South East Wales Cricket League Division Three (Second XI)

MONMOUTH Cricket Club’s Second XI made it five wins from six following victories away to Barry Wanderers and at home to Machen.

At Barry, having been put in to bat, Monmouth struggled with the conditions and progressed slowly and the visitors stood at just 53-2 in the 20th over.

However, the scene was set for Ian Morgan and 15-year old Ben Pilot to launch a 166-run unbeaten partnership. Morgan, making his first appearance for the second XI this year after a spell in the first XI hit 71 not out, including seven fours and one six. 

At the other end, Pilot hit his second century in three innings, notching up 10 fours and seven sixes in a superb 110 not out.   

Monmouth’s batsmen hit 98 off the last 10 overs of the innings, to finish on an impressive 219-2 from 40 overs.

However, Barry Wanderers flew out of the blocks with their reply and got ahead of the required run rate from the start. Despite the efforts of opening bowlers Luke Bowley (0-30 from six overs) and second team debutant Steve Finn (0-39 from six) Wanderers reached 75-0 in the 13th over. 

At this point Parkes turned to Pilot, who continued another man-of-the-match performance with a breakthrough, producing a wicket maiden in his first over, followed rapidly by a second wicket in his next over. At the other end, the experienced Aled Jones (0-43) produced a controlled spell, but the home side kept up the pressure. 

Indeed at 158-2 in the 31st over, the match was still very much in the balance. However another bowling change saw a four-wicket return for Morgan (4-24 from six), who pegged the home side back as their attempts to hit out at his left arm slow spinning backfired. However, the game was by no means won with Wanderers closing the 35th over on 180, needing 40 runs from five overs but with wickets in hand, and 20 from the last two. 

Nonetheless at the other end, 15 year-old Alfie Robinson was bowling maturely against a team chasing runs, contributing a fine spell that was better than his figures of 0-41 from six overs suggested. In the end, Pilot was brought back for two overs at the death, and fittingly took a wicket with the last ball of the innings to finish on 3-27 from eight overs with two maidens.

As a result Monmouth were able to contain Wanderers to 207-7 from their 40 overs, and celebrate a hard-fought win by 12 runs.

Last Saturday, Monmouth followed this up with a commanding eight-wicket win at home to Machen who, having been put into bat by skipper Rick Parkes, found runs hard to come by.  

Alfie Robinson, who opened the bowling, was very unlucky not to be rewarded with a wicket after notching figures of 0-9 runs from six overs with one maiden, while at the other end Luke Bowley (1-21 from seven overs with one maiden) got the breakthrough in the 12th over with Machen at 19-1. Thereafter, the game continued in similar fashion as Neil Saunders (1-11 from four overs, with one maiden), Tony Brennan (0-7 from two overs) and Raj Kuttuppu (0-7 from four overs with one maiden) refusing to concede many runs, but with Machen stubbornly holding on to their wickets.

It was not until the 27th over that the second wicket fell, with Machen having progressed to 66-1 at that point, courtesy of a run-out from a direct hit from the outfield by vice captain Gaz Hughes. In the meantime, Aled Jones (1-15 from six overs with one maiden) had kept things tight, before Parkes made a series of bowling changes in the search for fielding points.

As a result, Machen’s innings collapsed following a tumble of wickets, thanks to spells from Hughes, who bagged 3-11 runs from five overs with two maidens, and Ian Morgan who took 2-3 from four overs with two maidens, as the fielders crowded around the final batsmen. Parkes (4-1 from two with one maiden) became the ninth bowler to be used and he took the ninth wicket thanks to a very sharp catch at short leg from Kuttuppu. The home side saw catches from Ryan Jones, Bowley and Hughes, whilst Shaw held on to the gloves for 40 overs and excelled behind the stumps, despite having never kept wicket previously. 

In the event, the final wicket just eluded Monmouth as Machen closed on 82-9 from 40 overs.

In reply, Monmouth progressed smoothly towards the runs required, reaching 63-0 by the 17th over as openers Parkes (14) and Morgan played steadily and dispatched any loose balls. 

When the skipper was caught following a very sharp catch at point, Ryan Jones joined Morgan as the latter completed another undefeated half-century. Morgan fittingly hit the winning runs as he concluded his fifth successive half-century for the second eleven, hitting seven fours in his innings of 56 not out.

As a result, Monmouth finished on 83-2 and victors by eight wickets, retaining their hold on second place in the table.

Next up Monmouth, sponsored by Bürkert Fluid Control Systems hope to continue a good season to date, away at Pontymister and Cross Keys.