It never rains but it pours for Shotley
NORTHUMBERLAND AND TYNESIDE SENIOR LG
SWALWELL reign – or should that be rain – supreme again as the autumnal weather helped them clinch the Division A1 title on the season’s final weekend.
The Gateshead outfit defeated Lintz to pip Shotley Bridge, whose match with Tynedale was washed out without a ball being bowled.
Shotley were in pole position at the start of play, just needing to beat visiting Tynedale.
However, torrential downpours meant the game had to be eventually abandoned, allowing Swalwell to leapfrog them with a win at home to Lintz.
Swalwell amassed 251-9, mainly thanks to Lloyd Anderson scoring 66 off 91 balls – including six fours and two sixes – and then Neil Corby made 74 with seven fours off 87 balls.
In came Nick Phillips, who proceeded to smash 41 runs off just 36 balls, including three fours and two sixes.
Matty Young bowled well for Lintz and took 3-60, while Paul Lumley returned decent figures of 4-77.
Lintz then batted but could not make any inroads into the massive score set by the home side.
Only opener Kieron Gohery, with 44 runs off 85 balls, showed any resistance and eventually Lintz crumbled to 76 all out.
Guy Saxton took 3-15 and Phillips returned 3-28 to ensure Swalwell took the 20 points to seal the title by just nine points.
Ashington beat relegated Ponteland by 27 runs and Consett also had a narrow 22-run success at Newcastle City.
Ryton finished with a victory at Percy Main – albeit by a very narrow margin of just nine runs.
Leadgate and Ponteland had already been relegated before play and will be replaced in the league by Division A2 champions Alnmouth and Lesbury and second-placed Stocksfield.