Richmondshire’s hopes of closing the gap to Barnard Castle at the top of the table suffered a major blow as they were beaten by five wickets at Broughton Road on Saturday.
The visitors were dismissed for 157 before Stokesley knocked off the runs with 8.4 overs to spare in the ECB Premier Division.
Dan Hodgson won the toss and elected to bat, but things started to unravel from the start with Gary Pratt dismissed in the second over. Dan Hodgson and Joe Whited followed in the third over. Mike Layfield battled hard for his four from 35 balls, but his dismissal, followed by Owen Kelly, left the score 12 for five. Matty Price and Sam Wood steadied matters briefly, Price top-scoring in the middle order with 25 from 51 deliveries, and Sam Wood chipping in with a busy 20.
But it was the lower order who gave the innings respectability. Lalith Mohan Akkaraju, the club professional, made 38 from 58 balls, and Josh Dowson struck 37 from 66 in a spirited eight-wicket stand of 80 that carried Richmondshire past 150.
Finlay Morris returned figures of six for 40 that anchored the Stokesley effort, and when the innings closed on 157 all out in 49.2 overs, the total left a depleted Richmondshire bowling attack with a mountain to climb.
In reply, Stokesley lost Robert Foreman early, caught by Pratt off Dowson for one, and Akkaraju struck twice to keep Richmondshire in the contest, having Andrew Weighell lbw and Sahan Nanayakkara caught by Pratt. Joe White accounted for Alan Bastin Titus, and Caleb Bradford removed Harry Harding, but the innings pivoted on Jonny Weighell, who anchored the chase with an unbeaten 72 from 138 balls.
Stokesley reached 163 for five in 41.2 overs to complete a five-wicket win, taking 25 points to Richmondshire’s five. With Barnard Castle taking 25 against Saltburn to increase the gap at the top to 30, Richmondshire stay second 39 above Darlington RA
AROUND THE CLUB
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2ND XI (NYSD Division 1) – won by 10 wickets
The 2nd XI produced the performance of the weekend, thrashing Normanby Hall by 10 wickets at home. Having won the toss and elected to field, Richmondshire watched Normanby Hall reach a promising 94 without loss before the innings unravelled. James Tate top-scored with 48 and opening partner Carl Chillingsworth made 43, but once the openers had gone the middle order subsided steadily. Dhanish Hussain offered late resistance with a brisk 31 from 29 balls, and Normanby Hall were dismissed for 180 in 37.5 overs.
Jordan Forbes was outstanding with four for 47 from his 11 overs, accounting for both openers and applying the pressure through the middle overs, while Jordan Moss chipped in with one for 42. Tom Stockton then returned to blow away the tail, taking a superb five for 24 from just 4.5 overs to wrap up the innings in short order.
The reply needed only 26.2 overs and not a single wicket. Jamie Stead (73 not out) and Tom Dowson (89 not out) knocked off the target of 181 in an unbroken opening stand, Dowson racing along with 12 fours and three sixes to bring up his runs at better than a run a ball. Dowson, brother of 1st XI seamer Josh, is home from Australia for a short visit and made an immediate impact behind the stumps and with the bat on his appearance for the seconds. It was a comprehensive result that lifted them out of the relegation zone.
3RD XI (NYSD Sunday Premier) – match drawn
The 3rd XI held on for a draw at Feethams against Darlington on Sunday. Darlington batted first and posted 225 for six from their 40 overs, built around a substantial second-wicket contribution from K Barker, who made 82 from 96 balls, and a rapid 63 from 56 deliveries by T Park-Bradley that pushed the run rate along in the middle overs. James Cox was the leading wicket-taker for Richmondshire with three, and Louis Morris and Alfie Bottomley claimed a wicket apiece as the home side were pegged back somewhat in the closing stages.
Chasing 226, Richmondshire were always up against a stiff target but battled hard to reach 174 for seven at the close, doing enough to earn a hard-fought draw. Isaac Bottomley anchored the innings with a determined 73 from 77 balls, striking 11 fours, and found useful support from Sophie White (27) and Louis Morris (26). When the innings stalled in the final overs, however, Richmondshire were content to bat out time and settle for the draw and nine points rather than risk defeat.
4TH XI (NYSD Division 4) – won by 161 runs
The 4th XI recorded an emphatic 161-run win over Newton Aycliffe’s 2nd XI at Richmond School. John Clark led the way with a superb 89 from 77 balls, striking 11 fours and three sixes in an innings that formed the backbone of the total. James Cox weighed in with 23 and Griffin Bewell provided late impetus with an unbeaten 30 from just 13 deliveries, allowing captain Kevin Forbes to declare on 231 for four from 36 overs, with Andy Dade 21 not out at the other end.
Newton Aycliffe were then bowled out for just 70 in 21.5 overs in reply, never recovering from a top order dismantled by the new-ball bowlers. Michael Platt was the destroyer with four for 18 from his nine overs, and he was well supported by Lewis Pybus, who claimed three for seven from 3.5 overs, and Louis Morris with two for five.
5TH XI (Darlington & District Division B) – won by 146 runs
The 5th XI completed a fine set of lower-XI results with a 146-run win over Middleton-in-Teesdale’s 1st XI, a home fixture staged at Barningham. The innings belonged to Jahan Mohammed, who blazed a magnificent 121 from just 70 balls, an innings of 17 fours and four sixes that took the game away from the visitors in the space of an hour. He was far from alone in the runs: Mike White set the platform with 37, Sophie White made a busy 38 and Jim While struck a rapid 17, while a string of contributions down the order carried Richmondshire to an imposing 288 for eight from their 40 overs.
The reply never threatened the target. A Hutchinson gave Middleton-in-Teesdale hope with 51 from 40 balls and L Lightfoot finished 27 not out, but the innings was strangled in the middle by a devastating spell from Sophie White, who returned remarkable figures of five for seven from five overs. Alfie Bottomley lent excellent support with three for 32, and Middleton-in-Teesdale were dismissed for 142 in 27.5 overs to complete a resounding Richmondshire victory.
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