Alnmouth and Lesbury CC begin defence of Thomas Wilson League Cup with comfortable win

Alnmouth and Lesbury CC began their defence of the Thomas Wilson League Cup with a routine victory over Stobswood Welfare CC on Wednesday evening.

Last season’s champions produced an assured attacking display to limit their hosts to just 64/9 after 20 overs, with Nick Denton and Chalana De Silva leading the way with four and three wickets respectively.

With the bat, Alnmouth and Lesbury then made relatively short work of their target, surpassing it inside 11 overs. Harry Sutherland was their standout contributor with 25 runs, while James Davidson produced 19 of his own.

Meanwhile, Morpeth CC eased their way past Blagdon Park CC to book their place in the second round of the competition, sealing a five-wicket win on home soil. A four-wicket haul from Callum Lawn helped Morpeth to restrict their visitors to 75/8, before a commanding 43 not out from Liam Day provided the platform for the hosts to chase down their visitors inside 14 overs.

Elsewhere, Warkworth CC suffered a 43-run defeat at the hands of Cramlington CC to crash out of the cup, despite an admirable effort with the bat. The away side, spurred on by an 80 from William Asher and a 43 from Michael Sewell, raced to a final total of 153/5 at Castle Field, leaving Warkworth with something of a mountain to climb.

In fairness to the hosts, they gave it a good go. Luke McCurley and Michael Phillips hit 36 and 25 respectively to give their side hope, but a solid showing from Cramlington’s bowlers ultimately thwarted Warkworth at 110 in the 18th over.

And finally, Alnwick CC also came unstuck in their first round tie, succumbing to a dominant 10-wicket loss against Ashington Rugby CC. After posting 108/5 - thanks in large part to a 32 from captain James Crooks and a 27 from opener Joshua Wilson - Alnwick were ultimately blown away with the ball in hand.

A 74 from Cory Milburn - including 15 boundaries from just 31 deliveries - was supplemented by a 24 from Ryan Jenner as Ashington Rugby cantered to final tally of 111/0 inside eight overs.