1st XI - Palmer Blasts Morpeth Past Alnwick

Morpeth followed a convincing mid-week display in the Twenty20 cup against Percy Main with a dominant performance at home to Alnwick on Saturday. A one-sided affair ended with 20 points for the home side to continue their immaculate start to the season.

Morpeth won the toss and elected to bat, with the track looking flatter than it turned out to be. Openers Reynolds and Leason were watchful when stocky right-hander Leason was caught miraculously by veteran Thompson at point for 15. Reagan was then bowled by the unorthodox medium pace of Bell for 6. Jonny Craigs came in but it was Reynolds who was beginning to show real form, timing drives through the off-side and picking up the pace of the Morpeth innings. However, on 49 he also departed but in bizarre fashion as Bell’s chest high full toss was pulled to deep mid-wicket, where Jenkins caught the ball once it bounced off his head.

Craigs was then bowled on 15 by a Bateman ball that shot along the floor. Wailes and returning talisman Stu Alleway set about rebuilding the innings, working singles in between the odd hit over the legside. With Alleway looking increasingly positive he was stumped by Peberdy on 35 off Brewis’ gentle left-arm spin. Faustino Asprilla look-a-like Jack Palmer then entered the fray and played the innings that ended up winning the game but first hit an elegant straight drive that bowler Bateman got a fingertip onto, directing the ball onto the stumps at the non-strikers end, running Wailes out on 22.

But Palmer, who started positively, then began to open up with some hefty blows off all bowlers. On a day that was challenging for batsman, the eccentric all-rounder made powerful six-hitting appear annoyingly easy. Maximums were sent crashing over mid-wicket and long-on, with some stylish extra cover drives thrown in for good measure. He was run out with a couple of overs left by Jimmy Craigs on 66 from just 35 balls, and the tail helped the effort as Morpeth closed on an impressive 239-8 considering the conditions.

Alnwick were never really in the chase, and even their accomplished bastmen appeared to lack the ambition to go for a win, with the innings carried out at a painfully slow run rate throughout. Jimmy ‘Beadle’ Craigs got the first wicket, as Wasmuth’s leading edge was gobbled up by Jonny Craigs at cover for 11. Horner bowled an impeccable spell, with his 9 overs going for just 17, and some exceedingly close LBW appeals, but somehow remained wicket-less. Veterans Brewis and Thompson batted for a long time without ever scoring runs, not helped by disciplined bowling from the home side.

Skipper Reagan broken the stand as Leason caught Thompson at slip from an arm ball for 17 and the same combination saw the back of Wright for 1. Two more batsmen were trapped leg before as Reagan finished his 15 overs with incredible figures of 4-16. Palmer was his partner in crime, not satisfied with his fireworks earlier in the day, cheaply ousting Peberdy and Wood (both LBW) with his 11 overs returning 2-22.

Jenkins did not bat after a trip to hospital after his earlier fielding heroics, so 2 wickets were needed by the home side. Alnwick were dogged in their defence but rookie off-spinner Jimmy Foster took the vital wickets to ensure Morpeth took maximum points from the game. A drifting delivery deceived Bateman, who was also given leg before and Brewis’ vigil that seemed as if it would go on forever was finally ended for 41, clean bowled by the young Morpethian.

Morpeth hope that their run continues away at Chopwell on Saturday, 1:30pm start.

Man-of-the-Match: Jack Palmer

Jonny Wailes
 

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