USK 1st XI were leapfrogged to fourth by visitors Bridgend Town on Saturday after a disappointing second straight South Wales Premier One loss.

Opener Hugo Caldicott's dismissal for a duck was the worst start, as Usk were all out for just 122 in 41 overs, England skipper Joe Root's brother Billy Root top-scoring with 25, backed by Tom Mason with 24, Jamie Jones 20 and Tahmid Ahmed 19.

Glamorgan's Root then took 4-27 off 10 overs as Usk had some success reducing Bridgend to 62-4 and 102-6.

But the visitors made it to 124 without further loss in 39.3 overs, Matthew Williams also taking 2-25-10 and Tamoor Zafar unlucky not to take a wicket returning 0-18-8.

The result leaves Usk fifth with four games to play after defeat to Cardiff a week earlier, having sat second in the league at the start of July.

Root also took three wickets in Usk’s Big Smash League midweek game at home to Welsh Bengals, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 69-run loss.

The visitors fired 193-7 off 18 overs, Tom Mason also taking two wickets.

Usk were then limited to 124-9 in reply, Abdul Jolil taking five wickets, with only Matthew Williams 37, Mason 33 and Matthew Robinson 10 not out in double figures.

Usk 2nds won Saturday’s South East Wales 2 basement battle away to bottom side Newbridge 1sts by five wickets though, Ryan Jones cracking a six for victory with 12 overs to spare in his 22 not out off 22 balls.

The visitors' bowlers skittled their hosts in 36 overs, reducing them from 66-3 to 144 all out in 36 overs, Ryan Price taking three wickets, Dan Cordell, Joe Peacock and Neil Perrett two apiece and Oliver Hall one.

And a magnificent 201-run opening stand between Julian Sanders and skipper Arvind Aswani helped fire Usk 3rds to a a superb 322-4 total and a 29-run victory over SEW 9 visitors Blaengarw & Coedely 1sts.

Sanders scored 116 off 99 balls including 21 fours before being run out, while his opening partner was agonisingly trapped lbw for 93 having dispatched 17 fours.

Evan Wynne with 45 not out and Gethin Thomas 30 then continued the momentum to leave the visitors with a mountain to climb.

But a brilliant 163 from Dist Jones, including six sixes and 23 fours, kept them in the game until falling to a Wynne caught and bowled (288-8).

And they were all out for 293 in 36.5 overs eight balls later, with Ross Price taking four wickets, Evan Wynne and Ceri Wynne two apiece, and Thomas and George Atkinson one each.

The win still leaves the 3rds second from bottom however, 17 points behind eighth-placed Blaengarw.

Elsewhere, near neighbours Llanarth 1sts fell to an eight-wicket loss away to SEW 5 leaders Bridgend Town 2nds.

The villagers reached 190-9 in their 45 overs, Isaac Evans firing 53, Ollie Mann 29, Craig Whistance 27 and Dan Moseley 21 not out.

Fourth-placed Llanarth then had Bridgend rocking at 18-2, but an unbeaten third-wicket stand of 173 between Chris Bushell with 116 and Troy St David Smith with 43 saw Town to 191-2 with six overs to spare.

Llanarth 2nds also saw out their 40 overs reaching 193-9 in SEW 12, but it proved 61 runs short of visitors Lisvane 4ths’ 254-7 target.

Julian Smith, Jamie George and Andrew Hilditch took wicket braces, while opener Nick White fired 54 and Tom Coles 27.