Asked to bat first on a decent early season track the visitors were soon in dire trouble as a steady and accurate opening spell from professional Parr and young Rodger left the innings teetering on complete disaster at 25 - 5. Mickey Birrel played some lusty blows and together with debutant Ameet Pandit began to steer the ship somewhat before Birrel was adjudged ran out to what appeared a harsh decision.

Pandit and the evergreen Malla Brown added 40 good runs for the 8th wicket to enable Benwell to pass the 100 mark and In doing so accrue the first point of the season. However, when the innings was closed shortly afterwards on 114 the score looked at least 50 runs short of a decent target.

This was proved clearly to be the case when openers Armstrong and Davidson began the home side's reply as if batting on a mid summer flat deck. The score board rattled along at a blistering pace as they played with no inhibition to take on anything over pitched and short of a length. By the time the tenth over was passed they were well beyond the halfway mark of the required target and the match as a contest was all but over. The off spin of debutant Hassan Raza slowed Whickhams advance to victory; however it was not long before an all too familiar lusty blow from Armstrong (who finished on 85 not out) brought the game to a premature close.

Worryingly for Benwell this defeat had all the characteristics of several of those experienced against some of the strong A1 sides last year. However, on a more positive note the first eleven has never been noted of late for good early season form and next week will see the return of four 1st teamers who were all missing form this defeat through a variety of reasons. A sound improvement in all areas of the game can be expected.

The fist wicket (of the season) fell to the first change of bowling with debutant Arslan Rahim getting deserved reward for a very promising spell of controlled medium paced bowling. His fourth wicket, removed the impressive Penny, whose 89 proved to be the bed rock of Greenside total of 198 for 9 from their allotted 50 overs. Rahim's four wickets were supplemented by two each for spinners Steve Reed and Hassan Razza, and one for Lee Collis.

The score looked at least a good 50 runs over par; in particular bearing in mind the ominous tell tale signs of wear the wicket was showing form the far end. However, upon the resumption Benwell's opening pair of James Carr and Razza offered some hope of the visitors putting up a challenge. Razza in particular showed the talent he holds with a number of fine boundaries through the off side.

However just when the pair were beginning to look settled Carr was clean bowled by Simpson to put the visitors one down with 28 on the board. There then followed a startling clatter of wickets (even by recent 1st team standards) as Simpson settled into a ominous line and length to take full value of a wicket, which was by now bordering on the dangerous with it being a lottery whether the ball would bounce normally or conversely fly through at head height off a length.

Razza fell to probably the most unplayable delivery of the day, the ball coming off his bat handle after pitching on a good length, and following this dismissal several of the visitors appeared to loose their nerve. Lee Collis took one on the helmet from a delivery which pitched on a length and it was not long before Ameet Pandit chipped one up off the meticulous Simpson to leave Benwell all out for 52 in the 19th over of the day, a distant 140 runs short of their target.

After loosing what looked a good toss to loose Benwell were asked to field first on a pitch that offered something for the bowlers off the wicket but conversely allowed batsmen to take full advantage of anything short of a length. Opening bowlers Malla Brown and Richard Waddell returned a more controlled opening spell than had been the case in the first two games; Waddell in particular unlucky not to make an early breakthrough with two catches behind the wicket put down in the 7th over of the day.

By the time the scoreboard had reached 50 Lee Collis had been brought into the attack and he struck promptly, albeit somewhat fortuitously when Darwood mis cued a long hop to James Carr at short leg. Benwell's good fortune continued shortly afterwards when the dangerous Ritzema lobbed a gentle full toss off Steve Reed to the same fielder James Carr. A couple of more wickets for Reed looked to turn the game towards the home side as the healthy Ponteland run rate was checked.

Although further wickets were restricted to one a piece for Waddell and Arsalan Rahim the home side turned in a controlled and determined final 25 overs with good ground fielding supporting accurate second spells from Wadell and Rahim. This restricted Ponteland to a score of 195 at the conclusion of their 50 overs, a total 25 - 50 less than had appeared likely during the first half.

The target at face value looked eminently gettable, however much relied on Benwell's fragile top order applying themselves against the gentle but accurate medium pacers Gardener and McGregor. Unfortunately hopes that the home side may buck their recent poor batting form were misplaced as a steady clatter of wickets left the reply in tatters with 5 wickets down before the scoreboard had reached 40.

Captain Wadell joined Reed for the 6th wicket and a few lusty blows from Wadell helped check the slide as together they added 30 for the 6th wicket. However Wadell was harshly adjudged lbw on 17 just when he was looking get into his stride. This wicket brought Graeme Robbie, a late call up from the second team, to the crease and Robbie soon found the off spin of Ealey to his liking as he played a few trade mark sweeps to the leg. Robbie and Reed provided the home side with 10 overs of much needed steady progress and in doing so added 50 runs for the 7th wicket before Robbie failed to read a leggie from Denyer and was stumped for a very valuable 27. Reed was next to follow, another lbw victim, for 42. This wicket spelled the end of any fanciful thoughts Benwell had of any late charge to an unlikely victory.

Arsalan Rahim came to the crease on the back of a golden duck on debut the previous week and sort to prove his striking ability with the bat. This he did with a handful of lusty blows in a hard hitting 21 before he was last man out, again subject of a dubious lbw decision leaving the home side all out for 137.

Openeing bowlers Malla Brown and Arsalan Rahim produced a steady beginning for the visitors with both bowlers regularly passing the outside edge of the home side's batsmen. However, although neither batsmen looked entirely comfortable outside of the off stump it was an entirely different matter when the bowling was to leg, or short of a length and both openers played a full range of attacking strokes when given the opportunity to do so, an approach which lead to an exciting opening exchange. The first two wickets to fall were characteristic of the Cowgate approach with Balasundurum skiing Brown to mid off then in the next over number three Anderson hooking Rahim to deep square leg.

However, a steady pace to the innings was being maintained and much like the previous weeks game it was not until the introduction of spin that Benwell gained control over the direction of the innings. Hassan Razza's off spin accounted for the dangerous looking Kak and when a few over later Steve Reed bowled the equally impressive Alam the visitors tails were up. The home side's ascendancy was compounded a few overs later when former Benwell all rounder Kamran Mansoor lost his wicket to Razza, caught in the deep, looking for a characteristic straight 6. By the time the rain came in the 43rd over a couple of additional wickets for Benwell has seen them in control of the game with Cowgate on 160 for 8. Whilst this total may have proved a challenge for the side's fragile batting it should have proved manageable on the hard deck, however the incessant rain put paid to any chances the visitors had of testing their mettle.

Having won the opportunity to bat first on a hot day and faced with a belter of a track Benwell had the perfect opportunity to mount a match winning total. However Backworth opening bowler, Saini found a good deal of swing and backed by decent support from visiting skipper Stubbs, Benwell were soon in an all too familiar perilous position, with 7 wickets down before the scoreboard turned 50.

A 50 stand for the 9th wicket between Michael Birrell (who in scoring 38 was the only batsman to impress) and Richard Waddell salvaged some pride for the home side, however when Waddell went for a useful 21 it was not long before the innings was closed on 106, a paltry total for the conditions. The only consolation for the home side could be found in the fact that many of the wickets fell to simply good deliveries from Saini, whilst Birrell and Graeme Robbie could point to very poor umpiring decisions.

Not for the 1st time this season, upon the resumption the game took on a different perspective as the Backworth batsmen made batting look a simple art on the fine surface as they raced towards their target with little alarm. It was perhaps appropriate for the contest that Benwell's only success came via a run out affected by a Backworth substitute fielder. The game was wrapped up in the 19th over, representing yet another early finish for the 1sts.

Next week's game against fellow strugglers Seaton Burn is now a clear '6 pointer'. It is hoped that the occasional encouraging signs on form that had been displayed in the run up to this game can be honed into a team performance that will bring a much needed victory.

After being put into bat on a damp surface the home side's innings commenced in a familiar fashion with the second wicket falling with only 14 on the board. However, number 4 batsmen Hassan Razza joined David Anderson and together they managed to prevent a repeat of many an earlier season top order collapse by adding a fine and composed 80 runs for the 3rd wicket. Although the greasy wicket was offering plenty of movement for the bowlers, in particular from the top end, there was confidence that even when Anderson was next out for a useful 27 a good basis had been laid for a 200 plus score.

However no first team game this season would be complete without a collapse of some sorts and when the Burn claimed the prize scalp of Razza a few overs later, for a measured 41, this proved the catalyst for a swift flurry of wickets to the accurate medium pace of Herron; which despite being briefly interrupted by a breezy 15 from Arsalan Rahim soon saw the scoreboard registering 125 for 8. This represented a loss of 6 wickets for 30 runs.

The game was now firmly swung the way of the visitors as Steve Reed and Malla Brown had little choice but to play cautiously through what should have been an aggressive final 10 over period. Benwell were given a crucial late innings lifeline when the previously impressive left arm china man Wright bowled a loose 48th over allowing Reed to find the boundary on 3 occasions, an unexpected boost that provided some momentum to allow a similar harvest to be taken from the final over of the game. This allowed Benwell to finish on 170 for 9 off their allotted 50 overs; a total which many observers considered beyond the reach of the visitors.

Upon the resumption Benwell sought to maximise the assistance being offered from the wicket by opening with Rahim and Brown. This proved a wise decision as despite two drops in the slip cordon the bowlers soon settled into the required accurate line and length and proceeded to cause all sorts of problems for the visitors as the steady fall of wickets paid testament to the fact than none of the Burn batsmen were able to adapt to the fine bowling. Home skipper Wadell decided correctly to press home the advantage his bowlers were giving him by allowing both Rahim and Brown to bowl out their allotted spells. This tactic looked to have put the game firmly beyond the reach the visitors with the scoreboard showing 80 - 7 when the 30 over mark was reached, brown having accounted for 4 of the wickets to fall and Rahim 3.

However the visitors, in particular their talisman skipper White, had other ideas, and unlike some previous games the introduction of spin did not provide favour for Benwell. White took a particular liking to Steve Reed, hitting several over pitched delivers through to the off side boundary; this seemingly providing him with confidence to look beyond the mere collection of bonus batting points for the visitors. By the time Wadell had replaced Reed White's eye was truly in and he showed this by clattering a few imaginative boundaries off the home skipper to take him to a well deserved half century.

After the left arm spin of retuning Benwell legend Naz Rashid had failed to make the breakthrough, the home side were beginning to think the unimaginable as all of a sudden victory looked anything but assured with the visitors passing the 140 mark, and White looking in no mood to surrender is wicket. Worryingly the game was now at the stage where the sort of aggressive batting that White was administering could have finished the game in the favour of the visitors in no more than a dozen deliveries.

However just when the game was starting to drift away from Benwell, Wadell provided the crucial breakthrough clean bowling White as he attempted a lusty (and unnecessary) blow too many. This brought a huge sigh of relief to the home support and enabled off spin of Razza to seal victory a few over later by clean bowling last man Herron.

And so much like the earlier victory against Alnwick a few weeks earlier Benwell had succeeded in making their supporter sweat before completing a victory which should have been a more routine affair. However notwithstanding, the 20 point haul puts the side above Alnwick in the table and provides a little rest bite from imminent relegation fears. The next 3 games, before the halfway mark of the season is reached, will indicate whether the side is going to be in a position to challenge the next group of 4 sides above them who are split by 10 points or are destined to remain fighting it out with Alniwck and Seaton Burn at the foot of the table. Whilst perhaps not as exciting as some of the famed recent Houdini escapes from relegation from the A1 Division, the season nevertheless promises much to play for.

On a cold and breezy day Benwell were asked to bat first, and if the visiting openers had any justifiable qualms when walking to the crease, based around some previous unsavoury wickets the Gosforth ground has produced in recent visits, these were soon allayed when the first few overs revealed the surface was going to true and quick. It was all the more disappointed then for Benwell to find themselves in the familiar position of being 5 wickets down by the time the scoreboard reached 50.

Benwell desperately needed a partnership of note to prevent what would have inevitably have been another early finish and this they found in the 6th wicket paring of David Anderson and young Jamie Denehy. Anderson, who had witnessed the fall of the first five wickets continued to play a fine stoic anchor role whilst to the thrill of the Benwell contingent young Denehy proceeded to take the game to the home side by playing without inhibition and taking on all of the home blowers who had so far caused turmoil in the Benwell innings. He was particularly severe on anything over pitched and before long he and Anderson had stopped the rot by adding a fine half century partnership for the 6th wicket.

Just when Denehy looked on course for what would have been an excellent maiden 1st team 50 he went for a drive too many and was clean bowled by City professional Jappie for a brilliant 34, an innings which hopefully provides an insight of things to come form the level-headed youngster.

Anderson continued to build his innings methodically however soon after posting his first half century for the 1st team for some time he also fell to Jappie, a dismissal which appeared attributed to a back injury which he had picked up a few over earlier and which was subsequently to force him to leave the filed in the second innings.

Despite Anderson and Denehey's efforts three further quick wicket soon saw the score board registering 120 for 8 and it appeared that the efforts of these two were going to be largely put to waste. However evergreen Naz Rashid joined Malla Brown for the last wicket and together they used their vast experience to make best use of the track to post a fine last wicket partnership of 40 runs, to ensure that by the time Rashid was last man out the visitors had set a target of 162 for the home side. A total which although a good 50 runs below par for the surface still provided some hope for the optimists.

Benwell skipper Richard Wadell made the wise decision to open with one of his 3 spinners alongside Malla Brown and Hassan Razza's off spin did not let him down. Razza took 3 wickets in his first 10 oveers to give Benwell an outside hope of pulling off an unlikely victory. However the star studded City battling line up was always going to be favourites to reach their target and once professional Japie and former professional Kumar settled the game started to drift quickly from the visitors.

Their partnership had added 80 by the time Steve Reed accounted for Kumar; however with less than 40 required and 5 wickets left any chance Benwell had of victory rested on immediately removing the impressive Jappie from the other end. Just when the game was looking dead in the water the introduction of Wadell secured the sought after breakthrough when his extra yard of pace tempted the City professional into a mistimed hook which was well caught by Denehy at third man.

This wicket provided a faint glimmer of hope of victory however when the incoming Hadier showed his talent with a few thunderous drives it was clear the City batting line up was going to prove simply too strong for the visitors and it was not long before further drive form Hadier seen City to their target.

A 5 point haul from the game was just deserts for the visitors who, for the 1st time in defeat this year, had ensured that their opponents had to work for their victory. Unfortunately victories for Consett and Ryton, the two teams above Benwell at the state of play means that unless at least one victory can be obtained from the coming weekends double header it looks likely that the first team will be cut adrift in the bottom 3 alongside Alnwick and Seaton Burn.

With no Steve Reed or Michael Birrell available and on a hot sunny day Benwell looked to take advantage of the conditions by having first use of the hard Campus track, but as usual our batting frailties soon had us struggling with Amit Pandit (0) and Steven Cook (2) quickly back in the pavilion. A short recovery from Anderson (24) and Hassan Raza was again followed by another middle order batting collapse to leave us struggling at 44 for 6. However, a fine effort by the returning Graham Dakers (21) helped Hassan to consolidate the sides batting as they slowly ground their way out of trouble. The fine efforts of the Ryton opening bowlers were gradually overcome as Raza stroked his way passed 50. The loss of Dakers was a blow but the late order bats continued where he had left off with Chris Scaife (11) and Malcolm Brown (18 not out) continuing to thwart the visitors bowlers. Hassan stroked his way passed his maiden century for the club to loud applause from the supporters and finished on 108 not out as Benwell ended their innings on a respectable 206 for 8. 

In reply Ryton lost an early wicket with Richard Waddell clean bowling Bailey (5) in his second over. However Robinson and incoming batsman Reid quickly settled in on the hard wicket and began to take advantage of any loose deliveries and some poor home side fielding. Robinson in particular looked likely to destroy the total single handedly as he quickly reached his half century. The introduction of spin from Raza and Rashid had an immediate effect as the scoring slowed significantly, and in an effort to up the rate the pair took on Hassan Raza's arm, but with a scintillating pick up and throw his direct hit at the bowlers end left Robinson well short of safety and he was out for a fine 58. This lifted the home side and was immediately followed by Raza having professional Saleem Ahktar (3) trapped LBW in front of his stumps. Reid and especially Peires looked to start the scoring again but the latter tried to hit Rashid and he lofted his shot into the safe hands of Malcolm Brown.
  

Captain Richard Waddell decide to make his comeback from the top end and had an immediate impact when Fordham (6) pulled a short delivery straight to Dakers at midwicket and then he clean bowled new bat Latimer first ball. He was unable to claim his hatrick but the visitors were now in trouble and were relying on Reid (66) to see them home. He passed his half century with some fine shots but was then drawn by Brown into a loose one and miscued a pull shot to Waddell who took a fine catch. The incoming lower order batsmen all tried to reach the target throwing the bat at each delivery but good sensible bowling prevailed in the end. Needing ten off the last over J Stevens crashed the ball straight back at Brown who clung onto the ball stinging his hands, much to the relief of the umpire and ending the visitors efforts 10 runs short. Waddell finished his spell taking 5 for 68 with the others all contributing to a fine victory and 20 points. An excellent effort of plucking victory out of the jaws of defeat today, but it does not hide the 1st elevens problem of poor batting, catching and fielding costing us dearly.      

Invited to make first use of a spongy and two paced surface, Benwell recovered form the early loss of Richard Waddell and Steve Reed due to some resolute and determined batting from David Anderson and Hassan Razza. The pair took the total to 83 before Razza was harshly adjudged caught at the wicket promptly following the introduction of Durham professional Gareth Breeze into the home attack.

Unfortunately for the visitors Anderson soon followed, again a victim of Breeze's off spin by playing onto his stumps after compiling an excellent 46, four runs short of what would have been a deserved half century. Following Andersons' dismissal Breeze took control of the situation, to such an extent that when Adam Richardson was last man out, the scoreboard totalled a mere114 with Breeze having accrued 6 - 24. Many wondered what the Benwell total may have looked like if the home skipper had elected to open the bowling with him.

In reply with the ball the visitors got off to a most fortuitous start, and one which provided hope of victory when Breeze who had scored an imperious century in the reverse fixture a week earlier, shouldered arms to a Malcolm Brown delivery to allow the ball to pass through to Richardson behind the stumps. Richardson promptly threw the stumps down to see Breeze standing outside of his crease and stumped by a good 6 inches a quite remarkable piece of fortunate for the visitors. However, Benwell were unable to build in this golden opportunity as none of the bowlers were able to settle to produce a match wining spell, with the Consett batsmen all to often being able to relieve any pressure that was starting to build courtesy of a short delivery.

Waters was the lynchpin of the Consett innings, compiling an excellent and ultimately match wining 56, as the Benwell total was passed with 6 wickets and in excess of 20 over's in hand.
A meagre 3 point haul from the game was put into context when the morning papers revealed that Seaton Burn had completed a second victory on the trot. This draws Benwell squarely back into the relegation battle with only 14 points now separating the side from bottom place. It looks like yet another exciting finish to a Northumberland and Tyneside League season is on the cards, and the team will need to knuckle down in the final half of the season to ensure their present status is safeguarded.

Asked to bat first on a damp but firm track Benwell again lost 4 wickets before the scoreboard had reached 50, two of these being the in form David Anderson and key batsman Hassan Razza. Although he did not claim any of these dismissals himself, Parr nevertheless could claim a clear 'assist' in the visitors ascendancy as he produced a spell of largely unplayable right arm medium fast away swing which bogged the home side down from one end.

Just when it looked likely another capitulation may be on the cards Nicky Singh joined Steve Reed and together they managed to ride out Parr whilst at the same time ensuring the score board ticked over from the other end. The pair had added 55 before Singh was the next to fall.

With the total just over a hundred and the last 10 overs approaching Benwell needed a late flurry to add to the foundation which had been provided largely by Reed's 64. This they found in a true captains innings from Richard Waddell who hit an aggressive 41 off only 33 balls to ensure that by the time the 50 overs were completed the home side had managed to set a reasonable target of 162.

Upon the restart Benwell knew that a few early wickets would put them in the driving seat; however with the wicket getting better all the time in the hot late afternoon sun batting was proving easier than in the first half. Indeed it was not until the visitors had posted 42 before the 1st wicket fell, courtesy of Hassan Razas off spin.

This wicket offered an in road into the game for the home side but to their credit Whickham knuckled down with professional Parr joining an unexpectedly reserved Armstrong. They added 55 for the second wicket before Armstrong was finally temped into offering a catch for Nicky Singh, off Nas Rashid.

At 91 - 2 any hopes Benwell had of victory relied on quickly removing the danger man Parr. However he was in no mood to surrender his wicket and although he did offer a couple of chances unfortunately none were taken, his innings of 58 ultimately won the game for Whickham.

Another couple of deserved late wickets for the evergreen Nas Rashid, and one for Richard Waddell ultimately ensured Benwell at least gained 3 bowling points; however a lusty blow to the boundary from Gibson saw the visitors home with 4 overs and 4 wickets to spare.

On the positive front Benwell showed plenty of fight in this defeat and it may be wondered if the outcome would have been different if the toss had been won. However, the Sunday Sun provided the harsh reality of defeat; carrying news of a shock Alnwick victory over 2nd place Newcastle City. This result puts Alnwick within touching distance of Benwell. Indeed a paper weight margin of only 3 points now separates the bottom three sides. Not for the first time in recent times the second half of the season will not be for the faint hearted.

On a day where loosing the toss was never going to prove a bad thing Benwell did just that, and were asked to take the field first against a Greenside side that sat one place above them at the start of play. The absence of the dangerous Simpson (who had taken a remarkable 9 - 12 against us in the reverse fixture) and Paul Carrick provided encouragement for Benwell and this was immediately seized upon with aplomb as Waddell, opening the bowling from the Dene end, soon started to cause all sorts of trouble for the visitors. Bowling a good length he removed the top two Greenside batsmen Stevenson and Perry, and followed this up with two others in a devastating spell. With Malla Brown adding a wicket of his own from the other end Benwell found themselves in a most unusual position of having the opposition 5 down for only 17.

However, just when the home side were starting to get ahead of themselves a tad with talk of an early finish, young Connor Fellows came to the crease and proceeded to make all the chaos that had gone before look irrelevant as he immediately got into his stride and found the boundary with regular occurrence as Brown and Waddell came to the end of their spells. In a matter of only a handful of overs Fellows had dragged his team back into the game, in doing so putting a mild doze of panic through the Benwell ranks as what seemed a previously easy victory all of a sudden looked anything but. However 5 runs short what would have been an excellent half century Fellows missed a straight one from Steve Reed and was clean bowled for 45.

At 73-6, on what was now evidently a slow track, Benwell realised that they would need to keep their target down to around the 100 mark if they were going to give their batsmen a sporting chance of securing victory, and two further wickets for Reed, one for Hassan Raza and a much deserved 5th for the returning Waddell saw the Greenside innings closed on 94. Whilst the purists could have pointed to the fact the total could have been 20'odd lower had it not been for the dropping of four catches, on balance Benwell left the field in pole position at the half way mark.

Upon the re-start if any of the home support had doubted the difficulty of the challenge the target was going to prove this was made clear as Greenside soon had the visitors on the back foot as four early wickets were lost by the time the scoreboard turned 20. The Greenside bowlers sought to build on their ascendancy, as it became apparent that the sides were only going to be separated by a tight margin. Tones in particular used the slow deck to his advantage, turning in a fine controlled 15 over spell which yielded 4 wickets at less than 2 an over; two of these wickets including the in form David Anderson and dangerous Hassan Razza.

If Benwell were to emerge victorious much now depended on the middle order holding their nerve and grinding out the target by making full use of any rare loose delivery which came along. With the game at the crossroads young James Carr started the Benwell rear action with a partnership with Steve Reed, which put Benwell's noses back in front. However just when his fine form and fluent driving looked ready to win the game for the home side he played an ambitious shot to a length delivery and only succeeded in spooning the ball up to mid off. Nevertheless the pair had added 20 for the 6th wicket and the home side knew that a couple of more similar partnerships were all that was needed to secure victory.

The next two partnerships did not disappoint in this target as Waddell (10) and Jamie Denehy (11) helped Reed edge towards the target. With the game starting to drift away from him visiting skipper Penny took the bold decision to turn to the leg spin of Smart, in an attempt to gain the final 3 wickets to give victory. However, this gamble failed spectacularly as Smart failed to provide the tight control which had been delivered impeccably by his colleagues and a long hop and two juicy half volleys allowed the home side to accrue 16 runs, a flurry which effectively broke the back of the game decisively in Benwell's favour. Within a couple of overs the target was reached, with 3 wickets and 15 overs to spare, and margin which belied the tightness of the game.

A much needed victory for the home side and one which was well deserved on the back of some fine bowing and watchful mid order batting. For the first time in a month the other results when Benwells way with both Seaton Burn and Alnwick losing. This has allowed a modicum of breathing room to open up between ourselves and the two sides below, however experience has shown this should not be taken for granted and at the very least a further two victories will be required.

Wickets fell at a steady rate as with the exception of Hassan Razza none of the visiting batsmen ever looked comfortable against a Ponteland attack that was clearly well versed in making the best of such conditions. Whist the conditions were never going to be conducive to free flowing run scoring some disappointment had to be expressed at a number of dismissals as batsmen all to easily succumbed to a few over's of well worked pressure from the home attack, and failed to show the necessary patience to await the loose deliveries, which did come along.

Only Hassan Razza managed to master the task at hand and he was left unbeaten on a fine 51 when the innings was closed in the 49th over. This effort being the only telling contribution of the visitor's total of 125. When Ponteland came to bat Benwell knew that despite their below par total a couple of key wickets could still give them a chance of victory. The most important of these, by some margin, was going to be Wayne Ritzema, one of the leagues star batsmen to date. In the 8th over Malla Brown was rewarded for a good spell of controlled medium pace bowing with this prize wicket, albeit by this time the opening pair had added 40 runs and given Potneland a vital base to chase down their target.

When the second wicket fell with the total on 66 Ponteland remained firmly in the driving seat; however there then began a tight spell of bowling from spinners Reed and Razza, which dragged Benwell back into the game. Indeed when Reed claimed home skipper Ealey's wicket and Razza followed this up with two quick wickets of his own all of a sudden the game appeared back on the mix as the score board showed Ponteland had lost 3 wickets for 22 runs.

At 84 - 5 and with youngsters Wright and Nesbitt at the wicket Benwell sensed a real chance of pulling off a victory. However to their great credit the pair showed maturity beyond their years to stall the Benwell advance. Both played with impressive care and attention to edge their side towards the target, despite the pressure that the flurry of wickets before had brought. Indeed once they had steered their side beyond the 100 mark they began to play some fine attacking strokes and before long the game was lost and the Benwell total had been passed with 7 over's remaining.

The defeat means that Benwell have yet to win on their travels this season a statistic, which simply has to be countered, in particular in the forthcoming visits to Alnwick and Seaton Burn. Wins for both these sides over the weekend means that the importance of these fixtures in particular cannot be over estimated in the race to avoid the wooden spoon. In search of these victories the Benwell batsmen cold learn a lot from watching the manner in which the ponteland youngsters secured this victory; as it is this type of focussed batting that has been so missing in the season to date.

Batting first Benwell made steady, if unspectacular, progress throughout their allotted 50 overs to close on 175 - 5. For the second week in succession the innings was held together by an excellent effort from Hassan Razza, who again finished unbeaten, this time with a fine 80 to his name. A useful contribution was also made by home skipper Richard Waddell with an aggressive 39. The only disappointment for the home side came in the fact that they were unable to accelerate through the final 10 overs and reach the desired benchmark of 200. However, this was much to do with some good controlled late innings bowling from the visitors, lead impressively by Peart who returned figures of 3 for 31 off his allotted 15 overs.

In reply the visitors appeared to take to their task a little lightly with a couple of changes being made to their usual batting order. Home skipper Richard Waddell was in no mood to offer any charity as for the second home game in succession he produced an excellent opening spell, combining good pace with a full length to put the visitors 4 down with less than 50 on the board.

With the home side dragging themselves back into the game Waddell made a bold decision to give young Lewis Birrell his first bowl in the 1st team and after taking a couple of overs to find his mark he did not disappoint, taking the wicket of the dangerous David Baxter. When Steve Reed replaced Waddell from the Dene end and clean bowled Snowball and Hassan Razza soon followed this with the wicket of Tinnion Benwell were in the ascendancy as the game entered its final quarter.

A further wicket for Reed saw the scoreboard reading 112-8 and at this stage the pendulum had swung firmly towards the home side, however the menacing figure of Peart remained at the crease and even with a regular stream of wickets coming form the other end Benwell knew that his wicket would present the key to victory. Unfortunately for the home side Peart at last found a willing partner in Ward, as he knuckled down to hold up one end whilst Peart decided to take his chance form the other. With Peart approaching the 30 mark, and his side still 50 runs short of their target the decisive moment of the game was played out as Peart played an aggressive slog sweep off Razza but failed to find the middle. The ball ballooned high into the air and towards Chris Scaife patrolling the leg side boundary. All eyes follow the ball but heads were dropped as unfortunately Scaife was unable to claim the chance offered.

From here on in Benwell appeared to suffer a lack of confidence as fielding began to become erratic with miss fields coming with a regular occurrence. Within a few overs another crucial chance went begging as Ward edged Reed behind the wicket, however this chance also went to ground.

With Ward looking solid and peart now intent of blasting his side to victory, Waddell brought himself back into the attack in a last gap attempt to gain the 2 wickets required for victory. This change brought immediate results as in his first over back he clean bowled Ward to leave the game on a knife edge with the last pair at the wicket and 12 more runs required for victory.

Unfortunately for Benwell they simply could not get enough deliveries at last man Clish to claim the victory as Peart masterfully saw his side home with an off drive off Waddell to see his side prevail by the narrowness of margins with himself contributing 75 of these.

This narrow defeat, against the league leaders, was by some distance Benwell's best effort of the season. In particular all the bowlers stuck to their task well and if the bating was dominated by one batsman at least several others could point to some useful contributions. Unfortunately the defeat could largely be put down to the side old Achilles heel, that of sloppy fielding. On a more positive note the 8 points gained from the defeat moved Benwell above Seaton Burn and Alnwick. Victories against both clubs will however be required over the next month if this position is to be retained come the end of the season.

Invited to bat first on a gloomy but humid day Benwell were soon in dire trouble as the in form Alnwick opening bowler O'Hara ripped out 3 of the first 4 wickets to fall with less than 30 runs on the board. With 3 of these wickets being the sides leading run scorers to date; Hassan Raza, Steve Reed and David Anderson, and with the in form Richard Waddell and regular number 5 Mickey Birrell both missing, all but the biggest optimist sensed an early trip back down the A1 for the visitors. Only stand in opener, young Lewis Birrell showed any form at the top of the order with a valuable 12 runs as wickets crashed around him.

However, the sides hastily assembled middle order showed those who had gone before how to adapt to the tricky conditions; with the fight back being lead by Nicky Singh with a well composed 17. Singh's steady foundations were put to great effect with two excellent innings from the returning Ameet Pandit and the experienced Graeme Robbie. Both batsmen took advantage of the fact they played themselves in to make good use of a few loose overs, which eventually came along. In particular both played fluently off the back foot and finally managed to get the score board ticking over with some much needed boundaries.

By the time Robbie was first out for an excellent 45 off 59 balls and Pandeet had followed him a few over's later for an equally impressive 48, the visitors had secured a foothold in the game. Although the late order could not add any more to the fight back, a final total of 145 from a reduced 45 overs was considered more than acceptable under the circumstances.

In reply Alnwick got off to a good start with Brewis and Green taking their time in search of the target. Malla Brown returned a good early spell and was unlucky not to secure the breakthrough; however just when Benwell were getting desperate Steve Reed brought the breakthrough having Green caught at extra cover by Naz Rashid. The visitors hoped this wicket would represent the inroad into the Alnwick line up which was required to defend the average target. However, Guy joined Brewis and these two looked set in taking the game away from the visitors. Again though just when Alnwick had victory emerging into their sights Benwell struck with two vital wickets; Guy the 1st to go to the hands of Razza and within a few overs Lee Collis, brought into the attack in place of Reed, had claimed the crucial wicket of Brewis, well caught behind the wicket by Jamie Carter. All of a sudden from 71-3 Alnwick had lost two wickets for 20 runs. More importantly Benwell were keeping on top of the run rate and this was leading to a certain amount of tension running through the Alnwick ranks, no doubt added to by the knowledge of the difficulty in finding the boundary on the slow track and outfield.

Within a few over's the pressure and the controlled Benwell bowling had brought began to yield more results, as a further wicket for Collis, a run out and one for the returning Reed put the home side at 114 - 6, with over 30 runs now required from the last 6 over's. When Birrell took a good catch the deep a couple of over's later, to remove the dangerous O'Hara Benwell were firmly on top; and this proved to be a position they were not going to relinquish as two further run outs in a frantic last couple of overs left Alnwick needing 4 to win off the final delivery. Despite a fine effort from home skipper Wright who finished unbeaten on 16, Benwell prevailed as the final delivery only yielded two runs much to the delight of the players..

This victory owed a lot to a fine all round team effort; in particular with the ball where all 5 bowlers stuck tightly to their scripts and, unlike the Alnwick attack, giving nothing away by way of loose overs. The importance of the narrow victory was revealed in the aftermath when key player Hassan Razza announced his early return to Pakistan due to ill health of his father. All associated with the club will be thinking of the likeable young man in the weeks ahead and wishing him and his family well.

Bowling first on a damp and green track should have provided the platform for the visitors taking control of the game. However after a decent opening burst from Malla Brown and Richard Waddell the visitors game plan fell apart as Walker (104 not out) and former Benwell professional Ani Singh (78) proceeded to take the game out of their reach. Backworth were very much helped in their efforts by some lacklustre fielding from Benwell with a couple of catches going to ground and a good 20'odd runs being given away by fumbles.

As a contrast to the general morass in the field, the highlight of the day for the visitors was an outstanding piece of fielding produced by James Carr to affect the second of Benwell's three run outs. Charging in from deep square he picked the ball up smoothly and immediately released it in mid flight to send an arrow throw straight over the stumps; allowing wicket keeper Jamie Carter to thrown the stumps down, in doing so leaving the batsman stranded by a yard.

However, this was as good as it got for Benwell. In reply to the home sides mammoth 235 Benwell were never in the game. Backworth opening bowlers Stubbs and Sania both turned in spells of accurate bowling, to take full advantage of what was still, clearly excellent bowling conditions, and within a few overs the game had been taken away from the visitors with a regular flurry of wickets.

For the second week running Ameet Pandit was the best performer with the bat for Benwell with a watchful 23. Unfortunately only James Carr could reach double figures to support Pandit and when the innings was closed in the 35th over the Benwell total had reached a paltry 67.

Winning the toss visiting skipper Richard Waddell had no hesitation in electing to bowl first on what was clearly going to be a damp sponge of a track. Waddell and fellow opening bowler Malla Brown proceeded to waste no time in taking good advantage of the conditions as they used the track to good effect to ensure the Burn never got a foothold in the game. Brown in particular turned in an excellent spell of controlled medium pace bowling, in doing so taking 4 of the first 6 wickets to fall before the Burn had reached 40. Waddell stepped up to the plate to remove all but one of the last 4 wickets in equally swift time, and by the time that man Brown had accounted for last man Farquar, the scoreboard showed a paltry 46. Waddell and Brown were both justly rewarded for their fine efforts in sharing the 10 wicket haul, which should not be put down merely to the most helpful conditions as both bowlers applied themselves very well to make the most of what was on offer.

At the half way mark the required total of 47 for victory appeared to hold no fear for the visitors, notwithstanding the remarkably difficult batting conditions. However the Burn's stalwart skipper Andrew White had other ideas as he proceeded to make excellent use of the manna from heaven conditions for his medium space seamers to put the reply in immediate trouble by taking a flurry of early wickets. With decent help coming from Weldon at the other end Benwell soon found themselves with half the side back in the pavilion with only 18 runs on the board.

Just when an unthinkable defeat appeared to be looming on the horizon Michael Birrell unleashed a few lusty boundaries to release the pressure a tad. With skipper Waddell joining Birrell to add a couple of boundaries of his own Benwell finally started to move into pole position in their reply. Following Waddell's departure Chris Scafie provided the final push with a couple of boundaries of his own, which eventually enabled a somewhat sheepish Benwell to limp over the victory target; much to the relief of the visiting support.

In the final analysis the scorecard will record a very valuable 20 points, however rarely can the 1st eleven have made such a fuss over what should have been a relatively straightforward victory, notably fine bowling conditions notwithstanding. Next up see's a home game against 2nd placed Newcastle City. As much as anything a harder track and quicker opposition attack should provide for a more run a plenty fixture.