South East Wales Cricket League Division Three (Second XI) - Monmouth CC (101-1) beat Machen CC (99 all out) by nine wickets

SIX wickets from Luke Bowley were the highlight as Monmouth Cricket Club’s Second XI returned to winning ways with a nine-wicket win at home to Machen.

Machen made a good start, but collapsed to 99 all out after James Taylor (pictured right) made the breakthrough in the 16th over.

Skipper Rick Parkes lost the toss and the visitors elected to bat and made early and steady progress on a batting-friendly track. However, Monmouth’s bowling attack contained the run rate admirably, thanks to spells from Raj Kuttuppu (17-0) and Neil Saunders (22-0), fresh from his recent six-wicket haul for the Third XI.

The theme continued with Henry Damon (21-0) and James Taylor (13-1), whose tight spell finally made the breakthrough with Machen on 57 in the 16th over.

The stage was then set for Luke Bowley, making his first start of the season. Bowley cut through the Machen innings as he struck six times, finishing with figures of 13-6 from 7 overs, conceding just one boundary, and at one point being on a hat-trick. At the other end skipper Parkes bagged a couple (10-2 from 5.1 overs).

Keeper Pete Simmons kept tidily behind the stumps, taking two catches and one stumping, while Damon and Rob Pendleton also contributed with a smart catch each. There were good contributions from Joe Atkinson and Tony Brennan in the field as Machen finished on 99 all out in the 34th over.

In reply, openers Tom Jones (45) and Rob Pendleton (32 not out) were rarely in trouble and made steady progress towards the target, before Jones’s dismissal gave Ian Ridyard (five not out) the opportunity to strike the winning runs with a boundary in the 27th over to give Monmouth a 20 point haul and move to fourth place in the league.

Next up Monmouth, sponsored by Bürkert Fluid Control Systems, have a tough away fixture to league leaders Vale.