MONMOUTH Cricket Club's Under-9 team gave an excellent display in a narrow 19-run defeat at Wormelow last week.

The Monmouth players excelled with the bat and lost just three wickets – compared to Wormelow's five – in an exciting friendly at Kennel Field.

It was only Monmouth's second-ever game at under-9 level.

Monmouth had lost by almost 60 runs to a more experienced Wormelow side seven days previously in their inaugural under-9 soft-ball match at the Sports Ground.

Both sides started with 200 on the board in last Thursday's (18th August) contest and were penalised eight runs each time they lost a wicket.

In reply to Wormelow's 269 for five, Monmouth made 250 for three with seven-year-old Harry Hughes, the youngest player in the club's history and son of club stalwart Gareth Hughes, hitting 11 runs.

For full story see Beacon 24/08/11.