TYNEDALE made it three wins from their opening three games as they ended Lintz’s sustained chase in the penultimate over.

The Hexham side, who set out with the aim of winning six for the season to avoid relegation, currently sit pretty at the top as one of only two teams with maximum points, winning a high scoring game by a margin of 28 runs.

Their top score for 2017 of 239 was made as four of their batsmen made 30 or more runs and, apart from a dip which saw three wickets fall for just 11 runs, they commanded the crease.

Sent in to bat first, Tyne lost Jamie Crichton, caught out at mid wicket with the score on seven, early on but his opening partner Sam Mannion played himself in and lasted for more than two hours without giving a chance.

Scoring 10 fours for his third 50th for the club, he played some handsome shots to all parts of the ground, some lofted and some low, with his usual immaculate timing.

At 65-1, Tom Cant was caught behind by Ryan McVittie for a well made 21 but not after being dropped by the keeper having edged through the slips.

James Rainford joined Mannion and they were going well with a 63 run partnership until Rainford, after four boundaries, was caught by Andrew Smith to give new bowler Jordan Clennell his first wicket with the score on 128.

Clennell used his wicked pace to try to unsettle the batsmen, but teenager Euan Stephenson didn’t rise to the bait and the left hander supplemented his cup 50 in midweek with an innings of stroke play and quick running.

Mannion finally departed when he jabbed at a ball outside off stump from Paul Lumley to be caught behind by the quick hands of McVittie, with Paul Newton coming and going in a flash to see Tynedale on 139-5.

Josh Renton, though, played his most creative innings of the season as he and fellow youngster Stephenson put the innings back on track, with Renton out to a remarkable, low, one-handed return catch from Gary Christie as the batter went to add to his six boundaries.

At 199-6, Stephenson was now enjoying himself and burst out of the non-striker’s crease to back up Dale Leadbitter, only to realise half way up the pitch that his partner wasn’t joining him and he was run out for the seventh wicket.

Leadbitter and David Newton, though, carried Tynedale to their highest total of the season with a stand of 40, the former hitting his side’s only six.

Lintz got their reply off to a poor start when Stephenson took a diving catch at square leg to remove Matty Young from the bowling of in-form Matty Percival.

Kieron Gohery and Johnny Foster then forced Cant into his first bowling change as they made 59 for the second wicket, their driving of the ball setting up a lengthy afternoon.

Neither Renton nor David Newton could find the breakthrough, but third change bowler Paul Newton did when he struck in his first over to remove Gohery at 70-2.

It proved pivotal as brother David then trapped Smith lbw, before adding the wicket of Clennell, to a catch by Percival, to ultimately end Lintz’s resistance after he and Foster put them back in contention.

Newton had his third wicket when Foster gave Stephenson a catch, and Percival weighed in with the wickets of Stephen Smith and McVittie, who had threatened a late fightback.

Percival made it 11 wickets for the campaign by trapping captain Christie leg before, sandwiched either side of Paul Newton’s further two victims Marcus Peart and Nick Young, both bowled.