Local cricket round-up: Stockton close in on top-four place after win (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Local cricket round-up: Stockton close in on top-four place after win

1:25pm Monday 20th August 2012 in Sport

WITH the struggles of previous seasons now in the distant past, Stockton are chasing a top four place in the NEPL after achieving a superb pattern of form they’ve rarely experienced before.

Victory over Tynemouth extended their unbeaten run to eight matches and moved them up a spot to fifth with the brilliant Richard Waite hitting a century and then grabbing a match-winning five wickets.

His majestic 112 from 126 balls included 15 fours and was the foundation for his side’s top score of the day, 269 for six.

He shared a partnership of 129 for the fourth wicket with Kev Ward who hit 85 at just under a run a ball with eight boundaries. David Seymour made 54 to complete an all-action trio of run makers.

Waite’s five wickets came at a cost of 52 runs as Tynemouth were bowled out for 174 with Ben Debnam (66 from 157 balls) making it a fighting finish. Jonathan Rickard (3-28) had an excellent 12 over spell to make sure of the victory by an impressive 68 run margin.

Unbeaten Blaydon maintained their 30 point advantage as league leaders when they defeated Hetton Lyons for their tenth win of the season.

Their batting strength was underlined by the performances of Graeme Bridge (60 from 70 balls), Allan Worthy (39) and Cole McConchie (33) as they posted 217-7 after the overs had to be reduced when overnight rain caused a delayed start. The Lyons could muster only 146 in reply.

There were wins for South North and Chester-le-Street who maintained their championship challenge, and bottom club Gateshead Fell managed a rare but thrilling victory by one wicket over fellow strugglers Benwell Hill.

Not a game started in the Durham County League after overnight downpours wiped out the full programme, but the Coast League mostly avoided the waterlogging and leaders Murton, with their tenth win, kept nine points ahead of Dawdon.

Murton defeated Seaham Harbour by six wickets after Richard Bentley (4-22) and John Sample (2-13) helped bowl them out for under a hundred. At the same time Dawdon crawled over the winning line by one wicket - and with just one over remaining.

In the NTSL Swalwell moved a step closer to a sixth consecutive title when the former Durham spinner Nicky Phillips hit 60 runs and then took five wickets to sink Burnopfield. Sacriston, who are 20 points behind the leaders, and Tynedale, who are just another seven points adrift, kept up their championship challenge with wins over Leadgate and Lintz respectively.

In the Durham Senior League there were victories on Saturday for leaders Burnmoor, along with Whitburn and Marsden, but frustration in a drawn finish for Castle Eden at Norton.

For the second week in succession Stuart Walker (109no) and Neil Ayre (75) launched Whitburn to success with a massive opening partnership, this time worth 149. Burnmoor’s win earned them maximum points, but Castle’s failure to take the last Norton wicket meant they entered yesterday’s programme 51 points adrift of the Moor.

That programme was a virtual washout with three games failing to start and the other three enjoying only a limited amount of play. That was a real blow to Castle Eden who had reached 57-3 at Eppleton after a delayed start only to see their title dreams drowned in the next downpour.

The result left them with a 46 point gap to make up on Burnmoor, and just one game left in hand.