South East Wales Cricket League - Division 7 Monmouth CC 1st XI vs Abercarn CC 1st XI

Monmouth CC won the toss and elected to field on a warm afternoon in Monmouth. The home side produced a clinical run chase to overpower Abercarn CC in a high-scoring contest packed with big shots, fiery bowling, and a brilliant century from Shrinivas Dighe that ultimately proved in vain.

Having been put in to bat, Abercarn made a cautious start as Eddie Atkinson struck early, removing both openers, Paul Farkas and Jeremy Parsons, in a testing new-ball spell.

Wickets continued to tumble as Gareth Jones grabbed two quick scalps, reducing Abercarn to a precarious 63 for 5.

Enter Shrinivas Dighe, who turned the innings on its head with a masterclass in counterattacking strokeplay. Dighe peppered the boundary ropes, cracking 14 fours and 5 sixes on his way to a superb 107 off 80 balls.

He found an able ally in Kurt Smith, who contributed a composed 38 in a century stand for the sixth wicket. As Monmouth’s bowlers toiled in the afternoon sun, Abercarn powered past 200, finally closing their innings at 217 for 8 in 40 overs, bolstered by a hefty 45 extras.

Atkinson (3-25) and Harry Desroy (3-13) were the pick of the Monmouth attack, while Peter Keay kept things tight despite six wides in his spell.

Abercarn hoped their total would test Monmouth, that optimism faded quickly. Gareth Jones and Matthew Jones tore into the bowling from the outset, racing to 50 in just 6.5 overs.

The pair combined aggression with precision, punishing anything short or wide. Gareth fell for an enterprising 46 (33 balls), but Matthew continued untroubled, bringing up his fifty in just 38 deliveries.

Ben Pilot joined the charge, smashing 26 before holing out, but by then the match was as good as sealed.Matthew Jones completed a commanding unbeaten century (101 off 75 balls), guiding Monmouth to 218 for 2 in only 24.4 overs, sealing victory by eight wickets with more than 15 overs to spare.

Monmouth collected 19 points from the match, moving them to top of Division 7. Abercarn, despite Dighe’s heroics, were left to rue early wickets and an unrelenting Monmouth top order.

Meanwhile Monmouth CC 3rd XI produced a commanding all-round performance to brush aside Glangrwyney CC 2nd XI and progress up to 10th place in the Division 15 table.

Having won the toss on a breezy afternoon, Monmouth captain Sean McCluskey wisely chose to field first—and his bowlers seized the initiative from the outset.Robin Smoult was the pick of the attack, ripping through the top order to claim an impressive three wickets for just 13 runs in 8 overs, while Jack Mallen (2–9) and Marta Fernandez (1–13) chipped in with vital breakthroughs.

Glangrwyney never fully recovered from regular losses of wickets, limping to 133–7 from their 40 overs, bolstered only by a flurry of 43 extras. In the field, the team backed each other up and Huw Jones pulled off a world class catch to help keep the score down. In reply, Monmouth’s chase was clinical and emphatic. Opener Paul Mallen led the charge with a sparkling 78 not out, peppering the boundary with 17 fours to dismantle the bowling attack.

He was superbly supported by Jack Mallen, who stroked a classy 52 not out, as the pair combined for an unbroken stand that sealed victory in just 23.4 overs

.Earlier dismissals of Nick Holt and Robin Smoult briefly gave Glangrwyney hope, but once the Mallens settled, there was no stopping Monmouth’s march to 134–2, collecting the maximum 19 points in the process.This result propels Monmouth 3rd XI into the top ten for the first time this season—a deserved reward for a side showing growing confidence and depth. With momentum firmly on their side, Monmouth will be eyeing further climbs up the table in the weeks ahead.

Next up, Monmouth will look to build on this momentum and continue to climb up Division 15.