CHEPSTOW Cricket Club’s 1st XI maintained their title challenge with a home victory over Usk Cricket Club at Mathern Road last Saturday.

And as team captain Jason Dobbie said, his men are winning despite not always playing their best cricket.

“It’s great to see us winning vital games without hitting top form,” he said after Chepstow beat Usk by 21 runs.

“We should have posted a 270 to 280 total,” Dobbie continued.

“Even when we’ve been let down by some poor middle-order batting, we’ve played well enough to win. It would be very exciting if we played to the best of our ability.”

Chepstow began well with openers Carwyn James and Gareth Ansell putting on 68 before Ansell (38) departed.

James (44) and Tyler Morgan-Huggett (16) put on a further 48 and when Mitchell Harris joined the campaign, he made 53 including one maximum and six boundaries to keep the momentum going until he was trapped leg before.

Dave Teague (22) and Oliver Thornhill (13) kept the scoreboard ticking over and although the next three wickets went cheaply, Jon Roberts steered Chepstow to 256 with two sixes in his 20-run contribution.

Oliver James was the pick of the Usk bowlers with 3-41.

In reply, Malith Madurasinghe struck early to remove openers Iain Clayton for a duck, and Owen Watkins (11) caught by Dobbie and Teague respectively.

Usk’s skipper Henry Lewis steadied the ship with a fine 101 – including six boundaries and four maximums – but he lost partners at regular intervals.

George Lewis chipped in with 39 useful runs until he was run-out by James, but when Henry Lewis departed with the score on 215-9, it left Tom Robinson (14 not out) and James Aston (12 not out) with a big deficit to make up.

Madurasinghe took the bowling honours for Chepstow with 2-22 and one maiden in his nine overs and Tudor Morgan-Huggett took two of the last wickets to fall in a three-over spell for the loss of 32 runs.