Darlington and District Cricket League
BARNINGHAM moved up to second place in the A division with a win at previously unbeaten Nunthorpe before the worst of the weather arrived.
Having won the toss and opted to field, the Barningham bowlers produced their best performance of the season so far to restrict Nunthorpe to 121.
Young Robbie Walker, who has impressed since rejoining the team this season, picked up 3-20 and there were two for another youngster, Joe Blackburn, and two for Steven Walker.
Barningham’s reply was built around a well made 35 from opener Colin Blackburn.
Gary Walker and Steven Walker chipped in with useful runs and it was left to Nick Wright and Mark Thompson to see the side home by four wickets.
Niall Ryan was the best of the Nunthorpe bowlers with 4-53.
The only other A division game to be completed saw promoted Spennymoor record their first win of the season against struggling Richmondshire IV.
Three of the Richmond batsmen made it to double figures, but wickets tumbled.
James Rhymer took 4-26 as Richmond were shot out for just 65.
Andy Dade picked up a couple of early wickets for Richmond, but with such a low total, Spennymoor cruised home by seven wickets.
Elsewhere, Cliffe had reached 144-7 by tea at Haughton, Richard Mallender making 36 and Danny McGuire taking 4-31 before play was abandoned.
East Cowton had piled up 266-4 against strugglers West Park RA and Aldbrough were 200-3 against Barton, with Matthew Brown going well on 76 not out.
At Middleton St George, Dale Johnston had reached an unbeaten 50 against Raby Castle as the hosts closed on 148-6 in their 40 overs.
James Forster was the best of the Raby bowlers with 3-37 in his ten overs.
In the B division, all four matches fell victims to the weather.
Raby Castle II had made 213-6 against Cockerton; Catterick Village were 163-6 at home to Haughton II; Witton le Wear posted 174 at Oxbridge and Richmondshire V had bowled out Barton II for 108.
Much better news in the C division for Etherley this week with a win at Middleton Tyas.
Brandon Aspel’s 59 and 45 from Thomas Webb helped Etherley to 195 before the bowlers set to work.
Dan Watson was the main destroyer taking 5-15, while Aspel followed up his innings with 2-36.
Matt Hutchinson batted through for 50no as nine-man Tyas were bowled out for 78.
In the battle of the top two, leaders Lands romped home by eight wickets against King James at Ingleton, having bowled their hosts out for a reachable 114.
Barnard Castle CC
FOR the second time this season Barney found comfort in the mysteries of Duckworth Lewis. They defeated Hartlepool by six wickets on Saturday after heavy rain delayed the match for almost two hours.
Hartlepool made 274-8 from 50 overs, stewarded by a wonderful innings of 152 from their captain, James Lowe, but the interruption meant that 29 overs had been lost.
Under the DL system used in professional cricket for 20 years and adopted by the NYSD League this year Barney required 161 from 21 overs to win.
They achieved the target with 11 balls in hand, their batsmen quickly assessing the challenge and going along at 8.6 runs an over. It was a measure of the way they went about their task that only one six was hit.
Most of the batsmen contributed.
The leading scorer was the captain James Quinn with a typically stylish and commanding half century but perhaps the outstanding innings was played by Pat Roberts who batted despite having dislocated a finger while fielding.
If he was inconvenienced he never showed it as he unfurled a lovely series of cuts, glances and pulls, making an unbeaten 40 from 25 balls, which included the six.
The scores indicated the friendly nature of the pitch. Bowlers were allowed little room for error and Lowe, former Durham player and perhaps the most accomplished batsman in the league, was imperious.
He treated all the bowlers with similar discourtesy and seemed to drive through the covers at will.
Barney stuck at it well in the circumstances and got among the wickets towards the end of the innings when Hartlepool, with seven overs left after the rain break, upped the ante. The spin of Finn Usher and Quinn was on a hiding to nothing but both found some reward.
Starting their pursuit at the gallop, Barney never relented. James Wainman and Mike Dixon gave them the rapid start they needed and although Hashan Dumindu seemed out of sorts, Quinn and Roberts were quite as dismissive as Lowe had been earlier.
Perhaps the DL system favours the team batting second.
In almost all the cases it has been used the chasing side has won, as Barney did at Middlesbrough last month when needing 124 to overhaul their opponents’ 186.
A minimum of 20 overs must be left in the second innings to constitute a match but the greater the reduction the less the chances of the bowling side have of taking the ten wickets they need to win.
But so far most observers agree that it is better than the old system whereby rain-affected matches were almost invariably destined to be desultory draws with only the odd bonus point at stake.
Barney remain third in the Premier Division. Their closest rivals Richmondshire and Marton both won, also chasing revised targets under Duckworth Lewis.
Hartlepool
J Lowe lbw Usher 152, C Benjamin c Roberts b Wainman 2, C Scott c Bousfield b Usher 39, M Adamson lbw Quinn 10, T Gavin lbw Quinn 13, T Temple c Dixon b Quinn 27, D Mulholland c Bousfield b Usher 2, S Sanger not out 5, B Smith lbw Quinn 0, O Mole not out 10, Extras 14, Total 274-8 (50 overs)
Bowling – J Bousfield 7-1-37-0, J Wainman 6-0-34-1, G Creedon 2-0-14-0, T Merryweather 4-0-22-0, R Dixon 6-030-0, F Usher 14-0-72-3, J Quinn 11-0-57-4
Barney
J Wainman lbw Adamson 27, M Dixon c Scott b Mulholland 12, H Dumindu c Adamson b Mole 15, J Quinn b Adamson 57, P Roberts not out 40, G Creedon not out 8, Extras 5, Total 164-4 (19.1 overs)
Barney won by six wickets under DL.
Hartlepool II v
Barnard Castle II
BARNEY’S large total was again largely down to Richard Watson, who scored his second league century in succession. He was given solid support by his colleagues and thoroughly enjoyed himself, his runs coming from only 106 balls.
The daunting target seemed to discompose Hartlepool at first and Watson and Adam Bainbridge were threatening to run through them.
But from 88-5 they did not lose another wicket, with Jonathon Mitchell and William Boyd sharing a sixth wicket stand of 127 at a run a ball. Barney stay third in Division Two.
Barney 264-6 (50 overs, R Watson 112, C McKnight 39, A Bainbridge 32, R Stanwix 28, J Mitchell 3-68); Hartlepool 215-5 (46 overs, J Mitchell 66no, W Boyd 54no, R Watson 3-44, Bainbridge 2-34). Match drawn.
Barnard Castle III v
Saltburn III
ON a bitingly cold Sunday afternoon, two young third teams provided a match to warm the heart. It went to the wire as Saltburn refused to call a halt to their chase.
Barney’s total was forged by an exuberant opening partnership between Cameron McKnight and Joe Toulson. McKnight was at his attacking best and hit 13 fours and two sixes.
When Saltburn lost two early wickets their chances of victory seemed lost. But they kept going as Barney used seven bowlers and maintained a rate of almost ten an over as the match reached its climax.
Fours, sixes and heroic fielding were intermingled and a close draw was a fitting result.
Barney 215-6 (40 overs, C McKnight 110, J Toulson 46, T Truss 25, H Howell 2-25); Saltburn 210-6 (40 overs, J Smith 63, C Wood 47, J Sill 41, D Watson 3-41). Match drawn.
Evenwood CC
EVENWOOD’S trip to South Tyneside to take on Boldon CA was another of the games to fall victim to Saturday's rain – and in the end it may have been no bad thing.
Having won the toss and elected to bat, Evenwood struggled and were bowled out for under 100 in 39.5 overs.
It would have been a sorrier sight for the Gaunless Valley side but for Luke Bannister's 44, one of only three double figure scores in Evenwood's effort.
After the early loss of Thomas Teesdsale, it looked as thought skipper Daniel Wilkinson and pro Muhammad Yasin were beginning to build a partnership before both were removed, Wilkinson for 15 and Yasin for 11.
After that, only Banniser offered any resistance, hitting six boundary fours in his innings while wickets clattered at the other end.
Sam Sanderson was the pick of the Boldon bowlers, with 4-14 from 10.5 overs and there were two wickets apiece for Rajan Kumarasamy, Ryan Hale and Owen Lancaster.
You can never judge a game when only one side has batted, but after being bowled out for just 97, it's fair to say Evenwood were up against it when the rain intervened.
This Saturday, Evenwood will be back in action at the Randolph Social Welfare Ground when Langley Park and Bearpark CC are the visitors.
