At long last the cricket season finally began on Saturday (July 18), albeit with Government Covid-19 rules and accompanying ECB guidelines being strictly adhered to.
However with half of the season’s league fixtures lost due to the pandemic, the NYSD league have scrapped promotion and relegation for this season, but teams still have plenty to play for as championship trophies and some cups are still up for grabs.
Saturday 18th July – NYSD Division 2
Barnard Castle 2nd XI v Newton Aycliffe 1st XI – weather was cloudy and mild. Barnard Castle won the toss and chose to bowl first.
Newton Aycliffe 1st XI 121 all out after 42.4 overs
Adam Gittins 56 not out, Jack Slatcher 18 and Ben Nicholson 11
Barnard Castle 2nd XI 122 for 4 out after 29.3 overs
Jack Slatcher 3 for 21, and James Layfield-Carroll 1 for 22
Aycliffe’s first team opened their season with a disappointing six wicket defeat away at Barnard Castle 2nd XI. Adam Gittins was the stand-out performer scoring a superb unbeaten half century for Aycliffe, finishing on 56 not out off 113 balls faced and he hit seven boundaries.
In the Barney reply, Jack Slatcher bowled well for Aycliffe taking 3 for 21 from 11 overs.
Saturday 18th July – NYSD Division 4
Newton Aycliffe 2nd XI v Guisborough 2nd XI – weather was cloudy and mild. Newton Aycliffe won the toss and chose to bowl first.
Guisborough 2nd XI 167 for 6 after 40 overs
Dan Weldon 3 for 50, Leo Mercy 1 for 16 and Jak Kennedy 1 for 18
Newton Aycliffe 2nd XI 120 all out after 32.2 overs
Sean Morgan 38 and Kyle Robinson 24 and Jak Kennedy 11
Aycliffe’s second team fielded six junior players and put in a decent performance against an experienced Guisborough side despite losing the game by 47 runs.
There were good performances with the ball from Dan Weldon (3 for 50 from 8 overs) and with the bat from Sean Morgan (38 from 61 balls, including seven boundaries) as Aycliffe went down fighting.
This week’s senior cricket fixtures are:
Saturday 25th July at 12.30pm – NYSD Division 2 – Newton Aycliffe 1st XI v Thornaby 2nd XI
Saturday 25th July at 1.30pm – NYSD Division 4 – Bedale 2nd XI v Newton Aycliffe 2nd XI
