Indoor Cricket League - Week One - Division Two
Venue: Neyland Community Hub
Umpires: Chris Stapleton & Jonathan Twigg
Pembrokeshire Seniors B (106 for 4) lost to Lawrenny (107 for 4) by 2 wickets
The evening started with a match between the reformed Pembrokeshire Seniors B team and a Lawrenny team playing its first game in the current set-up.
And it ended in a moment of high drama as the young Lawrenny team, needing 11 runs off the last of their ten overs, still needed three from the final delivery by Julian Forster, which Finley Lewis managed to dispatch for a four to snatch the verdict.
The Seniors made an excellent start as old-timers Jonathan Williams and Dave Lockyer, of Hundleton, put on 50 before the latter retired and Williams departed with 29 (18 balls and two sixes).
But they lost the impetus a little with the early departure of Jason Phillips (6), Dan Griffiths (8) and Forster (1) before Matthew Johns also belted two sixes in his 17 not out in only eight balls alongside Lockyer, who had rejoined the fray and ended on 30 not out, including a six and taking only 17 deliveries.
There were also 15 extras as Taylor Lewis (1 for 25), Will Allen (1 for 27) and Oscar Lewis (2 for 11 were the Lawrenny wicket-takers.
Then Alfie Buckle (14) and Finley Lewis started well for Lawrenny but Noah Williams was run out first ball - but Will Allen sped to 28 and Oscar Lewis chipped in with 17 to keep their side in the hunt for victory.
Taylor Lewis was dismissed for 7 but Finley Lewis stood strong and set up that nerve-wracking finale, where his undefeated 38 not only included that late boundary but three excellent straight sixes as well!
Neyland C (106 for 3) beat Haverfordwest (45 all out) by 61 runs
There was something of a surreal air in this match since Neyland won by 61 runs despite having only five players, and with Haverfordwest conceding an amazing 46 extras, 44 of them from wides!
Asked to bat first, Neyland had a good start from openers Iestyn Miles (22) and John Tennick (24) before the former batsman was run out - and No 3 Jamie Smith departed for a duck.
Charlie French (3 not out) and Rhys Beavis (10 not out) finished the allotted 10 overs available in this section and the 59 runs that accrued from the bat was boosted by those extras, which perhaps showed the way the new balls are swinging and bowlers unable to control them, other than Marc Evans, who ended up with 2 for 11.
Neyland’s bowlers also conceded 18 extras but took wickets at regular intervals as Mark Davies, Marc Evans and Mo Ashok departed for ducks alongside Sudan Safi (4) and Mudit Jain (3), with Mark Stobbs (20) the highest scorer, followed by ‘Mr Extras’ (17).
In the Neyland bowling attack, Iestyn Miles rounded off a great all-round performance with a 3 for 8 haul alongside Jamie Smith (2 for 11) and Rhys Beavis (1 for 5), as Haverfordwest’s newcomers clearly need a little time to adapt to the needs of the indoor game
Herbrandston v Burton (Match cancelled)
There was great disappointment in the Herbrandston camp when Burton dropped out of this fixture and this eagerly-awaited clash between two of the favourites fell through, giving Herbie the win points.