St Ishmaels 1XI (245-5) remain top of Division Two with a convincing 79 run win over Cresselly 2XI (166ao). Winning the toss and batting first, Tish steadily built a strong innings which was mainly punctuated by Jonathan Pawlett’s (68no) unbeaten contribution. He was joined in his efforts by Andrew Pawlett (49) who earned himself a near half-century off only 23 balls, Phil Llewellyn (44) who scored 40 of his runs with boundaries and Lewis Rhead (38) who also put up important runs. Tyler James (2-44) was the lone Cresselly bowler to strike more than once, with Oliver Arthur (1-25) providing an economical opening spell and Ryan Lewis (1-21) doing much of the same first change. Cresselly set out on their ill-fated reply after the break, stumbling against opener Brennan Devonald (3-14) and Andrew Pawlett (4-35) who together did most of the damage. Cresselly’s Corey Lewis (39) put up a good fight, as did number eleven batsmen Milo Jones (36) who managed to hold his wicket for a short while. St Ishmaels will now be looking forward to their final day fixture against Johnston 1XI where they can secure the title, whilst Cresselly have a somewhat comfortable final fixture against already relegated Burton 1XI.
Johnston 1XI (185-6) versus Hook 1XI (184-9) undeniably served as match of the week as Johnston took home a narrow 4 wicket win with only 11 balls spare. Hook won the toss and batted first, putting up a respectable 184. George James (65) led the scoring in the first innings, joined by Aled Phelps (39no) and Liam Miller (27). Johnston made their best effort at sharing around the wickets with every bowler contributing at least once, Steve Mills (2-19), Nick Davies (2-54) and Rushan Aryaz (2-43) being the three to strike twice. After teas, Johnston’s chase began strong with a Lee Summons (50) half century, Leigh Walters (47) also just missing out on the milestone. The second innings remained hard fought, Oscar Willington (3-41) and Aled Phelps (2-36) keeping Johnston’s prospective match winners at bay. The game came down to the final three overs, Geno Cleal (35no) and Nick Davies (8no) the batsmen, 11 runs needed off the 18 deliveries. After an early single in the 38th over, Davies slammed an invaluable six over the rope to put the game in his side’s favor. Cleal capitalised, scoring a four to win the game the next ball. Johnston carry their momentum from this match into their final game against title hopefuls St Ishmaels 1XI, whilst Hook play their final game against Llechryd 1XI.
Llanrhian 1XI (73-4) cruised to a six-wicket win over Burton 2XI (72ao) after bowling them out for just 72. Burton chose to bat after winning the toss, a decision which in retrospect unfortunately only served to save both sides time. Jack Jones’ (4-24) 4 wicket haul combined with contributions from Ian Newton (2-20), Dafydd Williams (2-19) and Llion Williams (2-9) proved to be too much for the opposition, Jack Evans (32) being the only batsmen to truly get going. Llanrhian went on to pass the total only four down, Russell Watkins top scored with (24), smaller contributions from his teammates were all that was required to eventually meet the total. The four wickets were taken by three bowlers: Harry Owen (2-20) took two, with Phil Rees (1-5) and Dan Ridge (1-14) taking one apiece. Burton take on Cresselly 2XI next week, whilst Llanrhian takes on an out of form Pembroke 1XI.
Llechryd 1XI (104ao) lost to Narberth 1XI (108-3) by what was ultimately quite a sizeable 7 wicket margin. Llechryd, who batted first after winning the toss, struggled to build momentum as wickets fell at regular intervals. Andrew Davies (28no) held things together, supported by Ifan Dow (17) and Jamie Smith (13) who between them managed to pull their side over the century mark. Matthew Johns (4-16) proved dangerous for Narberth, with multi-wicket contributions from Shay Norcross (2-28) and Ben Hughes (2-29) bolstering the attack. Narberth made relatively simple work of the chase, Loui Davies (51no) and Jack Tucker (33) scored most of the runs the team needed between them. Jamie Smith (1-11), Jaap Harries (1-8) and JoJo Dow (1-25) provided Llechryd with their three breakthroughs. Narberth go on to play Carew 2XI in their final game of the season, where they can win the title provided other results go their way. Llechryd on the other hand play their final match against a Hook 1XI side keen to ensure that they don't finish their season with three losses on the bounce.
Carew 2XI (168-9) edged out Pembroke 1XI (154ao) by 14 runs in a closely fought encounter. Carew batted first after winning the toss, relying on important contributions from the middle order to reach their eventual total. Ethan Hall (41) top scored, with Adam Chandler (21), Corey Hall (22) and Jacob Knox (20no) all pitching in with similar totals. Spinner Ceri Brace (3-25) was the bowler to watch for Pembroke, dismissing Ethan Hall before his half-century then going on to take another two wickets. Opener Billy Wood (2-36) and first change Sam Davies (2-28) also had their share of the wickets. The chase in the second innings was ground to a halt by the efforts of one bowler on the Carew side, Jacob Knox (2-23) took an economical fifer, pacifying the middle order entirely. Despite efforts from the likes of Richard Pulman (48) and Ceri Brace (24), Carew’s bowling ultimately proved to be too much on the day. George Waters (2-27) and Ethan Hall (3-28) rounded off Carew's attack, with Hall ultimately taking the game winning wicket with 14 runs to spare. Carew play Narberth 1XI in their final game of the season where they have the potential to both snub the opposition's title chances and guarantee their own survival. Pembroke on the other hand play the Llanrhian 1XI side who are seeking to climb above Carew on the last day of the season to avoid the drop.
Photo credit: St Ishmaels Cricket Club
