Ashington cricket skipper targets push for the top in NE Premier League

Jack Jessop (99), Jack McCarthy (68) and Ben Harmison (94 not out) were on song with the bat as the Mighty Acorns racked up 320-5 from their 50 overs.

In reply, Graham Brinton hit 57 with Charlie McPhail (34) and Daniel Storey (26) also making contributions before the Durham outfit were dismissed for 185.

McCafferty said afterwards: “It was a good win – our second in a row but we don’t want to rest on our laurels and be satisfied with that – we want to go further and hopefully cement our place at the top end of the league table.”

Looking back to the toss, McCafferty was surprised his side were put into bat but added: “I think when the wickets are good you are never sure what certain teams like to do. As a side we like to chase (on good wickets) but they obviously had a plan thinking that they would restrict us and hopefully knock the runs off - but from the second and third over, we controlled the game pretty well.

"The weather forecast may have been a factor in their decision too and there was certainly justification with rain forecast. However, in the event of the game being delayed the Duckworth/Lewis method would have come into play which I think is fair and means that as soon as we had bowled 20 overs, we knew we had a game, which is a positive change.”

He continued: “From a personal point of view, I was disappointed to get out early but I thought the two Jacks (Jessop and McCarthy) settled the innings nicely and we went on to pace the innings perfectly. We went through the gears and set things up well from the engine room of our batting order.”

Meanwhile opening bowler Cam Skinner is set to be sidelined for three to four weeks with a hamstring injury: “It’s disappointing news for Cam with the way he bowled in the first two games of the season without any luck,” added the skipper “but we are lucky that we have a good seam department - and even in the second team there are people who can step up, fill the void and show what they can do.”