Paul Webb’s Averages (for the first-half of the Div-1 cricket season)

Bowling

There are several things which stand out in the bowling figures so carefully compiled by Paul and Janice Webb, not least the fact that a bowler can reach the top 20 this season having claimed only 12 wickets from a maximum of nine matches!

It shows that this warm summer has so far produced the hard tracks so conducive to lots of runs and only Andrew Miller and Matthew Holder have been able to claim six-wicket hauls alongside only five performances which have seen five wickets claimed!

Andrew Miller’s haul is all the more dramatic since he is not only so far ahead of the rest but he is also second in the batting stakes, to show what a captain’s contribution he is making to Neyland – and although he would want to play down that fact there is no doubt that at the moment he is far and away the outstanding player of the season.

Jamie Phelps is also playing well at Hook and one would expect him to be in the top echelon of batsman but our Jamie is also fifth in the bowling stakes to show perhaps that it is perseverance, rather than real pace, which is taking the wickets in difficult conditions for bowlers this campaign.

It is also evident that a number of the regular all-rounders have had slow starts to their season and key all-rounders like Simon Wood, Jonathan Pawlett, Phil Kirkby, Tim Hicks and Webb himself, are unable to find the bowling emphasis they have achieved for so long.

Cricket has a habit, though, of spreading the luck out over a season and we could well have damper conditions in the second half of the season and things could change – and bowlers will certainly hope so because it has been hard going for them so far!

Paul Webb’s Averages (for the first-half of the Div-1 cricket season)

Batting

This really has been a summer to savour for batsmen as huge scores have been commonplace and the runs have flowed on every ground as bowlers were made to toil on rock-hard pitches.

A measure of the fact that bat has been somewhat on top of ball can be gauged by the fact that there have been no fewer than six centuries – and that would have been seven had not Danny Potter (Haverfordwest) got himself out on 99!

Nick Scourfield has regularly been in the top five since Paul and Janice started the stats and Nick stands astride the rest at the top by a massive 183 runs as a tribute to his remarkable consistency and powers of concentration, with four half centuries and a century. There are those who say it is perhaps easier to do well as an opening batsman and there is something in that – but he also has to deal with the new ball and that is where technique comes in – so well done Nick lad!

Andrew Miller stands a proud second and the next five players in the list hail from Haverfordwest and Cresselly as The Town’s run gatherers Potter and Karl Rhead are also excellent batsmen, as are Adam Chandler, Simon Cole and Phil Williams from Cresselly.

Whitland and Llangwm have only one each in the top 20, indicative of their league placings, whilst both Neyland and Narberth have only Miller and Wayne Howells respectively – and they are in the top four!