Login

WEEK 16 (GAME 14): CUMBERLAND PTNRS BEAT CCC

CCC fielded a strong side for their final league match against Cumberland Partners. the game took place on a sunny Wednesday evening at Cochrane Park.

Having won the toss, CCC chose to bat with Chris Smith blasting 75 and Nick and unbeaten half century as the home side looked to set the opposition a tough target. Once Chris went the powerful middle order of Rian, Usman and Matt went for a combined total of 1 run. This meant a slightly lower than envisaged total of 149 from 14 overs.

League Champions Partners always kept up with the run rate and took easy advantage of a slightly below par bowling performance. Aussie Angus Webster hit 75 not out to guide his team home with a few balls to spare.

CCC played well in this game but couldn't dislodge the opposition's top player. How often this has been the case... Only the batting bonus points were taken, and this lower than hoped return added to the 7 points only taken from Monkseaton on Monday left CCC, as it turned out, with too few points to stay in the division.

CCC 2 Cumberland Partners 8

Team: Chris S, Nick, Rian, Matt, Usman, Ratti, Simon W, Simon E, Peter, Andy, Ghulan

FINKILL ASCENDS PANTHEON OF THE GREATS

Guy Finkill was the toast of the cricket world last night after proclaiming himself the first ever bowler to take a wicket maiden in midweek league cricket history. The stunning achievement came during CCC's victory against Monkseaton.

The fast bowler was typically self-effacing about his acheivement. "I felt it was a remarkable achievement really", he said. "I mean what an over it was: dot, dot, wicket, dot, dot dot, dot, dot."

Finkill's feat still needed some verification from league historians. League honcho Don Catley revealed that only two weeks ago Sharafath Yoosuf of Cumberland Partners took figures of 0.7-1-0-5, however Finkill believes his achievement should be discounted because he did not technically bowl a full over.

"Yoosuf didn't technically bowl a full over, so it shouldn't count", he said. "And you've got people like Tim (Hall) and Matt (Planchant) saying they have bowled wicket maidens in the past. Well, where's the evidence?"

Catley meanwhile can be found perusing the record books. "I'm convinced there have been other occasions of bowlers bowling wicket maidens, me for instance, but perhaps very few where the follow up over has gone for 17 runs. So maybe Guy has got something to brag about", he revealed.

When asked if he had a message for the cricket world, Finkill had this to say: "Yes, I would like to say that really I should have been opening the batting as well, I mean what have Nick and Rian ever done?"

WEEK 15 (GAME 13): CCC BEAT MONKSEATON

CCC gained a tense and tricky win with three balls to spare against relegated Monkseaton last night.

With Seaton Burn having taken 19 points in two recent fixtures, CCC started the game in the relegation zone, two points behind the Burn. On arriving at Heaton the teams were greeted by the now-almost-to-be-expected-cock-up with a breakdown in communications seeing no pitch prepared. The groundsman rolled and marked out a chocolate pudding of a pitch and the match got underway, 12 overs a side.

Monkseaton struggled to 74-5 with Rian bowling a great spell of 4-0-6-1 and peter supplying a fine run out. In fact all the bowlers and fielders responded well.

CCC struggled in response with Nick run out first ball of the innings and runs difficult to come by. Fortunately a well-judged knock of 33 not out from Matt saw the home side to victory in the gloom.

Special mention to Simon W who put in a flawless display behind the stumps standing up to all the bowlers, and hit a useful knock right at the end of the game.

Seaton Burn have two games remaining, both against Beamish, with CCC now 5 points ahead.

CCC 7 Monkseaton 2

Team: Nick, Rian, Peter, Simon E, Matt, Simon W, Dave, Ian, Andy, Guy, Tim

WEEK 13 (GAME 12): CCC BEAT BEAMISH & EAST STANLEY

And so to Stanley, Co Durham, on a balmy summer's evening, and a fixture that CCC retained little hope of salvaging anything from, having been comfortably beaten by 8 (that's eight) Beamish players the week before. On top of many regulars being unavailable, the team had to fight the appauling traffic, the navigation to a ground tucked away on a housing estate, and a soundsystem sitting next to them on the clubhouse steps!

In truth the latter, along with the small crowd that watched throughout, worked in CCC's favour, appearing to spur them on to one of their special, unlikely, but infinitely memorable performances.

Skipper Simon was late, caught in traffic, and by the time he arrived CCC was batting. Most grounds have one short boundary, this one has three, and Rian (60) and Nick (56) exploited it to the max, putting on a century opening partnership, and hearing "I feel good" on numerous occasions from the soundsystem. Peter survived two balls before trudging back to the pavilion to "Bye Bye Baby" by the Bay City Rollers, whilst Simon W struggled with the low sun on the east-west facing strip. It was left to Kamran and Matt to blast a quick 50 from the last five overs to give CCC an excellent 188-4 from 14 overs, their biggest score since the abuse of the Aidan House attack in 1998.

On such a small ground and against such a good top 4, CCC knew they would have to bowl well. Rian (1-60) was better than his figures suggest, but it was Kamran (2-29 and no boundaries) and Matt (2-33) who took the plaudits, whilst Tim bowled the difficult middle spell with intelligence. The ground fielding was also intelligent and the positioning perfect, but the game was in the balance till the excellent McVittie holed out for 72 to a brilliant one handed catch at long off by Rian. The batsman was unhappy as he thought Rian had stepped on the boundary. In the absence of cameras you have to take the fielder's word for it; and it should be said that Rian is one of the least likely people to deceive the umpire. The last two overs were comfortable as Beamish ended with 160-6, and the soundsystem fell silent.

A fantastic, memorable game and a win that should all but ensure CCC's second division survival.

CCC 8 Beamish & East Stanley 2

Team: Nick, Rian, Peter, Simon W, Kamran, Matt, Simon E, Guy, Roger, Tim, Cliff

WEEK 13 (GAME 11): CCC BEAT SEATON BURN

CCC's most crucial remaining fixture took place at sunny Heaton on Monday 6th August.

CCC won the toss and put The Burn in to bat, seeking to avenge the opening day loss to this opposition. In perfect batting conditions they hit 121-4 with a youngster, James Blacklock, scoring a stylish 31. CCC's bowling was good all round with Rian (0-20) again excelling, and Matt (3-30) back among the wickets. Special mention to Ian, David and Guy for three outstanding catches.

Both teams used new balls and despite the big outfield the ball sped away quite easily. CCC, with a team packed with batting ability (number 10 Ian has scored a midweek 50), used the spaces to their advantage in a tense but gritty reply, with Nick (32) and Simon E (28) forming the backbone. Usman finished the game with 21 not out from 16 balls, but more importantly NO dot balls faced. That is midweek batting at its best. CCC won with 7 balls to spare against a young, but perhaps not entirley midweek-canny Burn team.

CCC 8 The Burn 2

Team: Nick, Rian, Simon E, Usman, Matt, Mudassar, Ratti, David, Peter, Ian, Guy