THINGS are hotting up at the top of the Thomas Carroll Glamorgan and Monmouthshire Cricket League Division 1 with five teams slugging it out for the title.

Abergavenny lead the way but they cannot afford to slip up as Blackwood Town, Newbridge and Chepstow are all in good form and ready to pounce.

Chepstow Cricket Club’s first XI maintained their title challenge with a three-wicket victory away at Radyr, gaining a total of 16 points in the process.

Radyr batted first and lost their first four batsmen for single-figure scores as Jon Roberts took three wickets for 23 runs, with three maidens in eight overs.

Dave Monk chipped in with two wickets for just eight runs with half of his ten overs being maidens.

Despite a late rally of sorts by the home side, Dave Teague took 2-19 with one maiden in his seven overs and Radyr’s innings ended on 131 with Nick O’Neill (46 not out) offering the only real resistance.

In reply, there were early departures for Carwyn James (six), Gareth Ansell (ten) and Dave Teague (nine) but Oliver Thornhill – in at number five – carried his bat, scoring 49.

Although he lost partners cheaply, Thornhill’s task was helped along by a useful contribution from Alyn Franklin (17) and 20 extras – including 14 wides – saw Chepstow through to 133-7 with just under six overs to spare.

Meanwhile, at Pontypridd, undisciplined bowling proved Sudbrook’s undoing, according to their skipper Ross Lewis.

“Once again, it was disappointing,” he said.

“It was a slow pitch and we gave them about 30 runs too many in the field when we were on top and had them at 110-5, but some undisciplined bowling let them off the hook.”

Andrew Collins (19), Jon Hughes (36) and 26 runs from Gregor McKain put Pontypridd in the driving seat and despite losing Josh Waughington for a duck, Glen Williams’ 54 and 33 from Thomas Vaal saw them post 206-7 from their 50 overs.

“In our innings, Lewis Morgan batted very well but nobody gave him any real support and nobody could score runs with any fluency,” skipper Lewis added

“We were in the game until two run-outs in the middle overs and we couldn’t get our innings going again, leaving ourselves too much to do in the last 10 overs.”

Morgan was undoubtedly Sudbrook’s top-performing player, taking four wickets at a cost of 21 runs and recording three maidens in his 10 overs, as well as top-scoring with 65 runs.

But two run-outs removed Joe Voke (19) and Kel Stevens (four) and as Lewis said, the innings stuttered to a close on 177-8.