2nd XI - Much A Do About Winning!
 

After the heavy rain earlier in the week, Saturday brought a bright sunny day to the Longhirst cricket field. Morpeth were on the back of a 3 game winning streak, during which the batsmen had been dominating opposition attacks. The Longhirst wicket was good, if a little soft on top, but the experienced members of the second team realised it would be another good batting track. Fortunately for Morpeth, Dominic Quinn the visiting skipper, had failed to read the pitch or the form book, and on winning the toss invited Morpeth to bat first.

Jonny Wailes and Stephen Cowell strode out to the middle to resume what has been a very productive opening partnership this season, totalling 478 runs in 9 attempts at an average of 53. The Consett bowlers started well and were finding some prodigious swing movement in the air and a good deal of assistance off the deck. The Morpeth openers were watchful and attempted to put away the bad ball when it was presented by the bowlers.

After 10 overs Morpeth had progressed to 30 without loss, with the only fuss coming from the Consett fielders. In attempting to take a quick two to the third man fielder, Cowell was touch and go to making his ground. Stoneman collected the ball and dragged it back on to the stumps as Cowell stretched and crossed the line. The square leg umpire, Morpeth keeper Ali Clow, adjudged it not out.

With the game finally back under way, the opening pair continued to assert their dominance as the new ball stopped swinging and the pitch continued to dry out. Wailes was first to reach his half century, which had been made in good time, and included some delightful cuts and cover drives. Cowell was also taking the attack to the bowlers, and was using the drive down the ground, lofted and along the ground, to good affect to accumulate the runs.

With the opening stand having passed 100 for the second game in a row, disaster struck for Wailes when he tried to heave Stoneman’s slow darts over the top, but succeeded only in finding mid-on. Wailes was gone for 66 and Meikle came to the wicket in the number three position and began, uncharacteristically with two defensive shots.

It was not long before Meikle was stroking the ball through the covers and glancing anything that strayed down leg to the boundary as he accelerated the scoring rate. Cowell was able to keep ticking the strike over, and with a couple of all run fours, brought up his first fifty of the season. The score was now racing along and with boundaries a plenty Meikle was soon bringing up his own fifty.

However, no sooner had he done so, he tried to repeat the boundary shot that had brought him to his half century, he failed to connect and was bowled by Huntsmann. This allowed Goodings a slightly longer stint in the middle than had been the norm recently and he was determined to capitalise on this. Guiding Morpeth firstly past 200 with some superb stork making, and then onwards towards 226 for 2 at the end of their 45 overs. Stephen Cowell having defied the ageing process to bat for 210 minutes and 45 overs for 77 not out.

After devouring their tea, including some delightful cherry and chocolate cakes, the Morpeth boys gathered with their opponents to mark a minutes silence for Al Gordon who had passed away on the previous Sunday morning. Al had been a great cricketer in his time, and a life long fan and supporter of Morpeth cricket club, where he would regularly be seen wandering round the outfield at Longhirst talking to players and fans alike.

The Morpeth attack was led by Jimmy Craigs and Paul Jackson to begin with and they both began with some good lines but were lacking good fortune as a number of edges flew through the 3rd and 4th slip region managing to avoid the fielders at 2nd slip and gully. However, the breakthrough eventually came in the 8th over as Jackson bowled Mitchell for 18, getting one to jag back in and beat the batsmen’s attempted forward defensive.

Morpeth were soon on a high, as a suicidal piece of running from Huntsmann and Greenwell, coupled with a fantastic piece of fielding from Dhugga and Clow, left Greenwell trudging back to the pavilion. Consett were 39 for 2 and the promising start they had made could have been slipping away, but Quinn dug in with the remaining opener and they continued to score when the opportunity presented itself and remained stoic in defence the rest of the time.

Jimmy ‘Bede’ Craigs was able to peg the batsmen back this time, as he forced Huntsmann to chip a leading edge straight back in to the bowlers hands. With this partnership broken Morpeth sensed their chance, and Maxted turned quickly to his leading wicket taker, Dhugga. The move soon paid off as he bowled McPherson with a full, flighted delivery, which broke through the defences and cannoned in to the stumps. Consett were reeling at 67 for 4, but this was nothing compared to havoc Rose was about to deliver as Maxted turned to him to replace Jackson.

Roses’ first ball was an absolute jaffa, nipping back in and knocking off stump out of the ground, Quinn having to make his way from the field as the Morpeth team celebrated. The new batsman was greeted by an attacking field, with 4 in the ring, and a couple of catchers on the drive. Rose delivered another great delivery which Williamson swung hard at but could only snick through to Clow who smartly took the catch standing up. The excitement was building as Waters came to the wicket with Rose on a hat-trick. The field enclosed around the batsmen, while Maxted had a quiet word to inform Rose that Waters had a tendency to walk across his stumps. The bowler had understood perfectly his captain’s instructions and proceeded to remove the left hander’s leg stump as he wandered across to the offside.

The hat-trick was greeted with wild celebrations on field and Morpeth sensed the victory was theirs for the taking, having reduced Consett to 69 for 7. However, the experienced Stoneman came to the crease and looked assured in smashing anything full to the straight boundary. At the other end, Williamson junior looked less assured as he struggled to get bat on ball. The first to go though was Stoneman as he looked to hit Dhugga over mid off and to the boundary as he had previously done. This time he got too much air on it and Goodings took a comfortable catch to send him on his way for 20.

Mike Elliott replaced Dhugga with his slow, very flighted, off spin and he too had soon collected a wicket trapping Williamson junior LBW, as the batsmen misjudged one that was drifting back in and played no shot. At this point Consett were 108 for 9 from 33 overs and Morpeth assumed the final wicket would be a formality. However, despite all that Maxted could throw at the opposition, including Craigs, Meikle, Dhugga and himself, the last pair hung on for 13 overs and managed to add 29 runs to the total. Leaving Consett well beaten, but not completely sunk, on 137 for 9, with Morpeth winning by 89 runs and taking 19 points to continue their assault on the B2 League Title.

Morpeth entertain Greenside at Longhirst on Saturday with a 1.30pm start and will be looking for a fifth win in a row.

Man of the match: Nick Rose
 

Match Report: Chris Maxted
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