FRIDAY 16TH JULY

BLAME IT ON THE WORLD CUP

An Update on the Unsworths

“What happened to the Unsworths this week?” We were asked. Well the short answer is they didn’t play but there by hangs a tale. ‘Our Kenyon’ and his lads were due to travel to Ashbrook on Sunday but their hosts' first eleven were also due to play at home in the Banks Salver semi final. Simples. Transfer the game to Grangefield. Lamentably, this was not possible. The firsts were playing Tynemouth in the Justport Trophy at Grangefield that’s the game that was rearranged because of England’s match against Germany in the World Cup.

The problem with all of the above is that Sunderland didn’t bother to tell ‘Our Kenyon’ that the game was off and would have to be re-arranged.  What's more it was quite by chance that he found at all! And that was only due to a phone call from one of the umpires who realising there was a double booking rang the club late on Friday night. Little does that umpire know that his phone call was the catalyst for a bizarre chain of events but that’s for another day. Suffice to say the Memsahib’s not happy and all our brownie points have been revoked along with those of the club secretary!

“Can we see about claiming the points?” Our Kenyon’s text says. “Highly unlikely” we think and don’t agree with his suggestion anyway so we ignore the text and the next dozen or so calls. Rumour has it that the league secretary has unplugged his phone too.

“We’ve dropped to third” he tells us as a sort of rebuke “and half me teams’ off to Ampleforth this weekend” he adds." Then tell them to get their hands together in the Abbey" we think silently, very silently. “Good luck at Blaydon on Sunday” we say aloud.

More from Our Kenyon next week.

FRIDAY 9TH JULY

AS AN ADDENDUM to our story about the Unsworths our "Kenyon" has sent us a text which says quite simply and succinctly "We're second".

SUNDAY 4TH JULY

THE UNSWORTHS FINE FORM CONTINUES

FOLLOWING our exposé on the third team we note that our friend and confidante Mr Unsworth managed to find a cure for his pad rash this weekend. Not wearing them. Indeed, our Kenyon managed to lead his team to a comprehensive victory over an embryonic South Northumberland side without the need to even remove the offending articles from his kit bag.

South North, more “Calves” than “Bulls” on this occasion, were bowled out for 102 by the young Unsworths with Joe Hewison claiming two for 12, Danny Phinn two for 10, whilst Matty Everson, Robbie Thwaites, Danny Barton, James Barron and Farouk Din shared the remainder of the spoils.

The thirds response was swift as they took only nineteen overs to claim a seven wicket victory.

We are unsure where this latest victory elevates them to in the table but await the now obligatory text message with mounting anticipation.

South North 102 (D Phinn 2-10, J Hewison 2-12)
Stockton 103-3 (D Phinn 46, R Thwaites 20*, T Gallagher 2-19)
Stockton won by 7 wickets

| FULL SCORECARD |

SUNDAY 27TH JUNE

TALES OF MOUSE AND ANDY'S MEN

DESPITE being riddled with pad rash Andy Unsworth, the third team skipper, has not only berated us but also strongly recommended that we keep our reader abreast with developments in the lower echelons of the North East cricketing strata. So here goes…

At the end of last month Mr Unsworth took his young charges to Denton Bank to face a previously unbeaten Benwell Hill XI. Batting first they accumulated 213 for nine from their allotted overs, thanks in the main to Joel Thwaites (74) and Danny Phinn (50). In a tense finish they managed to restrict Benwell to one run less to secure an incomplete win. The star of the bowling appears to have been Chris Parr, who in spite of being more famous for being out LBW with alarming regularity, managed to send down nine overs for only 28 runs whilst claiming two wickets.

Sunday 30th May
Stockton 213 – 9 (D Phinn 50, J Thwaites 74)
Benwell Hill 212 - 4 (C E Parr 2-28)
Incomplete win to Stockton

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Their improvement in form was put on hold for three weeks due a free week followed by an abandoned fixture at South Shields.

The next win came against Gateshead Fell at Grangefield. A good bowling performance from Farouk Din (3-16) was followed by an even better batting performance by Joel Thwaites aka “Mouse” who established that he was far removed from the “Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie...” of Burns fame by thrashing the Fell bowlers for 105 to engineer a three wicket victory for his team.

Sunday 20th June
Gateshead Fell 198 – 8 (F Din 3-16)
Stockton 201 – 7 (J Thwaites 105, J Kendall 30, F Din 25*)
Stockton won by three wickets

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The Unsworths next outing was to Lilywhite Terrace to take on the pride of Easington Lane. Whilst England’s World Cup hopes when down the pan in Bloemfontein, Thwaites drew his inspiration from Aesop as “Mouse” tamed the Lyons from Hetton with 47 out of a match winning 208 for eight which also included a 50 run unbroken ninth wicket partnership from youngsters Matty Everson (24*) and James Deverall (21*).  The pick of the bowlers?  You’ve guessed it – the leg-end-ary Chris Parr, whose eight overs included two maidens and yielded two wickets for only 34 runs.

Sunday 27th June
Hetton Lyons 205 - 5 (C Parr 2-34)
Stockton 208 – 8 (J Thwaites 47, M Everson 24*, J Deverall 21*)
Stockton won by 2 wickets

| FULL SCORECARD |

And finally, Andy tells us "Just so yer know the thirds are fourth".

SUNDAY 24TH MAY

thirds toil in the sun to round off weekend horibilis

THE THIRD team entertained Blaydon at Grangefield in an attempt to stop a complete club whitewash over the weekend. Unfortunately it was not to be as they toiled in the sunshine and thanks to some poor bowling and pitiful fielding Blaydon reached 237 for 4 in their 40 overs.

Stockton’s response was almost as pitiful as their fielding as they yielded to Scott Pattison who claimed six for 15 as Stockton collapsed from 57 for no wicket to a paltry 130 all out.

Blaydon 237 for 4 (M Reynolds 112*, J Baines 59, J Pearson 29, M Rushforth 3-57) Stockton 130 (D Phinn 43, S Pattison 6-15)
Stockton lost by 107 runs

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SUNDAY 10TH MAY

FIRST WIN FOR THIRDS

3rd XI
Tynemouth 164 (R Straughan 37, B J Richardson 33, S G Mordue 32*,
M A Rushworth 4-30, J Hewison 3-23)
Stockton 168-0 ( L Ward 82*, M Baleci 71*)
Stockton won by 10 wickets

| Full Scorecard |

SUNDAY 3RD MAY

THIRDS SUFFER IN THE COLD

THE THIRD XI suffered a comprehensive nine wicket defeat at the hands of Chester le Street at an Artic like Ropery Lane on Sunday. Batting first they were bowled out for 128 despite a patient 49 from James Deverall (above). After the interval, Stockton's bowlers struggled to find a consistent line in the biting wind as Chester le Street raced to their target in just over 20 overs fro the loss of only one wicket.

Stockton 128 (J Deverall 49, C Martin 3-6, A Ryan 2-16)
Chester le Street 130-1 (B Davis 76)
Chester le Street won by 9 wickets

| MATCH PHOTOS | FULL SCORECARD |

The Second team suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Tynemouth in the Banks Bowl at Preston Avenue on Monday.

 

Sunday 25th April

THIRDS begin with home defeat

THE 3rd XI began their season with a six wicket reverse against an
experienced Newcastle side at Grangefield. Jimmy Ward with 43 and Tom
Bulmer with 35 were the major contributors in Stockton’s 149 all out, a
total which Newcastle overhauled with six wickets and six overs to spare.
Thirteen year old Joe Hewison dismissed two Newcastle batsmen for eighteen runs in his four overs.

Stockton 149 (J Ward 42, T Bulmer 35, A Docherty 2-12, D Humble 2-41,
R J Howarth 3- 41, J Sinclair 3-40)
Newcastle 153-4 (T M J Howd 50, D Smith 35, J Hewison 2-18)
Stockton lost by six wickets

|| MATCH PHOTOS | FULL SCORECARD |