NEPL Round Up: Week 5

By Amy Hearn

After a wet and windy weekend last week, the North East Premier League teams were back in action on a sunny Saturday.

After a wet and windy weekend last week, the North East Premier League teams were back in action on a sunny Saturday. Chester le Street and South Northumberland registered their third wins of the season and sit tied at the top of the Premier Division. Robbie Dawson top scored with 59 as the Keets made 237 against Eppleton. There were wickets for Eppleton’s Jack McBeth (3/40) and Colin Mann (3/29), but their batsmen struggled to get going in the run chase, and they were eventually dismissed for 103.

South Northumberland bowled Whitburn out for 183, despite a run-a-ball 68 from Michael Bittlestone. Sean Tindale was excellent, taking 6/18. The visitors made easy work of the chase, thanks to a 108-run partnership between Sol Bell (53*) and Michael Richardson (76), winning by 8 wickets.

Benwell Hill were excellent with the bat against Hetton Lyons, posting 318/7. Their two top scorers, Kyle Coetzer (124 from 110, including 17 fours and 3 sixes) and James Schofield (79 from 106), put on 188 for the first wicket, which set the platform for their imposing team total. Hetton Lyons struggled from the beginning, losing three early wickets, and despite Ben Whitehead’s 65 (52), they fell well short of the target. They were bowled out for 170, Benwell Hill spinner Max Williamson starring with 5/42.

Burnopfield set Burnmoor a reasonable target of 192, thanks to 55 from John Oswell at the top of the order, and a late flourish from Patrick Cooper (32*). The Burnopfield bowling attack was excellent – there were wickets for Jack Campbell (2/16), Matthew Oswell (3/38), and Mitch Killeen (2/20), as they dismissed Burnmoor for 155. Paul Craig top scored for the visitors with 52, but he had little support.

Joe Cracknell made an excellent 134 as Felling posted 288/9 against Sacriston. He was supported by Sean Dickson (67), and the two put on 105 for the second wicket. Sacriston’s run chase was complicated by a good spell from Felling’s Paul Leonard (4/23), who made early inroads from which the home side never recovered. They were dismissed for 142.

Michael Jones was equally excellent with the bat, contributing 105 to Tynemouth’s total of 263/6 against Washington. They were persistent, but could not score at the required rate, finishing 202/6 from their 50 overs. There were notable contributions from Thomas Colledge (55*) and Ash Thorpe (50*) for the visitors.

In Division 1, Connor Hodgson (3/15) and Calvin Stephenson (3/34) starred with the ball as Willington bowled Lanchester out for 168. The visitors were reduced to 81/8, before an excellent innings from number 10 Cameron Metcalf (57 off 46) propelled them to a respectable total. Despite this late recovery, Willington secured the victoru, Pete Bhabra making 60 as they reached their target inside 32 overs.

Sunderland made 214/9 from their 50 overs against Gateshead Fell, with runs for Dan Shurben (58). They bowled the Fell out for 161. Joe Defty (4/28) was their standout performer with the ball.

Castle Eden triumphed over Newcastle at Parklands. They were bowled out for 205, despite Philip Wimpenny’s 59 (66), but bounced back to dismiss Newcastle for only 104. There were wickets for Bilawal Iqbal (4/26), Keith Bailey (3/41), and Ryan Ball (3/14) in what was an excellent win for the home side.

The Ashington bowling attack was ruthless, dismissing Philadelphia for 52. The wickets were shared among the four bowlers, but Cameron Skinner grabbed the headlines with an economical 4/21 from his 10 overs. They had little difficulty chasing the total they had been set, reaching their target in 17.5 overs with 8 wickets to spare.

Crook also struggled with the bat, stumbling to 124 all out against Shotley Bridge, who were indebted to Oliver Gibson’s 5/20. Lewis Hall was 47* from only 35 balls, with 6 fours and 3 sixes, as the home side secured the victory inside 25 overs.

Where next?

NEPL Round Up: Week 6 South Northumberland and Chester le Street remain unbeaten at the top of the Premier Division after another Saturday of exciting cricket in the NEPL.
NEPL Round Up: Week 3 South Northumberland and Chester-le-Street continued their unbeaten start to the season as the third round of NEPL fixtures took place on a rainy May Day.

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