundaries but just as he was looking to go up through the gears as he has often done this season he offered a catch off Thirlwell and was on his way for 23.

Skipper Dent at 4…. The less said about this the better he got 12 off 29 balls (smashing it to all parts.. of the crease, his body, the ground) and was finally put out of his misery by a horrible lbw decision that hit him on the thigh pad.

Colin was the last man out for a well made 89 off 109 balls which in the conditions was a great knock especially as the middle order strokemakers had struggled with their timing and it was left to finishers Lew Tan and Boom Boom Milburn to get us past 200 and post a more than competitive 204 for 4      

Following tea it was Lord of the Dance Cory ‘Michael Flatley’ Milburn to take the new ball who despite issues with his run up has started to find his groove as the season has worn on, the hotstepping at the start making way for a smooth last 8-10 steps and it was no surprise when he struck in the 1^st over sending Page back lbw for nought.

His opening partner this season James Richards has provided good support to Cory so far and despite not having the wickets he perhaps deserves has regularly beat the bat and been miserly (& a misery) while at the same time building pressure and surely a big haul is only round the corner.  Well today all that can be scratched off, he went for 21 off 4 struggling to hit grass and was hauled off by skipper Dent and replaced by Lawrence.  By now though Stocksfield were 5 down all falling to Cory with James claiming his spell was part of a grander plan.

A nice cameo of 26 from Tobin was ended by Cory once more and another soon followed.   However at this point, Lawrence who clearly hadn’t got James memo cleaned up Thirlwell to leave Stocksfield 64 for 8 and deny the chance of a 10for – top man Mark.   Then in the following over Cory knocked over the final 2 wickets (The 2^nd a superb catch from sibling Callum who has now added the Moniker ‘Dr Snaffle’ to his self-anointed repertoire of aliases) to finish with 9 for 30 – remarkable spell. 

The winning margin 140 runs and another 30 points in the bag but the day belonged to Cory who had produced the 2^nd best figures in the country on the day with honourable mentions to Colin and Matty.

Additionally with the 2^nd team being postponed due to COVID issues with their opponents it was nice that Cory’s old man as well as a few of the 2^nd team lads were present to witness a milestone day for a popular member of the club and all round good egg.

Next week we look to round off the 1^st half of the season with a difficult trip to Corbridge where we traditionally struggle but with form on our side there’s optimism we can get the job done and take another step toward promotion. 

Stocksfield CC 2 points

Ashington Rugby CC 30 points

 Colin Thornton apperas at 12th position in Northumberland on the highest runs scored at this weekend.

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Our 2nd team home game was cancelled by Alnwick CC 

Ashington Rugby CC 30 points

Alnwick CC 0 points 

Match ball sponsor Owen Jarvis

After last week’s statement victory against fellow league contenders Berwick, Ash Rug travelled to Cramlington looking to keep the momentum going. Matty Tanney’s quad was ‘severely injured’ in the mid-week game and then miraculously better again just before the start of play when he realised Peacock might take the gloves off him. Dodgy quad aside we had everyone available and were at full strength.

Captain Dent won the toss and chose to bowl first, a slightly odd decision given a week of pure sunshine and a dry forecast, however we arrived to a heavy looking outfield and several large divots in the wicket. The top 6 wanted absolutely nothing to do with a minefield and there weren’t too many grumbles as we made our way out to field.

What followed was one of the worst fielding performances your likely to ever witness on a cricket filed. Now I could sit here and attempt to creatively write each dropped chance and miss field woven intricately into the storyline of Cramlington’s batting innings. However my writing skills are decidedly average and not up to much, you’ll have noticed I struggle sticking to 1^st/3^RD person & past/present tense so I’m clearly not up to the task of telling this story properly. In a change of approach I’m going to list the errors and guilty parties and will instead make reference to them where they fit the story. Here goes:

1)     Mark Lawrence dropped an absolute sitter at Gully off James. Hit him in the nads though which made us all feel better about it.

2)     David Dent dropped an easy chance off Pullman at slip (who went on to get 55*) off James

3)     Adam Peacock dropped one low down off Pullman at slip off James

4)     James Richards missed a half chance at slip off Cory

5)     James Richards dropped a caught and bowled

6)     James Richards dropped a sharp chance at cover off Greaves

7)     Mark Lawrence intentionally dived the opposite way and missed a catch at Gully off James

8)     Scotty & Peacock combined for a ‘he said, she said’ dropped catch that landed in the middle of them.

9)     Callum & Greaves combined for a horrific 4 runs overthrow. Greaves 70% to blame

10)  Scotty Maddison dived out the way of one at mid-on, nee minerals

11)  Greaves tripped over the ball at fine leg and kicked it for 4

12)  Callum did 10 laps of the cricket ball before eventually escorting it over the boundary for 4

13)  Even the mighty Lewy Tann failed to stop a drive through mid-off which went for 4

On another day Cramlington could have very easily been 50 all out and back in the bar for an early finish but we were the masters of our own downfall and the game in reality was an extremely competitive affair for the most part.

James & Cory took the new ball and the pair were absolutely superb. James had the ball on string and it’s no exaggeration to say he could have legitimately had figures of 5-0 in the first few overs if we could have held our chances. He was swinging the ball away from the right handers whilst also managing to nip the odd one back to keep LBW in the equation. James would usually have blown his top and laid into the lads but after the 3^rd chance went down in only the second over I honestly think we broke him and he entered into a blissful state of tranquillity, every chance that went down only seemed to further calm him as he accepted his fate.

I don’t usually write nice things about bowlers but Cory was equally superb at the other end, he was bowling quick, accurate and on a good length and the Cramlington batsman didn’t know what to do with him in the early exchanges. He proved far too much for Barnes (Aka Adam Peacock stunt double), bouncing him out with a simple catch lobbed up to Dent at slip. As often happens with quicker bowlers at this standard Cory was dealt some harsh luck as Craddock edged a quick fire 20 exclusively through slip and 3^rd man. We somehow found ourselves staring at 34-1 off 7 overs before Cory finally got his man trapping Craddock LBW. Cory ending with the best 6-40-2 your ever likely to see.

Greaves was brought into the attack to add some control and it proved a masterstroke as he began to halt Cramlington’s momentum. He started to dot up star bat Pullman, who until then had played positively including a lovely shot off James advancing down the track and clipping the ball through square leg for a sublime boundary. Mark came into the attack replacing the unfortunate James Richards 10-26-1. Cramlington were 78-4 and the game stood in the balance.

I don’t like writing nice things about bowlers, I especially don’t like writing nice things about bowlers called Mark Lawrence, but he was truly outstanding. His first over was a double wicket maiden as he trapped Ingram lbw (5) before bowling Evans (0) two balls later. Some debate as to whether it was a good delivery or simply a missed full toss, Mark insistent he chucked it above the eye line and it dipped back under the bat. Anyone who has watched Mark bowl can make their own conclusions on that one.

Greaves provided the control (10-13-1) but it was Mark who added the wickets as he continued to rip through the remainder of Cramlington’s batting order taking every wicket from 6-11. Dent took an absolute sorter at slip to atone for his earlier error and Mark finished with astonishing figures of 9-12-6.

Special mention to Billy Pullman for a fine 57* to steer Cramlington to 116 and keeping them single handendly in the game. 116 was by no means a certainty on a pitch that offered plenty of encouragement to the bowlers. We’d also like to know where he purchased his hamstrings as his technique of long smothered forward defence would have genuinely retired half of our batting line up.

There was some chat on the circuit that if you could get Peacock early then the rest of the team would soon fold, that’s possibly a criticism you could label in previous seasons but 5 minutes on play cricket would have told you differently. Dent, L Tanney, M Tanney & Callum were all averaging over 60 and had important runs this season already. Colin Thornton has had a quiet start by his standards but let’s stop and put some respect on the name please, 1 minute on play cricket show’s he’s scored 7,000 runs @ an average of 43, also bear in mind he played 55 seasons prior to Play Cricket even existing, or the internet, or electricity for that matter!

Those assertions of depth and strength were quickly put to the test as Ash Rug found themselves in a spot of bother at 21-3. Colin was caught behind off fellow wise old fox Livingstone before the very same bowler soon removed Peacock for a second ball duck as he pulled a short one straight to Ingram at square leg who took a fine catch high to his right. Dent (1) soon followed as Dominic Hall got one to spit off a length and he was caught a gully, Hall was impressive throughout and bowled with good zip making the most of a lively wicket.

Tannfastics Lewy & Matty started the rebuild and batted well for a time combining proactive running with solid shot making as they moved the score onto 50-3. Matty was tramped plumb LBW to Livingston for a well grafted 25 to bring the partnership to a close. Lewy meanwhile had the bit between his teeth at the other end and was going along nicely on 21, having earlier survived a review for a catch at short leg. The 3^rd umpire correctly spotting a clear gap between bat and bad, decision overturned and Ash Rug retained the review.

We really enjoyed Callum getting some early chirp as he began his innings, Craddock buoyed by his earlier 21 was laying into him from point with good effect ‘you’ve stood at Cow Corner for 40 overs and now you’re chewing up dot balls for fun, some game you’re having’ , standing ovation from a supportive away side! The chirping had the opposite effect however as Cullum’s ego fired him into action and he went about taking the attack to Skirpan & Ingram who had come on to replace the opening bowlers. Callum hit four 6’s in a quick-fire 38 and swung the momentum in the away side’s favour. There was one pull shot off Skipran which would have legitimately reached the top tier at the MCG, no doubt we’ll hear about that for many years to come. He still tells us about a 6 he hit at GEMS in 2008 and the time he played against Yorkshire U12’s for the county. Callum fell just before the finish as he missed a straight one (fine for repeat dismissal).

Lewy Tanney finished on 44* and made a legitimate claim for stealing man of the match from Mark, he steered a side on the brink of a collapse at 21-3 to a comfortable 5 wicket victory with 15 overs to spare. In previous years we would have lost that game but it’s testament to a growing maturity from Lewy that he took the game by the scruff of the neck to see the side home. He’s scored 176 runs @ 88 so far this season, including another match winning 51* against Blyth.

Ash Rug took home full points and remain unbeaten at the top of the league in our strongest ever start to a league campaign. We host Allendale at home next week.

Big thank you to Match ball sponsor Ken & Heather Ward

Cramlington CC 4 points

Ashington Rugby CC 30 points

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Ashington Rugby 2XI vs Cramlington 2XI

Saturday 5^th June – Ashington Rec

Matchball kindly sponsored by Ken & Heather Ward (Ken a former player)

With the weather set fair and the pitch looking a belter all that was required from skipper Rosser was to win the toss and have a bat unfortunately (as usual) Stu lost & Cramlington skipper Parker obviously had the same idea and we were asked to bowl to collective groans from the home players.  Jonny Acaster was unavailable this week and was replaced by Owen Jarvis in the only change from the win at Morpeth.

As usual Mason and Jobson opened up and were on the mark from the start and despite a couple of boundaries the run rate was stable at 2 an over, when with the score on 18, Mason bowled Davison and Simpson in consecutive balls to cement our good start the 2^nd one a jaffer. 

From here we lost our way to an extent and allowed 1^st Bramley then Langley to get on top while opener Parker was solid at one end and despite Mordey removing Langley for 17 Cramlington progressed to 91 for 3.  We were  in need of a boost and once again it arrived in the shape of a Gary Mordey hot streak, he proceeded to rip through the Cramlington middle order with 3 wickets in quick succession and with ‘Golden Arm’ Milburn removing Parker from a full toss for a patient 31 the away side had slipped to 98 for 7.

Milburn was bowling steadily and the Cramlington lower order did well to see off Mordey who couldn’t find the fifth wicket that his spell probably deserved meaning Rosser passing on the responsibility of cleaning up the tail to Owen Mason, safe in the knowledge he’d regularly produced the goods at the back end already this season.  Unsurprisingly he was up to the challenge and removed Heads and Bradley in the same over and just as thoughts turned to the 15 year olds first senior 5for Milburn took the final wicket to leave Cramlington 126 all out.

Despite having a 10 over period where we went off the boil a little this was a pretty good outcome on a hot day on a good deck, however it should be said fines were dished out to several players for being distracted by the ladies rugby that was ongoing on the adjacent pitch. 

After tea regular openers Harwood and Rosser strode out to face the Cramlington attack with plenty going on around with both the mens & womens rugby in full swing and the smell of Greek and Mexican food wafting across the pitch.

With Langley bowling economically from the rugby club end despite both batters warming the hands of the fielders with well struck drives, it was Harwood who got stuck into Doyle from the other end with several offside boundaries to get the score moving.  Rosser was steadily accumulating at his end looking solid while Harwood looked to attack.  Parker was brought on to replace Doyle who had gone for 24 off 3 and despite Harwood hitting him over both long on and off he managed to stifle the flow of runs.

At this point it should be said Cramlington’s number 3 (who had been knocked over 1^st ball) had been a bundle of energy in the field (other descriptions available) encouraging the bowlers and irritating the batters in equal measure despite his own failures which lead to some light hearted banter between the sides.  However to his credit he persisted with his batting critiques and certainly got under Harwood’s skin who fired back some advice of his own.

Langley finished his 9 over spell with the admirable figures of 0 for 7 and despite the partnership now progressing past 50, runs had become a premium and Harwood who had been bogged down despite a bright start advanced down the pitch to Parker and was stumped for 29.  Adamson at 3 came in and looked assured from the off hitting a couple of pleasing boundaries and Rosser joined in having faced the majority of the accurate Langley before Adamson was caught well by (ironically) Cramlington’s batting coach for 14 off the bowling of Heads.

Cool hand Paul (Milburn) was in at 4 and as ever in a run chase was quickly into his stride and both batsmen were now comfortable since Parker (1 for 26) had bowled his allocation.  The scoring rate began to rise and we cruised home with 4 overs remaining with Stu finishing with a well judged 46 not out and the Chairman 29 not out.

A good win set up by the Bowlers and finished off by the batters leaves us still top of the league, special mention to Owen Mason and Gary Mordey with outstanding bowling figures once again.

Cramlington 126 All out (4 points)

Ashington Rugby 130 for 2 (30 points)          

Big thank you to Melly's Carpets and Beds for sponsoring some of our match balls.

Melly's is located on the Ashington main street, next to the Town Hall.

 Special thank you to Michael Adamson for brokering the deal.