Hook 1XI (265-4) won a convincing 174 run victory over bottom of the league Burton 2XI (91ao). Hook won the toss and elected to bat, a decision that was validated by their performance. Opening batsmen Rhys Phelps (103;8x4no) put up a huge century, proving himself to be too much for the Burton bowlers who failed to get him out. Phelps’ efforts, alongside contributions from Owen Phelps (70;3x6;8x4) and Lewis Miller (44;2x6;5x4no), did most of the damage, leaving the opposition batsmen with a lot to chase. The pick of the bowlers for Burton were Ioan Roberts (2-35) and James Scale (2-69) who took all four of the team's wickets. After the break, Burton failed to change the momentum of the match with the bat. Efforts from William Ridge (67;6x4) and Matthew Davies (29;4x4) provided some relief but Burton were ultimately unable to hold their wickets past the 32nd over. Callum James (4-13) was the best bowler on the day, taking four wickets cheaply after coming on first change. Opener Brennan Martin (2-27) and first change bowler Jamie Phelps (2-30) also took important wickets to secure the game. Off the back of this win, Hook continues their chase for one of the promotion spots, whilst Burton sinker deeper in their fight against relegation.
Carew 2XI (132ao) played against Llechryd 1XI (172-9), where they were beaten by 40 runs. Carew won the toss and fielded first, hoping for early luck with the ball. Unfortunately for Carew they failed to fully dispatch the Llechryd team, with Tomos Lewis (50) and Joe Mansfield (28) scoring Llechryd’s biggest totals. Graham Keen (4-20) managed to find success with the ball for Carew, as did Florian Cartwright (2-22) and Joe Davies (2-30) who each took two. For Carew, Tom Scourfield (44) and Jacob Knox (18) made the best efforts to reach the total, though the side fell short in the end up against the opposition bowlers. Corey Hall (2-21), Jeremy Griffiths (2-26) and Jonty Bennett (2-27) proved to be the most dangerous bowlers in the Llechryd attack. Following this result Carew sit in 8th, the loss depriving them of the chance to move well clear of the relegation drop. Llechryd find themselves in 6th, well clear of either extreme of the table.
Cresselly 2XI (198-9) managed an impressive last-minute win over top of the table Narberth 1XI (195-9), taking the game with 8 balls to spare. Cresselly won the toss and decided to bowl, hoping for early success. Early success came in the form of a wicket from Iori Thomas (1-22) who bowled James McCormack (0) before a run had even been scored. Following this, Narberth went on to build a steady but solid innings, in which Jack Tucker (71;4x6;9x4) and Ryan Williams (37;1x6;3x4) earned the highest scores. Cresselly’s best bowler was Lewis Mason (2-43). After tea’s the second innings got underway, proving to be a turbulent and hard fought affair. Periods of success from batsmen Josh Lewis (37;1x6;5x4) and Stefan Jenkins (54;9x4) were countered by great bowling from the likes of Lewis Jones (5-50) and Loui Davies (2-33), bringing the match down to the wire. The battle culminated in Cresselly’s tenth and eleventh batsmen needing to push the total over the line in the last few overs. It was to the elation of the Cresselly team that Tyler James (13no) managed to win his team the game by sending the ball over the rope for four in the 39th over. Narberth remain top of the table after the result, though now with less distance than they previously had from St Ishmaels 1XI below them. Cresselly on the other hand sit firmly mid table, well out of reach of the relegation scrap.
Johnston 1XI (140ao) fell short by 32 runs in a match against promotion chasing Pembroke 1XI (172-9). Johnston won the toss, electing to field first. Opener Ceri Brace (55;5x4) came out strong for Pembroke, putting up a convincing half century until being bowled by second change Freddie Goodridge (1-36). Jack Harries (20;1x6;2x4), Richard Pulman (20;3x4) and Andrew Price (23;1x6;3x4) all also contributed 20 runs or more to Pembroke’s final total. Johnston’s best bowlers on the day were Steven Mills (3-14) and Lee Summons (2-24), who worked to keep the score chasable. When play resumed after the break, it was Johnston’s top bowlers who also performed best with the bat. Mills (49;1x6;8x4) was cut just short of his fifty, whilst Summons (31:1x6;4x4) opened up and scored a decent share of the total. In the end, Johnston couldn't quite find the runs and were bowled out in the 39th over. Pembroke will continue to look to break into the top 2 following this fixture, whilst Johnston remain in the lower half of the table.
St Ishmaels 1XI (188-7) plunged a win against second from bottom Llanrhian 1XI (94ao). St Ishmaels lost the toss and were put in to bat, a chance they capitalized on. Lewis Rhead (84;1x6;13x4) scored almost half of the total, with Jonathan Pawlett (27;6x4) and Andrew Williams (16;3x4) providing important runs. Dafydd Williams (3-36) and Llion Williams (2-34) were the pick of the bowlers for Llanrhian, with Simon Bachelor (1-29) taking the wicket which denied Rhead his ton. St Ishmaels started off the second innings strong, at one point having Llanrhian 24-6. Brennan Devonald (4-15) did the damage early, with Andrew Prawlett (3-17) seeing off the lower order. James Morris (39no) was Llanrhian’s top scorer, the only one to get over 15 runs. St Ishmaels now find themselves five points away from top of the table Narberth. Whereas Llanrhian sits at the polar opposite of the table, only 14 points clear of dead last Burton.