Superb County Under 15s are Welsh regional champions!

Wales Regional U15's Cricket Final:

Pembrokeshire (166-7 in 40 overs) beat Gwent (141 all out in the 40^th over)
Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd

Pembrokeshire’s talented under 15 cricketers produced a superb all-round team performance to beat hot favourites Gwent in the Welsh Regional Cup Final.

The final was held on a damp day where Ynysangharad Park was unfortunately without covers so the wicket and the outfield were saturated early on which meant that the start was delayed and the overs reduced from 50 to 40 overs. The umpires did well to start and then keep the game going throughout, with some heavy drizzle & rain. Pembrokeshire lost the toss and were put into bat against their counterparts from Gwent, who were firm favourites with their eight current or ex- Welsh Internationals.

Excellent start – and a good fight-back

An excellent start by openers, Kurtis Marsh and Tomos Lewis saw Pembrokeshire reach 52 off 10 overs before Lewis was unlucky to be out from an edge with a lifting ball for five runs, which brought Dafydd Bevan to the crease, who has had a superb season.

Gwent fought back through James Simkins (2 for 5 off 6 overs) and Luc Kear (0-28 off 8 overs). Pembrokeshire slowed up and reached 69 in the 19^th over, when Marsh (22) was caught off Simkins. The wicket of Scott Jones (first ball), put Gwent on top, however, Jack Parkinson and Bevan advanced the score to 120 in the 32^nd over, before Bevan was out for a well-crafted 56, including eight 4's. Geraint Jones, together with Parkinson, added another 30 runs, with Jones being run out on the last ball for 31, including one towering six, alongside Parkinson’s important 28).

Good score? Divided opinion!

Joe Voke (0-19) and Matt Brooks (3-41) bowled well for Gwent and with extras at 18, Pembrokeshire finished on 166-7 off 40 overs, which was a very good score from the Pembrokeshire team under the difficult circumstances: however opinion was divided as to whether this would be enough runs with the strong Gwent batting line up.

Pembrokeshire, however came out fighting, exactly as they had done in the semi-final against Cardiff & The Vale, with superb opening spells from Greg Thompson (0-11) and George Williams (0-6), aided by very tight fielding. The pressure mounted and a good run out by Jack Parkinson saw Gwent reach 23-1 off 10 overs.

Pembrokeshire battle well

Will Davey (Welsh wicket keeper and opening bat) joined Luc Kear in advancing the score to 50 off 15, before Kear was bowled by Marsh for 17. This brought in Matt Brooks, who proceeded to hit a 6 off his first ball. However, Marsh had his revenge with a good catch by Adam Parr. Marsh ended up with figures (2-26 off 8 overs) and Pembrokeshire continued to work hard in the field with both Jacob Knox and Tom Hill putting their bodies on the line in chasing after every loose ball.

Gwent needed 106 of the last 20 overs, with pressure beginning to mount. Davey and Matias Kefalas used their experience and despite tight bowling by Scott Jones (1-26) and Jacob Knox (0-18), advanced the score to 106 in the 31^st over.

Key turning points in Pembrokeshire’s favour

Then came the turning point of the game, with Scott Jones running out Kefalas (22) from a direct hit and Jacob Knox taking a brilliant catch off the bowling of Thomas Pritchard, dismissing James Scarborough (6). In the same over, another excellent piece of fielding by Knox, saw Davey ran out for 44, with the game now swinging in Pembrokeshire's favour.

Darnell Taylor-Wood (14) & Tom Keane (11) pushed on for Gwent, but Pritchard (2-22) and Parkinson (1-12), rounded off the game for Pembrokeshire, with Gwent all out in the 40^th over for 141.

Outstanding performances need more recognition

This was an excellent win for Pembrokeshire, whose team spirit and camaraderie showed throughout the day and helped them towards this marvellous victory.

At the end of the day, Pembrokeshire outperformed Gwent in all three of the disciplines of cricket. One does wonder, with the performances of a number of these boys over the years, what they have to do to gain higher honours and recognition in the Welsh set-up. Having spoken to Ray Kane, the 'Guru’ of Pembrokeshire Junior Cricket', this is the first time that the County has won this prestigious award. Individual commemorative plaques were presented by Steve Watkin (Cricket Development Officer, Cricket Wales).

A total credit

The team were a credit to themselves, their families, clubs and, more importantly, Pembrokeshire Cricket. They would like to thank all the supporters who travelled up on the coach and the numerous people who drove up on the day, despite the adverse weather, which did not dampen the Pembrokeshire spirits!

Team coaches Martin Jones and Mickey Marsh would like to thank all the parents and players for all their support over the years, including Yvonne Jones' organisation and their fellow coaches – Sean Hannon, Richard Harris and Ray Kane, who have helped throughout the years.