November 18th 2024

 
Umpires: Rob Bellerby & Jon Willington
Scorers: Ginny Davies, Rachel Sander and Leo Power
Venue: Neyland Community Hub
 
 

Easy wins for Hook, Neyland A and Pembroke A

 
There were quick finishes in this week’s round of matches, with Hook taking only 4.4 overs to beat Pembroke B; Neyland beat Llanrhian by 43 runs and Pembroke A were comfortable victors of neighbours Pembroke Dock, who failed to show their form of the previous week.
 

 Pembroke B (70 all out) lost to Hook (71 for 0) by six wickets

 
After batting first, Pembroke were in immediate bother as they lost openers Ceri Brace (4) and Will Davies (8) - and although No 3 batsman Andy Tait looked settled from the start they then lost Sion Donohoe (1), Hassan Azziz (0) and Toby Bradley-Watson (8), who blasted a big six but then departed as Owen Phelps (3 for 22) and Bradley Flood (2 for 12) were the wicket-takers but had excellent support from skipper Aled Phelps and Harry Makepeace, plus some excellent stops in the field and first-class wicket-keeping by Liam Miller.
 
Tait had retired on 25 but then returned to stay until he was last man out with two boundaries in his 42, when his back-up partner was run out and the innings ended after 10.3 of their 12 overs.
 
In sharp contrast, Hook openers Miller and Makepeace made mince-meat out of the Pembroke B bowlers, apart from a couple of run out chances, as they were already on 55 without loss in the early part of the fourth over and both Miller (27 in 12 balls, including two fours) and Makepeace (26 in 11 deliveries, with one boundary) retired.
 
George James was even quicker as he belted 13 not out in four overs and Aled Phelps scored three off the only ball he faced so that it was a very easy win for Hook as they showed the sort of form that was absent when they lost the previous week!
 
 
 

Neyland (127 for 3) beat Llanrhian (84 for 5) by 43 runs

 
Neyland again showed why they are so far out in front of their opposition as they started quite slowly against a Llanrhian side sitting in the top half of the table - but then dramatically increased the momentum in their second six overs and made sure that there was no time in the Llanrhian innings that indicated they might reach their target.

 
Lewis Wood (9) departed early on before Dai Davies and Andrew Miller, two superb exponents of the way to build an innings, gradually increased the tempo until both rehired when looking in commanding form.
 

Patrick Bellerby departed for a first ball duck as Llanrhian skipper Iwan James took an excellent leg-side catch as keeper, and Jack John could only manage three runs, which brought in Brad McDermott-Jenkins as last man.

 
Brad was carrying a leg injury and at first wasn’t anxious to risk quick singles but with Andrew Miller back at the crease he soon warmed up and Miller showed why he is rightly regarded as one of the best-ever exponents of the indoor game as he sped to 51 not out before a second retirement brought Davies (29 not out) in again for a short while as McDermott-Jenkins ended on 35 not out to show his worth to Neyland as a very good all-rounder.
 
Chasing 128 to win was a challenge for Llanrhian and even though Neyland were without influential Sean Hannon and Ross Hardy they soon fell well behind the run rate, despite some dogged resistance from opener Karl Davies, who batted almost throughout the ten overs for his 30 not out alongside double figures for Matthew Bennett (16) and Iwan James (11).
 
But Bellerby claimed an amazing 2 for 5 in his miserly three overs to more than atone for his ‘Golden Duck’ earlier on and Dai Davies (2 for 21) was the other successful bowler as the issue was never in doubt in the later stages of the game.
 


 
 

Pembroke Dock (55 all out) lost to Pembroke (57 for 2) by 4 wickets

 
Pembroke Dock Looked a shadow of the side that beat Hook the previous week as they batted first and could only muster 55 all out in just 8.3 overs - and although Pembroke lost Billy Wood cheaply it was his brother, Archie Hillier-Wood, and Sam Davies who took them home in 7.3 overs.
 
Adam Phillips (3) and Tom Grimwood (5) went early before Rhys Daley (18 in 12 balls) and Scott Griffiths (16 in nine balls, including two nice fours) put them back on track but without any real increase in the run rate.
 
Nick Daley also chipped in with 11 from 10 balls before he was run out and George Smith departed for a duck so The Dock could only muster their less-than-challenging score as Hillier-Wood (2 for 11) was supported by some tight bowling by Callum Davies, Sam Davies (1 for 22) and Billy Wood.
 
Pembroke also made a poor start as Luke Butler went first ball and Wood could only add two runs as Smith (1 for 11) and Nick Daley (1 for 12) started well- but then Hillier-Wood scored 22 (23 balls) and Sam Davies belted 25 not out (off 15 balls, including three fours and a six) so that Pembroke certainly have the bragging rights against their neighbours from ‘just a mile up the road’!