Alnmouth and Lesbury CC return to winning ways as Alnwick CC and Warkworth CC lose

Alnmouth and Lesbury CC returned to winning ways with a five-wicket victory over Whickham CC on Saturday afternoon.

In the wake of back-to-back defeats in the league, an away trip to Tyneside presented Alnmouth and Lesbury with the perfect opportunity to rediscover their rhythm, and after winning the toss, the visitors opted to field first.

That would prove to be a wise decision, with the home side limited to just 103 runs before they were eventually bowled out in the 42nd over. James Peart led the way for Alnmouth and Lesbury, claiming three wickets. With their target set, the away side faltered slightly during the early knockings of their innings, before timely contributions of 28 and 30 from Peter Smith and Tom Robertson respectively saw them over the line on 105/5.

Elsewhere, an underwhelming batting display ultimately led to a three-wicket defeat for Alnwick CC against Bedlington CC. An admirable 53 from Joshua Wilson provided the backbone of their innings, but as the rest of the order struggled, the home side would be dismissed for 91 inside 28 overs.

To their credit, Alnwick battled hard in their attempts to rescue an unlikely victory, and Bedlington’s wickets fell at a steady pace. Andrew Wright produced a four-wicket haul, while Jamie Armstrong took two of his own, but their task proved too steep, and a 35 not out from Bedlington captain Kevin Harnett would guide his team to 93/7 in the 34th over.

And finally, Warkworth CC came up short in their home clash with Ashington Rugby CC over the weekend. Batting first, the hosts ran up a total of 188/8, with a 61 from captain Michael Phillips, ably assisted by a 47 from Tristan Parnell, providing the foundation of their innings.

Taking to the crease, Ashington Rugby opener Sam Thornton hit a 52 to set the tone for his side, and while Warkworth would go on to chip away at their visitors as the innings progressed, a pivotal 93 from Lewis Tanney would take the away side to the brink of victory. Ashington Rugby would end the day on 191/5 with a little under nine overs remaining.