Last
update: Wednesday 22 May 2013
21:31 BST
Team Selections
Team selections for games between Thursday 23 May to Monday 27 May can be found here.
Saturday Washout
All three games involving our teams were washed out on a very wet Saturday.
Sunday's 3rd XI, U13 and U11 games look in doubt as the heavy rain is forecasted to last all day.
Roseworth Trophy
An eight wicket defeat of Lintz ensured that the second eleven maintained their 100% start to the season on Friday (17 May) evening. Set 144 to win they reached their target with four overs in hand, Ben O'Brien leading the way with 82 off 50 balls. They now face either South Northumberland or Blaydon at home.
Just Progress As Vice Chairman Is Spotted in Whites
The venerable Vice Chairman Simon Lunn has quashed rumours of a comeback following a triumphant appearance for the First Team at Felling on Thursday evening.
Speaking from his hospital bed he was heard to mutter 'Never again Nicko!'
With the help of a cat like fielding performance from the V.C. the Firsts won by six wickets with stand out performances from Maiden, Mussett and Nicholson to make progress in the Just Sport Trophy.*
The NEPL T20 competition sponsored by Co-operative Funeralcare gets under way next Friday (24 May) at Whitburn and your support would be much appreciated.
*For the record the Hill won by six wickets, Maiden 4 for 11, Ben Mussett 43 and Phil Nicholson 44 off 28 balls. The Hill will now play Blaydon at Denton Bank on a date yet to be confirmed.
**At the Hill last night the third eleven lost heavily to Ashington. Chasing 112 to win the Hill were 21 for 8 and were eventually bowled out for 53, Scott Williamson and David Archbold the only batters to make double figures. There was also a cameo from skipper Phil Haves which included a classic extra cover drive. A shot he will describe if you ask him nicely!
Thanks, Neil
David McKay and Benwell Hill Cricket Club would like to thank Neil Wood of Ashington Cricket Club for his continuing help with regard to tracking down 'hard-to-find' scorecards in the on-going task of creating as complete a Benwell Hill Scorecard Archive as is possible.
For information, the elusive 1966 season is almost ready for entry on to CricketArchive.com.
Matches still missing are: Monday, 30 May away to Percy Main;
13 August home to Backworth; 20 August away to County Club;
3 September home to Percy Main.
Tyneside Charity Bowl
Today's (15 May) scheduled Tyneside Charity Bowl tie against Benwell & Walbottle was postponed earlier in the day. A second attempt to play the game will take place on Monday 20 May at Denton Bank at 6.00 pm.
Team Selections part 2
Team selections for games between Wednesday 15 May to Sunday 18 May can be found here.
Team Selections
Teams for Wednesday's Tyneside Charity Bowl cup-tie against Benwell & Walbottle and the following evening against Felling in the Just Sport Trophy can be found here.
NB: Please note the change of venue for Wednesday's game. The tie will now be played at Walbottle Campus and not at Denton Bank as printed in your Membership and Fixture Book.
National Knock-Out Exit
In a game reduced to 30 overs per side the first eleven exited this season's competition going down by seven wickets at Blaydon. Batting first the Hill made 151 for 7. The home side reached their target with two overs to spare.
The third eleven fell foul of persistent afternoon drizzle as the NEPL 3 fixture against Blaydon at Denton Bank was called off. Their scheduled Banks Cup tie this evening (13 May) against Hetton Lyons was also called off after the Durham club conceded.
Super Saturday!
Where to start?
It was a day of three fantastic wins for our sides on Saturday (11 May). The first eleven won by 149 runs at Sunderland, the second eleven crushed Sunderland by ten wickets at Denton Bank and the third eleven inflicted a 66 run defeat on early season pace-setters Haydon Bridge.
We'll start with the first eleven as convention dictates. Batting first in a game which had 30 overs taken out of it by rain early into the match, the Hill scored 251 for 4 in only 46 overs. Jonny Craigs top-scored with 72. The ex-Morpeth man is now looking a very astute signing for the Hill and together with another winter signing, Sameet Brar who made 58, are part of what is looking like a formidable top-order. Another part of that top-order, club professional Zohaib Khan scored 62 not out, there was also time for a Nick Jones cameo with 32 off 12 balls.
In reply the home side had reached 58 without loss but then proceeded to collapse to 102 all out. Only home skipper Dan Shurben, who carried his bat for 67 offered any resistance to an excellent display by the Hill bowlers. Zohaib claimed 5 for 14 off 10 overs and David Rutherford 3 for 21 off 11.
At the Hill the second eleven, following Friday evening's nine wicket win over Annfield Plain in the James Bell Memorial Cup, made it two out of two in the league, sweeping away Sunderland in double quick time. Sunderland batting first, declared in the 55th over on 190 for 9 largely due to their skipper Michael Nunn (62) and a number of lusty blows from former Durham man Simon Brown (63*).
To say the Hill approached their run chase with relish is a bit of an understatement! Ben Mussett and Ben O'Brien attacked from the first ball and young Mussett brought up his 50 in the ninth over. He went on to register his maiden hundred and the game finished with 20 overs to spare. Mussett finished on 118 not out hitting 19 fours and one six and Ben O'Brien finished on 64 not out.
And so to the thirds. Batting first they found themselves in familiar territory at 43 for 7, but a partnership of 85 between Mark Wight (61) and Scott Williamson (27*) enabled the Hill to reach 128 for 9 off 38 overs.
Having felt the might of Mark Wright's batting Haydon Bridge then endured the force of his bowling. 'Coolio' added 4 for 23 to his runs earlier in the day as the Hill bowled out the hosts for 62 to round off a perfect day for the Hill.
County Batsmen
Three Benwell Hill batsmen, Dan Young, Sumeet Brar and John Chambers (pictured above) represented Northumberland last Sunday (5 May) and all contributed to the county's excellent win over Herefordshire in the Minor Counties Knock Out Cup. The scorecard can be found here.
Fantasy Cricket and the Art of Cherry Picking
Due to an administrative error the opportunity to 'Cherry Pick' has been denied to those entering the Fantasy Cricket competition.
This has now been rectified and updated entry Forms, player-ratings and competition rules can be downloaded from here.
Have Your Say!
Those awfully nice people at the Durham Cricket Board have launched the first annual player survey in an attempt to find out what you, as a club cricketer think of cricket in the region and cricket in general.
Bob Jackson MBE, Chair of Durham Cricket Board said: "'The results will be used to help plan what recreational cricket should look like in future years.
"We recognise that lifestyles are changing, many are working longer. Saturdays are all about cricket for some, but others may prefer a format that better fits around their other commitments. We want to know what we can do to make it easier for players to stay in the game."
Mr Jackson continued: "Our hope is that all players will give their full support by completing the survey and thus play a direct part in influencing the future of cricket in the region."
As an encouragement to complete the survey, Durham County Cricket Club have purchased a long stick with a pointy end, (Sorry, I've just made that up - ed.) they have in fact donated a pair of Ashes tickets for one lucky winner.
The survey can be found at here.
Appleby Cup
Fenwick Frisken propelled the third eleven into the second round of the Appleby Cup yesterday (Monday 6 May), hitting 127 not out off only 65 balls. He hit 13 fours and six sixes in a Hill score of 207 for 2 off 20 overs.
Newcastle responded well in the face such a mammoth score and after nine overs were actually ahead of the asking rate. However, the introduction of Scott Williamson and off-spinner Phil Haves slowed the run-rate and wickets began to fall. The veteran off-spinner returned figures of 4 for 15. Newcastle closed on 124 for 7, giving the Hill an 83 run win.
The Hill will now face either South Northumberland or Morpeth in the next round.
County Comes Calling
Good luck to the Hill's John Chambers who makes his county debut today. The young Hill batsman makes his senior debut at Jesmond for Northumberland as they entertain Herefordshire in the Minor Counties Knock-Out Trophy.
First's Oh So Close . . .
The first eleven were within touching distance of their first league win of the season at Denton Bank yesterday (4 May) after setting the Durham Cricket Academy 248 to win in 59 overs. By the close the young Durham cricketers had hung on for a draw at 129 for 9 with the last pair surrounded by close-fielding Benwell Hill catchers.
Earlier in the day 30's from debutant Jonny Craigs (33), Zohaib Khan (36) and Nick Jones (38) together with a 10 ball 23 from John Chambers were underpinned by 61 not out from former skipper Ali Maidan as the Hill posted their second consecutive score of over 200 this season.
The third eleven had a fine win over Allendale in the West Tyne League. Batting first the Hill recovered from the loss of early wickets thanks to a partnership of 117 from David Haxon (73) and Mark Wright (67) as the Hill reached 198 for 7 in 42 overs.
A strong home side were in trouble from the start as the Hill bowlers also took early wickets. Allendale were all out for 108 in 31.2 overs, 16-year-old Luke Stokoe returning excellent figures of 5 for 35 to wrap up a fine win for the Hill.
www.benwellhill.co.uk
Apologies for the lack of a website for most of Thursday (2 May). This was due to a major server crash at our server provider, a situation way beyond our control, and our understanding if we're totally honest!
The problem has now been rectified - obviously!
Team Selections
This week's team selections can be found here.
Coming Soon . . .
Fancy yourself as a cricket selector?
Do you think you can do a better job than the Benwell Hill Selection Committee? (Let's be honest, who couldn't do a better job with a sharp pin!). Well, now's your chance.
Pick your own Benwell Hill team and compete in the Benwell Hill Fantasy Cricket League. Players will be picked from all senior sides in the club.
Entry forms and Players List available from Saturday 4 May.
Smithson Cup 2013
The draw for the Smithson Northumberland County Cup has taken place. The Hill have been drawn away against the winners of Hexham Leazes or The Wallace Arms. The full draw can be found here.
Sunday round-up
A winning margin of 46 runs over Marton allowed the first eleven to take their place in the second round of the ECB National Knock-Out. Winning the toss and batting the Hill scored 270 for 7 in the allotted 45 overs. Nick Jones with a run-a-ball 121 and 76 from Sumeet Brar got the Hill off to a flying start as the two young openers put on 165 for the first wicket. Marton made 224 for 8 in reply. The Hill will now face Blaydon on Sunday 12 May for a place in the regional semi-finals.
The NEPL third eleven beat Stockton by 28 runs in the opening fixture of the season.
Saturday round-up
The first eleven went down by seven wickets to Stockton on the opening day of the 2013 North East Premier League season at Denton Bank.
Batting first, in conditions more akin to late January than late April, the Hill made steady progress with openers Dan Young (40) and Sameet Brar (44) adding 78 for the first wicket. Solid contributions from the middle order enabled the home side to post 212 all out in the 65th over. Stockton reached their target with 17 balls remaining.
The second eleven won by one wicket at Stockton, Joe Moore's resolute 61 not out guiding the Hill home just as they looked in danger of losing the game. The third eleven lost by seven wickets at Matfen in the West Tyne League.
Team Selections
Team selections for the opening weekend of the North East Premier League can be found here.
Pre-season friendly
The first eleven have their final pre-season game on Tuesday (23 April) before Saturday's curtain raiser against Stockton at Denton Bank.
Tuesday's team to play Tynedale is as follows:
Sameet Brar
John Chambers
Jonny Craigs
Caleb Jones
Nick Jones
Joe Kilpatrick
Phil Nicholson*+
Ben O'Brien
Graeme Race
Matthew Rodger
David Rutherford
Everyone should meet at the Hill as close to 5.00 pm as possible.
West Tyne Thirds off to a flyer
Under the new captaincy of David Ladd the third eleven started the new season in style with a 61 run win over Stocksfield at Denton Bank.
Making use of an excellent first day strip the Hill lost the skipper and Barry Evans with only 21 on the board. A 71 run partnership between Dan Hunter (33) and Leighton Hopper took the score onto 92. Hopper went on the make 80 and was given excellent support by Andrew Dawson as the Hill posted 177 for 7 in their 42 overs.
Stocksfield were in trouble almost from the start of their reply. Debutant Caleb Jones claiming three wickets for only 14 runs off 11 overs and the returning Scott Williamson also claiming three wickets were the pick of the Hill bowlers. Stocksfield, thanks to some late hitting down the order, were able to reach 116 for 8 at the close of their innings.
Team News
3rd XI v. Humshaugh, Thursday 18 April at 6.00 pm
Phil Haves (capt.); David Archbold; Geoff Chambers; Andrew Dawson;
Fenwick Frisken; Andrew Jewitt; Caleb Jones; Shaun Rushton; Will Taylor; Scott Williamson and Mark Wright.
at Denton Bank, meet at 5.30 pm.
3rd XI v. Stocksfield, Saturday 20 April at 1.30 pm.
David Ladd (capt.); Scott Williamson, David Archbold; Andrew Dawson; Barry Evans; Barry Grice; Leighton Hopper; Dan Hunter; Caleb Jones; Ross Marley and Luke Stokoe.
at Denton Bank, meet 12.30 pm.
TEA FOR FOUR PLEASE
1st XI v. Felling, Saturday 20 April at 1.00 pm
From: Sumeet Brar; Ben Mussett; Alasdair Appleby; Ben O'Brien; Will Taylor; Alastair Maiden; Nick Jones; John Chambers; Phil Nicholson (capt.); David Rutherford; Graeme Race; Matthew Rodger; Harry Munton and Joe Kilpatrick.
at High Heworth Lane, meet at the Hill 11.15 am or at the ground 11.45 am.
Anyone requiring a lift should contact either Phil Nicholson or Graeme Race.
1st XI v. Northumberland Development XI, Sunday 21 April
at 12 noon.
From: Sumeet Brar; Alasdair Appleby; Nick Jones; John Chambers; Phil Nicholson (capt.); Graeme Race; Matthew Rodger; Joe Kilpatrick; Joe Moore; Mo Shinwari; Paul Askell; Peter Jones and David Haxon
at Denton Bank, meet at the Hill 10.45 am.
Pre-season underway
Pre-season 2013 got underway on Saturday (13 April) at Carlton CC, Scotland under what looks suspiciously like blue skies!
The Hill batted first and made 140 for 4 in 40 overs with all the top-five batsment getting time in the middle. Carlton overcame our total comfortably but again the seamers all bowled a good spell on grass and there was time for some spin too.
Sunday's scheduled game at Grange CC was unfortunately rained-off.
This Saturday's (20 April) pre-season friendly is a 1pm start at Felling, followed by the visit of a Northumberland Development XI to the Hill on Sunday.
Saturday also sees the start of the West Tyne League with the Hill entertaining Stocksfield at Denton Bank. The game starts at 1.30pm.
C Division starts on Thursday (18 April) with the visit of Humshaugh to the Hill starting at 6.00pm.
Teams for the weekend will be selected after net practice on Wednesday (17 April) night.
Junior Practice Night
Junior outdoor practice sessions recommence on Tuesday
16 April. The following times apply to the respective age groups:
4.30 pm to 5.30 pm - Under 11
5.30 pm to 7.00 pm - Under 13
7.00 pm to 8.30 pm - Under 15
Predictions for the coming season?
With the new season rapidly approaching and clubs' preparations well advanced, you may be interested in the views of Phil Hudson of Newcastle Cricket Club as to how he sees the new season panning out!
As ever, your views or comments are more than welcome, either here or on our facebook page.
Braving the cold weather!
A big thank you to all those members and players who turned
up this morning (29 March) to take part in this year's Cricket Force event.
Despite the continuing cold weather and a several snow flurries the volunteers carried out a number of various outdoor tasks in preparation for the new season which is only three weeks away.
More photographs from the event can be found here. |
