Captain’s delight at Ashington's cricket win

Batting first, the Mighty Acorns declared on 280-6 before putting the hosts out for 168.

McCafferty said: “First and foremost the win was the most important thing. I won the toss and batted because we were looking to take maximum points if we won.

"The two openers (Jack Jessop and Jack McCarthy) gave us a solid base.

“Bowling wise Cal Storey got us off to a really good start by removing Graham Brinton who scores quickly and is generally Lanchester’s danger man.

"After that we were okay with the new ball and remained disciplined enough and when the opposition are chasing 280, they are going to play their shots - so we knew we were always in the game for taking wickets.

"Before we went out onto the field, we spoke about being patient because you are always going to get partnerships along the line – but we had to be ready to take the chances when they came along and we stuck to task really well.”

Ashington host Seaham Park on Saturday (July 23) – the team who inflicted an opening day defeat over the Mighty Acorns - and McCafferty said: “In some respects looking back it was a very off day for us at Seaham Park but it gave us a bit of grounding.

"It made us realise that we have to work hard for wins and since then we have performed very well.”