Bates' Chrimbo Shindig

Ho ho ho no!! It's nearly that time of year again people when everyone eats and drinks far too much. We are having our party on Friday 16th December, hope to see everyone there. There will be the usual games such as Play your Cards Right, Word Association etc. Fancy dress is optional!! More details will follow at the AGM on Sunday 4th December at 4pm. 

Sunday 4th December at 4pm

Bates AGM

Bates AGM will be held at Bates Cottages Cricket Club on Sunday 4th December at 4pm for all current members.

Saturday 5th November

Bates Cottages CC

Senior Presentation Night

The fun starts at 1900......................

Play Your Cards Right

Bingo

Raffle

..............and some classic Bates Entertainment "Guy Fawkes" style, suitable for all the family.

Hope you can join us on Saturday night for presentation of the main awards for 1st and 2nd XI - "Player of the Season" and "Player's Player of the Season" for both sides.

A great chance for all the Bates "family" to get together and have a knees up - AS USUAL - DONATIONS ACCEPTED FOR THE RAFFLE!!!

See you all on Saturday night at 1900!!!

Calling all juniors and your families;

Junior Presentation Night

Friday 7th October @ Bates - 1830 start.

Bar open till 11pm, please bring donations for the buffet!

Prizes for Best Batsman, Best Bowler, and certification for all U11 and U13 players + a £50 prize for the junior player of the year!

Click HERE for the Poster

Date for the diaries:

Saturday 5th November

Provisionally booked for a Bates Social Evening / Senior Teams Presentation night. We're looking for ALL PLAYERS to attend and bring along your other halves so we can turn this into a SPARKLING night to celebrate our season. Start time will be 7.00pm, more details to follow in due course.

We will be having awards for the 1st and 2nd XI teams, with Player of the Year, and Player's Player of the Year only some of the awards. All winners will be kept strictly secret, so you had better turn up to see if you win something :-D

See you there!

Bates seconds travelled to 3rd placed Ulgham knowing a win would seal the Division B2 title. Winning the toss, Bates elected to field first on a green track which was quite dry, having been covered from the incessant overnight rain.

Openers Binns and Gillott were accurate right from the off, Binns making the breakthrough as Tait edged behind. A sharp piece of fielding in the next over from Bates skipper Will Gibson was enough to run out Gowland, and when Binns then bowled Pace, Bates were in command. Some leg-side hitting brought runs for veteran opener Scholes, but no-one could stay with him, as change bowlers Lambert and Burns kept up the pressure, Burns bagging 3 wickets in an aggressive spell, removing Loxham thanks to a great catch at midwicket by Rachel Gillott, and an amazing one handed take by wicketkeeper Barnes removed Hornsey. An unchanged ten over spell from Lambert was also proving fruitful, and when he deceived Scholes with some great late swing to clean bowl him, Bates were dominant. Dave Gillott returned to take the final 2 wickets, Ulgham all out for 101.

In memory of last week's low scoring game against Hartley on a green track, Bates were cautious in reply, father and daughter pairing of Dave and Rachel Gillott opening the batting. Thompson as ever was hugely accurate, giving nothing away on length or outside the stumps, and after 10 overs Bates were 20/0. In the space of 3 overs however, the script was turned upside down, as Thompson bagged two wickets clean bowled and Ulgham skipper Peter Donkin removed Dave Gillott caught at point. This brought Bates skipper Will Gibson to the crease, who proceeded to see off the danger of Thompson, crawling to 2 not out off his first 20 balls. Ably assisted by Ali Bailey, the pair started to move the field around with some good running and well placed 1's and 2's. Once spinner Cowe was introduced, Gibson started to hit his stride, lofting him straight for a six, and then in the next over repeating the trick off paceman Loxham, a huge pull over midwicket to put Bates well and truly ahead of the rate. With the scores level, Gibson went looking for the Hollywood ending and another six to win the game and the title for his team, only to be undone by a superb yorker from Jordan Cowe which took his leg stump! Bailey then hit the winning run off the next ball, to spark delirious scenes of celebration from the whole team.

A tremendous season for Bates Seconds, who move back up to the top level of second team cricket next year after only a solitary year in the B2. Well done to the whole squad and good luck for next season!

Bates Man of the Match: Will Gibson (33 and a run out)

Bates second string travel to 3rd placed Ulgham on Saturday, looking to record the victory that will guarantee them the Divison B2 title.

Fielding a strong XI, Bates will look to the seam quartet of Gillott, Binns, Burns and Lambert to provide the damage, with all 4 bowlers being well in form over the second half of the season. The slow right armers of Chris Thomas will give some variety, with the Bates debutante bagging 15 wickets in his first season at the Welfare. Gillott and Binns have a battle to see who will end up with the most wickets, currently on 18 and 17 respectively.

Batting-wise, Bates will look to Chris Wilson and skipper Will Gibson to provide big innings, both leading the way in the runs scored for Bates second string with over 200 apiece. Wilson has form on the Ulgham track, with 56 in his last appearance earlier in the season. Further down the order, Bates will look for a score from highly rated youngster Ali Bailey, who has returned to Bates in the last quarter of the season, and also from Junior Coach Adam Pilkington, a vastly experienced Bates devotee with a great track record. Some good all rounders complete the batting line up, with Gillott a former opening bat, Burns and wicketkeeper Barnes are very destructive hitters and Lambert is a genuine all rounder capable of big scores.

Opponents Ulgham will not be easy. In opening bat Mark Skinner they possess one of the league's most destructive batsmen, who is currently topping the B2 scoring charts with over 400 runs at an average of 59. Middle order batmsan Peter Wilson is another danger, curently 3rd in the league lists, with almost 350 runs at an amazing average of 68. In the bowling department, left arm spinner Chris Cowe has taken 19 wickets this season at an average of 14.6, while skipper Peter Donkin has chipped in with 16 at an economical 12.9.

Play begins at 1.30pm, and with today's rain expected to dry up overnight, the forecasters are confident a full game will go ahead, especially with the picturesque Ulgham track having a great system of covers.

With title rivals DSS less than a mile down the road in an away tie at mid-table Stobswood, Bates cannot afford to let up, and will look to show the professionalism and intensity that got them through last week's tremendous routing of local rivals New Hartley.

One game - one win? Can they do it?

Go Bates Bears!

Bates second string took the short trip to New Hartley looking to keep the pressure on league leaders DSS with another victory.

Despite winning the toss, Bates skipper Gibson inexplicably chose to bat first, despite the heavy overnight rain and a green track. He was made to pay, holing out to square leg for only 2, and then when Mavin, Wilson and Bailey returned to the hutch without really troubling the scorers too much, Bates were in deep trouble. A rearguard action followed in the form of a 60 run partnership between Rob Tulip and Nathan Allan, at a painful but entirely sensible 2 an over. The conditions made batting almost impossible, coupled with the long grass on the square meant that even sweetly struck shots got no more than 2. Tulip did manage to bludgeon a few fours, and once Allan was undone by the spinner, Tulip also departed soon after, but some lower order hitting from Robbie Burns clawed Bates up to a respectable 121 from their 40 overs.

Bates knew that only a fast start would give them a chance, and seamers Gillott and Binns obliged, ripping through the New Hartley top 5 to leave the home side really struggling on 24/5. Stokes, Douglas and McGuinness tried and failed to get some momentum going, and Bates sensed victory. With the weather closing fast, the visitors upped the pace and intensity, Burns grabbing a couple of vital wickets to remove Stokes and Douglas, with Binns returning to remove McGuinness. It was left to spinner Thomas to complete the rout, 73 all out with a full 10 minutes to spare before the heavens opened which would have surely abandoned the game.

Bates are now top of the table going into the last game, pending a late result from the DSS game versus Hebburn. They travel to Ulgham next week for their final game knowing that another win, might, just might, win them the title. Come on Bates Bears!

Bates Man of the Match: Davy Binns (4 for 11)

The penultimate game of the season saw Bates make the trip to Corbridge looking for a result that would make them mathematically safe.

Losing a crucial toss given the weather, it was always going to be a bowl first day, and Corbridge duly obliged, ripping through the Bates line up. Baston and Walton proved a good opening pairing, putting on 28, before the Corbridge opening bowlers found their rythym, Hardy and Douglas sharing 8 wickets to leave Bates on 52 for 8. A couple of good partnerships at the end got Bates up towards 3 figures, Gary Dennis top scoring with 24 aided by first Robinson and then Cragg as they eventually finished up 95 all out, with Douglas bagging 6 for 26.

Needing something sensational to snatch a win from this position, Bates rotated the bowlers early looking for a breakthrough, which came from a great piece of fielding from veteran spinner Cragg to run out Fowler. Despite Walton and Dennis threatening a repeat of the display which blew Corbridge away earlier in the season it wasn't to be, with Edward Scott proving a thorn and top scoring with 43. Corbridge eventually got the total losing only 5 wickets, with more than 20 overs to spare.

Results at Bomarsund and Clara Vale meant that defeat was not as bitter as it could have been, Bates now mathematically sure of another season in the Premier League next year. The 1st XI close with a home tie against Stocksfield next Saturday at the Welfare, see you all there to bring a close to another exciting season!

Bates Man of the Match: Gary Dennis (24 and 2 for 20)

Tonight at Bates we are having one of our famous Social Evenings!

Festivities start at 7pm, best guess at the activities are as following;

Bingo

Raffle

Play Your Cards Right

Word Association!

See you all there! Raffle prizes needed, please give generously ;-))