Park glory hopes go up in Flames!
NORTHUMBERLAND LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
TWO teams who won their openingday fixtures met at Whitley Park Blue Flames coming out on top after beating Blagdon Park by five wickets.
The hosts had Park in trouble from the start, the visitors struggling on 50-5 after Mirza Bilal Baig struck with three wickets.
Amjad Khan then took three wickets also as Blagdon laboured to 108 all out after 47 overs.
Baig finished with 3-21, Khan claiming 3-17.
In reply Blue Flames lost both openers for ducks but Amir Riaz saw them home - scoring 50 not out as Flames reached 112-5 after 36 overs to earn maximum points.
Backworth bounced back from last weekend’s defeat at Blagdon Park with a comfortable nine-wicket win over Blyth.
It took only 22 overs to bowl out Blyth for only 58, Chris Miller taking 6-31 and Chris Liddle finishing with 4-27 from 11 overs apiece.
Backworth lost Michael Race in reply but Ben Sutton (24 not out) and a rapid 28 not out by Mick Nicholson quickly took them to 61-1 after 11 overs.
Fellow title contenders Ashington Rugby also won their first match of the new season, securing a 46-run verdict over Berwick.
Callum Milburn made a matchwinning 54, smashing six fours and two sixes to boost the hosts’ score up to 142 before being bowled out inside 36 overs.
Steven Emery (5-28) and Manu Shukla (3-27) did the damage.
In reply, Dean Greaves trapped last week’s centurion Scott Middlemist lbw for a duck.
Wickets fell regularly with Greaves (3-28), Cory Milburn (3-36) and Scott Maddison (3-9) bowling out Berwick for 96 after 28 overs.
Whickham claimed a six-wicket home victory over GEM’s.
Oliver Cooper was the pick of the bowlers, recording 3-25 to help to bowl out GEM’s for 178.
Whickham’s Lee Hargreaves ended up 66 not out in their reply.
Maximum points were claimed after Michael Armstrong (46) and Joshua Warner (31) helped the hosts reach 180-4 after 49 overs.
Cramlington won their first match of the campaign with a narrow ninerun result against Warkworth.