A WEEK that began with a nine-wicket T20 win over visitors Chepstow ended with a 22-run home victory over Pontarddulais that lifts Usk 1sts to second in South Wales Premier One.

Usk amassed a sizeable 292-9 off 50 overs in Saturday’s league match, with skipper opener Hugo Caldicott firing 70, former Qatar skipper Tamoor Zafar 33 and Glamorgan CCC's Will Smale 52.

Cameron Hemp also scored 35 sharing an 87-run opening partnership with Caldicott, while Iwan Jones contributed 31.

Pont took on the daunting target and still had seven wickets left reaching 220.

But Usk's bowlers and fielders bottled them up and limited them to 270-4, Matthew Marriott taking 2-25, Sam Crisp 1-30, and Hemp 1-73 alongside tight spells from Ben Jones and Matthew Williams.

The previous Monday had seen Usk sweep aside Chepstow’s challenge in their Macey Cup quarter-final.

Three Jones wickets and two apiece from Tahmid Ahmed, Zafar and Ryan Price saw the visitors dismissed for 101 in the final over, only James Hall with 46 making a significant score.

In reply, Caldicott and Hemp raced to 72 in nine overs before the latter was trapped lbw for 35, after a 28-ball knock that included three sixes and three fours.

Caldicott then carried his bat as they reached 102-1 in 12.1 overs, scoring 57 off 41 balls including two sixes and seven fours.

But Usk 2nds came a cropper away to Rogerstone Welfare 1sts in South East Wales 2 on Saturday, all out for 63 in 22 overs, only Jamie Jones with 21, Dan Cordell 13 and Ryan Price 10 making double figures.

Usk's bowlers took six wickets, but Rogerstone reached 64 in just 13.5 overs.

The 3rds won by six wickets in SEW 9 though, dismissing hosts Ponthir 2nds for 112 in 35 overs before breezing to 117-4 in 24.3 overs.

Noah Sanders and Greg Peacock took four wickets each, while Julian Sanders scored 30 and Henry Atkinson an unbeaten 22.