FOUR-wicket hauls for Matthew Williams and Tamoor Zafar, followed by 51 from Elliott Doyle spearheaded Usk Cricket Club 1st XI’s push for a five-wicket win at Gorseinon in South Wales Premier League Two on Saturday.

The Swansea hosts started well enough reaching 67-1, but the bowling duo then ripped the heart out of the batting line-up, backed by Henry Woolf with the wicket of third man Josh Rencken for 30, reducing them to 90-8.

The tail wagged adding 52 for the last two wickets taken by Williams, but the hosts were all out for 142 in 43.5 overs.

Former Qatar skipper Zafar’s four scalps came for 21 off 10 overs, while Williams took 4-16 off 8.5. 

And a half century for skipper opener Doyle, including eight fours, backed by 26 for Hugo Caldicott and 25 for Mika Ekstrom steered Usk to 144-5 in 34 overs to stay fourth.  

South East Wales 4 leaders Usk 2nds won by 169 runs at home after skittling Tondu 2nds for 64. Gabriel Warwick with 69 and Will Hall-Tomkin with 50 led Usk to 233-7 off 40 overs, before Joe Peacock with four wickets and Dan Cordell three helped dismiss the visitors in the 19th over as they collapsed from 40-2.

The 3rds also won by eight wickets away to Llandaff 4ths in SEWCL 10, Ross Price and Ryan Price taking three wickets apiece and Julian Smith two as the hosts were all out for 105 in 33 overs.

Damian Harvey then cracked 50 off just 29 balls, including nine fours and a six, backed by Arvind Aswani with 48, as Usk raced to 109-2 in 16.5 overs. 

But the Sunday XI fell just six runs short of chasing down The Forty Club’s 256-7 in 40 overs at home next day, where Dan Cordell again took three wickets.

Matt Williams cracked 73, including 10 fours and a six, Neil Perrett 62, including seven fours and two sixes, and Damian Harvey an unbeaten 56, with six fours and two sixes, but the innings ended agonisingly short on 250-5.

Sam Hope-Bell hit 57 and Ben Hope-Bell 50 not out in Chepstow 1st XI’s 245-9 off 45 overs at home to Dafen Welfare in Premier Two.

Jason Dobbie and Mitchell Harris with three wickets each and Lewys Jones two then laid siege to the visitors, all out for 107 in 33 overs, for a 138-run home win.

Benedict Tindall with an unbeaten 87 guided Chepstow 2nds to 200 all out away to Ponthir 1sts in SEW 5, before Ben Pilot with four wickets, and Rizan Mansoor and Josh Tregaskes with two, helped dismiss the visitors for 167.

Harry Harkins hit 89 off 53 balls and Alun Jones 55 and Jake Bryant 53 as the 3rds racked up 307-7 at home to Ponthir 3rds in a friendly. And there were wicket braces for Paul Phillips, Joe Cliff, Huw Rogers and Charlie Harkins as Ponthir were then all out for 188 in 34.2 overs.

There was a thriller at Llanarth on Saturday, as a run out on the last ball saw the 1st XI’s SEW Five match with Croesyceiliog 2nds tied on 262 runs each.

Eighty from skipper Ollie Mann, including 11 fours, backed by 56 from Paul Gittins, including seven fours and a six, plus 31 from Will Heath, helped Llanarth past the 200-mark. And 28 not out from Adam Binmore and a four from Gary Holley (seven not out) on the last ball of the 45 overs saw them reach 262-6.

Holley then proved key bowling the last over as Croesy needed just four runs to win with three wickets left, restricting them to a two and a single until the last ball, where Heath ran out Aled Collier for 78, leaving the visitors tied on 262-8. 

But the 2nds lost by eight wickets away to Sudbrook 3rds in SEW 12E, out for 102 in 35 overs before the hosts reached 106-2 in 24 overs.  

Robert Symes hit 70, Graham Emerson 38, Tim Swanson 32 and Chris Margetts 25 as Redbrook & Penallt set a  40-over target of 245-6 at home to Alvington & Woolaston in Cheltenham/Gloucester/Forest 1 West. And the bowlers then dismissed them for 148 in 38.3 overs, Margetts with three wickets and Geoff Eaves and SR Rajesh two apiece.