USK CC suffered Senior Welsh Cup final disappointment as they lost by 87 runs to Pontarddulais on Sunday – just 24 hours after making this weekend's T20 South Wales Premier Cup semi-final.

Having beaten Colwyn Bay by a single run in a final ball epic in the Welsh Cup semi-final, the Monmouthshire outfit went into the 40-over final filled with hope at Vale CC.

Winning the toss and electing to field, Ollie Rayner struck in the 10th over bowling Ioan Phillips for four (32-1).

And when Matthew Williams clutched a catch off the bowling of Matthew Marriott to dismiss new man Cam Herring for three just three overs later, followed by Rayner bowling skipper Matthew Fisher for one next over, Usk had Pont at 42-3.

Sri Lankan No 5 Caniston Gunaratnam added a brisk 23 off 33 balls in a 41-run stand with opener Carl Roberts before holing out to Elliott Doyle off a Tamoor Zafar delivery (84-4).

And former Qatar skipper Zafar soon struck again to make it 96-5, Iestyn Rees holing out to Harawal Ahmed Wassam with 11 overs left.

But a sixth-wicket 90-run stand between Roberts and new man Sam Jardine, who blasted 40 off 25 balls before being bowled by Ben Jones, took the score to 186-6.

And mainman Roberts reached 75 before being stumped by Williams last ball off another Jones delivery as Pont reached 195-7.

It was a middling target and Usk had every hope of chasing it down.

But a disastrous start saw them lose their first five wickets for just 32, Gunaratnam wreaking havoc dismissing Hugo Caldicott for three, Rayner for one and Wassam for six, plus skipper Doyle holing out for four and Williams trapped lbw for six.

Zafar soon followed bowled for nine (49-6) and when Jac Arrowsmith struck again four balls later, Jamie Jones holing out for one to Gunaratnam, it was 51-7 and there seemed no way back.

Matt Hancock and Marriott put on 37 for the eighth wicket, but when the Gunaratnam-Arrowsmith combination struck again (88-8), the writing was on the wall.

Ryan Price then holed out for a duck (92-9) and despite Ben Jones adding an unbeaten seven and Hancock 26, the fall of the latter to a catch off another Gunaratnam delivery brought the innings to an end on 108 all out in the 34th over.

But Usk have to pick themselves up for this weekend’s T20 semi-final against South Wales Premier champions St Fagans, having hammered Port Talbot by 95 runs on Saturday.

Zafar cracked an unbeaten 62 not out off 40 balls, including two sixes and six fours, sharing a 67-run third-wicket partnership with Caldicott, who scored 51 off 44 balls.

Wassam had earlier got the hosts off to a decent start with 35 off 25 balls, the opener firing a six and three fours before holing out (63-2).

And with Zafar carrying his bat and skipper Doyle contributing eight not out, Usk reached an impressive 171-3.

Port came within three balls of then seeing out their 20 overs, but were overwhelmed by the Usk attack, all out for just 76, Wassam taking 2-10-3, Williams 2-11-3 and Jamie Jones 2-9-1.3.

Usk face St Fagans at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff (10am) this Sunday as part of a double header, with Carmarthen Wanderers facing Ynysygerwn in the other semi at 1pm.