Alnmouth & Lesbury beaten by defending cricket champions

Newcastle City ran 237/9 in their 50 overs setting the visitors a big target to chase but they fell well short being bowled all out for 87 by the 34th over.

Nick Denton topped the bowling figures with 4/46 while Alex Mullens was 2/45 and Chalana Da Silva 2/64.

Newcastle’s Asif Afridi top scored with 64 not out from 33 balls as he cracked six 6s and four 4s.

But openers Palav Kumar and Omar Ahmed had proved difficult to dislodge too, wracking up 66 and 51 respectively.

Although Asif Iqbal, Salman Asif and Malik Javed all walked for ducks, all bowled by Denton, the big hitters had already done the damage.

Afridi topped his display with the bat when he stepped up to bowl with superb figures of 5/19, taking the wickets of Tom Vickers, Laurie Robson, Da Silva, Harry Webster and Denton.

Shahid Khan bowled Harry Sutherland, Sean Hutchinson and Nicholas Robinson for ducks, giving him a total of 3/10 from the five overs he bowled.

Alnmouth’s second XI lost by nine wickets at home to Bedlington.

Warkworth were beaten by just 16 runs in an exciting encounter at Tillside in Division Two.

The Castle Green side were chasing down a target of 198 set by the hosts for nine wickets after the full 50 overs – but came up just short as tailender Oliver Bremner was caught by Ross Hindmarsh from an Alisdair Skelley delivery with just 12 balls remaining as he had to hit out.

Matthew Hall and Tristan Parnell fell just short of their half centuries with 49 and 44 respectively as Warkworth hit out while Tillside skipper Ross Hindmarsh top scored for the hosts with 65.

Alisdair Skelly’s 4/58 led Tillside’s bowling figures while Conn Sullivan and Tristan Parnell both took three wickets apiece for Warkworth.

Warkworth’s seconds lost by seven wickets at home to second-placed Backworth seconds in Division Five North.

Mark Willey knocked 43 for the side, who remain rooted to the foot of the table.