A SUPERB unbeaten 142 from Gareth Jones led Monmouth 3rds to an emphatic 94-run victory at Abercarn 2nds in Division 12 of the South-East Wales League.

Jones cracked 15 fours and a six in his maiden century for Monmouth, which propelled the visitors to a competitive 218-4 from 40 overs in Saturday’s match.

Man-of-the-match Jones shared a 125-run second wicket stand in 23 overs with opener Matt Williams who scored 48, which provided the basis of Monmouth’s total.

All-rounder Nick Robinson chipped in with 11 as Abercarn, who won the toss and elected to field, stuck to their task well on a humid and drizzly afternoon.

After the interval, Monmouth, sponsored by Bürkert Fluid Control Systems, picked up wickets at regular intervals to restrict Abercarn to 124-8 from their 40 overs.

Opener Rhys Williams hit a fine 42 for Abercarn, but Gareth Jones snapped up 3-14 and captain Neil Saunders bagged 3-30 from eight overs, while the returning Rhys Phillips took 1-0 from two overs.

Robinson (0-11 from eight overs), 12-year-old Osian Jones (0-32 from eight), Alun Jeremiah (0-11 from four), Becky Townsend and Nick Holt also delivered tidy spells for Monmouth, while wicketkeeper Dannie Stone and Harry Williams were dynamic in the field as the visitors sealed a third successive win.

The match was sponsored by Bürkert Fluid Control Systems and Monmouth 3rds host high-flying Llantwit Fardre 2nds at the Sports Ground this Saturday (12.30pm).

Meanwhile, there was disappointment for an understrength but spirited Monmouth 2nds, who slipped to a 99-run home defeat against a strong Llandaff 4ths in Division 9.

Sam Brennan (3-31 from 7.5 overs) was Monmouth’s most successful bowler as they battled hard to dismiss Llandaff for 199 in 34.5 overs on a worn pitch at the Sports Ground.

Tom McNally (2-16), Greg Thomas (2-41), Tom Russell (1-13 from four overs), William Wilton (1-26) and Will Powles (1-29) collected wickets as Jasim Shoaib (52), Ibrahim Shah (35) and Sohail Rauf (21) shone for the Cardiff club.

Kit Skailes (0-14) and Nadia Mackey (0-20) also bowled well without any luck, while captain Barry Jones, Wilton, McNally and Ian Morgan took catches and Paul Dunsford was sharp in the field.

In reply, 14-year-old Imran Rauf (5-19 from eight overs) ripped through Monmouth’s batting line-up, which rallied through Wilton (21), Brennan (21) and Jones (20) to eventually reach 100 all out.

The match was sponsored by The King’s Head Hotel – JD Wetherspoon - and Monmouth 2nds will be aiming to bounce back at Cefn Fforest & Maesycwmmer Firsts this Saturday (12.30pm).

Monmouth 4ths were not in action but are scheduled to travel to Abertillery 2nds in Division 13 East on Saturday (12.30pm start).

Meanwhile, Monmouth women’s hard-ball team, with several players making their debuts, produced an encouraging performance in a pairs’ match at Huntley on Sunday.

Helen McGloin top scored with 14 for Monmouth, while sisters Lauren and Megan Maguire both snapped up a brace of wickets.

Batting first, Monmouth reached 95 runs for the loss of 12 wickets, before Huntley replied with an assured 105 for five.

The match was sponsored by Latorre Consultancy.

Monmouth CC hold their weekly training sessions for all seniors on Thursdays at the Sports Ground from 6pm.

To get involved, contact Dave Walters by emailing [email protected]

* MONMOUTH School for Boys will be hosting a Glamorgan County Cricket Club fixture on its picturesque playing fields next week.

Glamorgan will be playing a one-day 2nd XI fixture against the South Asian Cricket Association on Thursday, August 11 (starting at 11am).

The match is part of an exciting ongoing partnership between Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools and Glamorgan.

In 2019, Monmouth School for Boys hosted its first Glamorgan 2nds matches since 1996 with fixtures involving Worcestershire and Essex.