Holders Neyland smashed by Seasiders

Saundersfoot (196 for 9) beat Neyland (96 all out) by 100 runs

Venue: Saundersfoot Cricket Ground

Umpires: Steve Williams & Ian Gow

Scorers: Adge John & John Laugharne

Scoreboard and ‘Play Cricket Live’ Assistants: Rhys Richards & Sarah Arran

Saundersfoot produced a performance of assurance and commitment to dump Bowl holders Neyland out of this year’s competition - a surprise result but one which even the most die-hard Neyland supporters would have to say was a deserved one.

The Seasiders almost lost Tom Mansbridge from Patrick Hannon’s first ball but it drifted out of the clutches of a fielder and went down the slope for four - and Tom showed his appreciation by blasting 18 more runs off the remaining five deliveries.

Then when Neyland set out on their mammoth chase their own big hitter Paul Murray pushed Sam Franklin’s first delivery straight into Gareth Edwards’ bread basket at mid-on - and after four overs Neyland had reached 4 for 2 because fellow opener Alan Webster departed for a duck after wafting his bat at five deliveries and then being bowled by Franklin!!

Seasiders start like runaway trains . . .

Going back to the start of the game, Danny Caine joined Tom Mansbridge to face Patrick Hannon and his twin brother Sean and both batsmen blasted anything remotely loose to the boundary and they had reached 44 in the fifth over before Caine was bowled by the Neyland captain for 13, including one six as he was content to play second fiddle.

Caine’s loss proved to be something of an unintentional bonus for Saundersfoot because Sam Franklin joined the fray and was soon matching Mansbridge run for run as they put on 97 before Mansbridge was caught on the mid-wicket fence by Dai Davies off Jack John for 75 in only 34 deliveries, including 10 fours and three sixes.

As so often happens, John Mansbridge replaced his brother, and was bowled second-ball for a duck by Jack John, quickly followed by Danny Brace for 1, (lobbed to George Evans at mid-wicket off Brad McDermott-Jenkins) - and the same bowler shifted Yannic Parker (superbly stumped by Sean Hannon), Gareth Edwards (4, another Dai Davies catch), Scott Helmich (caught by Patrick Hannon for 7), Iori Richards (bowled for a duck) and Simon Stanford (a last-over 10) to give him impressive final figures of 6 for 41.

But throughout this loss of wickets, Franklin continued to wreak his own brand of carnage and at the end of the 22 overs his score at 76 not out included 12 fours and a six and had taken his side to that massive final tally of 196, or just short of nine runs per over, an amazing feat in the absence of a couple of their other big hitters!

. . . Neyland start like shell-shocked snail

Without several key run-makers themselves Neyland’s awful start perhaps saw a few heads go down but at 4 for 2 Brad McDermott-Jenkins and Ross Hardy began a rebuild but The Seasiders’ tails were up in the field and with the ball – and boy did they let their opponents know it.

Brad M-J scored 18 before he fell to man of the match Franklin as part of his 4 for 34 haul on top of his outstanding batting and Hardy hit 22, both with two fours and a six – and Jack John also batted well for his 24 but that apart it was an evening to forget for the holders.

But Neyland skipper Sean Hannon sportingly conceded that they were well beaten and there is no doubt that if Saundersfoot can maintain this sort of form they could push any side in the county and might even be considered co-favorites to win the Bowl!





 

Action pictures kindly supplied by Tim Phillips

 

Burton beat Pembroke in hard-fought tussle

Pembroke (131 all out) lost to Burton (150 for 7) by 19 runs

 
Venue: Treleet Ground, Pembroke
 
Umpires: Rob Bellerby & Dave Bonner
 
Burton produced a solid, committed performance against Pembroke to move into the last four of this year’s Harrison-Allen Bowl which was typified by nervous starts in both batting line-ups renowned for their Division Two strength in depth.
 
Burton batted first and loss in-form opener Joe Kiff for a four-ball duck, caught by Jack Harries off Billy Wood, who then bowled another recent Burton centurion next ball in Jonathan Venables – and after James Davies (13) joined skipper Toby Hayman in redressing the balance a little he was adjudged lbw to Callum Davies, who promptly bowled Morgan Scale next delivery for the team’s third duck in their front five!
 
Toby Hayman and his vice-captain, Dan Llewellyn did well to pull things around somewhat but when the latter reached 25 he was run out – and skipper Hayman was eventually caught by Pembroke keeper Phil Hay off Sam Davies for a battling 40 that included only one four and one six.
 
Dan Ridge (3) also came and went as he was another run out victim – but Burton’s bacon was saved by an eighth-wicket unbroken stand by Luke Hayman (19) and Nick Jones (21) alongside some of the 29 extras conceded by the home team, for whom Wood (2 for 23) and Callum Davies (2 for 27) were the pick of their bowlers as Sam Davies also picked up 1 for 38.
 
Pembroke also began badly as Billy Wood (3) and Phil Hay (6) were respectively given out lbw to Luke Hayman and Jack Davies, who also removed another key run-getter in Will Davies for six runs as Luke Hayman claimed the vital scalp of home skipper Jack Harries, who had two fours in his promising 14 before he was clean bowled to give the bowler figures of 2 for 28 alongside Davies’s 2 for 23.
 
Morgan Scale also bowled really well as he kept the pressure on with 3 for 34 as Luke Butler (27), Ceri Brace (14) and especially Andrew Hay (31) mounted a rearguard action,  as Burton also gifted them 19 extras but in the final analysis the visitors held their nerve and now take their place in the semi-final against Lawrenny as their reward.

Thomas takes Lawrenny to Bowl semi-final

Pembroke Dock (142 for 3) lost to Lawrenny (143 for 2 ) by 8 wickets

 
Venue: Lawrenny CC
 
Umpires: Rob Bellerby & Dave Brandon
Scorers: Malcolm Thomas & Nicola Murray
 
Pembroke Dock batted first at Lawrenny and had solid performances from all their front five to set their first-division opponents a target of just over a run a ball but these days that is not regarded as an overly challenging tally and that is how it turned out because in-form home opener Harry Thomas judged his unbeaten innings to perfection and he steered them through with eight wickets and 11 balls still in hand.
 
Nick Daley opened for The Dock and had two fours in his 13 before he was neatly stumped by Will Allen off Rob Williams before they moved to 97 and lost their second wicket after George Smith set the tempo with four boundaries in 44 balls but was bowled teenager Finley Lewis after Adam Phillips had reached 34 in the partnership before being caught by Rhys Eynon off home skipper Ryan Morton.
 
Lawrenny conceded 25 extras as Jake Davies (11) and Rhys Daley (6) were not out at the end of the 22 overs, having used up 27 balls, with Dock skipper Scott Griffiths surprisingly having moved himself down the order.
 
Lawrenny lost Jack Tucket at the start of their innings as he was unable to get The Dock bowlers away but Harry Thomas was joined by Wil Nicholas in a stand of 74 before the latter was caught by Phillips off Nick Daley for 30 from 25 deliveries.
 
Thet brought skipper Ryan Morton to the crease and with Thomas helping to give him the strike he belted 34 not out in 19 balls, including three fours and two big sixes – with Thomas also playing a very important role with his 72 not out from 66 deliveries, including six fours and three cracking sixes.
 
So Lawrenny again take their place in the final four of this Blue Riband event of local cricket - where they must now wait until Monday evening to see whether they will face Llangwm or Cresselly!