TEENAGER Matthew Percival’s five wickets saw Tynedale end Ashington’s year-long unbeaten record.

The reigning Division A1 champions had not tasted defeat in the league for more than a year, but Percival’s impeccable bowling helped the underdogs from Hexham cause a big shock.

A player with Northumberland’s U17 squad, he added to his two wickets in his opening spell with three on his return which saw him wrap the game up with a smart return catch above his head from Matthew Collins’ firm push forward.

Instead of throwing the ball up in jubilation, the ice cool teen casually flicked the ball over his shoulder to signal ‘job done’.

Ashington’s new captain Ben Harmison put Tynedale into bat first and, after losing Sam Mannion and Jamie Crichton, the 93-run third wicket partnership of Tom Cant and James Rainford saw the team pass the 100 mark.

The two senior players led by example and circumvented Ashington’s tasty attack of Collins and Harmison. Cant saw off Bob Rutherford’s looping left armers, and everything was going swimmingly for the visitors.

But things imploded for Tynedale as they lost four wickets in the space of nine wickets, Rainford followed by Cant with the very next ball. James Harmison then got in on the act with Euan Stephenson going for a first ball duck, and Dale Leadbitter departing soon after with the score on 109-6.

Ashington were now in control with Harmison adding Josh Renton to his list of victims, but the pairing of brothers Paul and David Newton steadied the ship.

Under pressure from the attack, they put on 42 runs with Paul adding some delicate pushes to David’s gentle shots square of the wicket.

The game was in the balance as Tyne finished on 155, but they were off to a good start through teenage openers Percival and Renton.

Percival struck first to take last week’s century maker Jack Jessop, with Renton trapping Ben O’Brien lbw with the score on 15-2.

Ben Harmison was let off when Richard Brooks spilled a catch diving forward, and the captain kept up the run rate with Neil Wood until David Newton bowled the former with the score on 58.

Wood, who was denied a bigger score by some excellent fielding, departed to Cant, caught at extra cover by the diving Rainford, but Ashington were given hope by the well-timed batting of Daniel Grant.

With his side needing 47 from 18 overs to win, he was sent back by his batting partner but he couldn’t beat the throw of David Newton with Paul Newton doing the rest to see him out.

The return of Percival then saw Tyne to a second successive maximum point victory, his rasping direction well controlled as he caused all sorts of problems to the home batsmen.

His dismissal of James Harmison was followed by the departure of Ian Sharkey, bowled by Paul Newton to see hosts Ashington struggling on 124-8.

And they were unable to add to their score as Percival ended with a five-fer, bowling Callum Storey before holding on to Collins’ effort and subsequently being mobbed by his jubilant teammates.