The National Village Championship

Follow the 'Gate on 'The Road to Lord's'!  Click to the 'Links' page for the Village Championship site.

Durham, Cleveland and Tyne & Wear Section

ROUND 3 Regional Semi-Final:  11 June - Bates Cottages CC (home)

Bates Cottages 172 all out (39 overs), Chop Gate 173 - 7 (39 overs)

Chop Gate won by 3 wickets

Match Report will appear soon.

ROUND 2:  Burnhope

Chop Gate won on the toss of a coin.

Gate Win by a Head reports Neil Stockton

The weather proved an insurmountable obstacle to playing this tie.  Frank Rose, however, followed his 1st Round heroics by playing another blinder - calling correctly as a coin was tossed at 'The Cricketer' HQ.  The Gate's march on Lord's continues...nice one Frank!

Man of the Match:  Frank Rose - good call!

ROUND 1: 14 May - Medomsley CC (home)

Chop Gate 143 all out (34.4 overs), Medomsley 111 all out (28.2 overs)

Chop Gate won by 32 runs

Fireworks as Temperatures Soar and 'Gate Triumph reports John Holmes

Chop Gate's second season in this competition started with a first ever victory!  The Gate’s inaugural victims were Medomsley, a small village near Beamish in Durham.   In a keenly fought contest on a very hot day, Chop Gate team-mates squabbled their way to victory in a game dominated by bowlers.

On winning the toss Chop Gate took first use of a wicket offering something to the bowlers all day.   A green top with variable bounce resulted in both sides failing to take advantage of their full allotment of 40 overs.

In a steady start, Jimmy Scott once again maintained his early season form by striking some attractive boundaries in a score of 31.  Wickets fell steadily at the other end as the Medomsley seamers used the favourable conditions to their advantage.  At 80-5 Chop Gate looked in real trouble before Frank Rose arrived at the crease and with some well timed drives and three gigantic sixes the scoreboard started hurtling along.  Last season's batting average of 6.5 looking but a distant memory as Frank's batting confidence soared.  It could not last and with his departure for 37 Medomsley soon wrapped up the tail, R Brough being the pick of the Medomsley bowlers with 3-33.

Medomsley faired little better once it was their turn to bat.  Neil Stockton struck an early blow and Max Cook gave a first rate exhibition of line and length bowling taking 2-22 in his ration of 9 overs.  With five bowlers required and Mike Tait held in reserve, Kev Brown, having made a useful bowling start to the season, gets the nod and responded by bowling an over of long hops that were mostly laid to rest in the next field.  A distraught and distressed Brown is dispatched to the third man boundary shaking his head and kicking the turf after conceding 19 runs in one truly awful over.  He then took particular exception to the dulcet tones of Vice-Captain 'Irish' Dave Austin who asked him to move back into position rather than kicking the nettles by the roller.

Jimmy Scott made his bowling debut and restored some sanity to proceedings by taking 2-33 in 8 overs of gentle off spin and the occasional leggie.  Medomsley were losing wickets fast and by the time Mike Tait was introduced to the attack the writing was soon on the wall.  Mike Tait picked up 3 wickets and Neil Stockton returned to finish with 3-15 as the last wicket fell at 111.  

The bickering wasn't through though as Kevin Brown and Irish Dave set to in the pavilion.  The situation was defused by Dave Hill who distracted team-mates by childishly letting off a stink bomb in the changing room.  We all blamed Chris Lane for a while as he usually has plenty of ammunition having eaten all the pies, sorry, sandwiches.  With harmony restored the Gate can savour victory.

 Man of the Match: Frank Rose - a crucial innings that gave Chop Gate the edge.