Ormond Youth Cup Final:
Haverfordwest (163 for 1 & 150 for 3) beat Whitland (93 for 7 & 149 for 9)
Umpires: Arthur Brady & Dai Morris
Scorers: Natalie Thomas & Ann-Marie Jenkins
Venue: Carew Cricket Club
Man of the Match adjudicators: Ken Davies & Nick Evans
Man of the Match Kieran Griffiths (Haverfordwest)
Haverfordwest Youth are the Ormond Cup winners for 2013 after they beat Whitland by 71 runs in an entertaining final, played in the best spirit, on a superb-looking Carew ground.
The Town were always on top after they had established a huge first innings lead and although Whitland showed the spirit that has seen them win the coveted trophy eight times in the previous nine years they were unable to cope with the way that Kieran Griffiths shone throughout the match.
Griffiths, who this week starts a cricket and rugby scholarship at Millfield School, is only 14 but played with the assurance and skill that has seen him as a Welsh international regular. He scored 78 not out in the first innings, then claimed 3 for 15 in helping to restrict Whitland to a disappointing score, was again undefeated with 61 runs after tea before again leading the Haverfordwest attack again with a 3 for 27 analysis.
In sharp contrast, Whitland’s Welsh international Steffan James, wasn’t allowed to bowl by Welsh Cricket officials because he had played so much the previous week, and although he could only muster five runs in the first innings showed his capabilities with a sparkling innings of 62 to light up Whitland’s second innings.
Haverfordwest First Innings (163 for 1)
Haverfordwest’s decision to bat first certainly paid off as Kieran Griffiths and Dan Cole gave them a very solid start that saw them share score 52 runs from the first eight overs.
Griffiths might have departed second ball as an edge flew through the slip area before they shared a stand of 94 until Cole was eventually run out for an excellent 34. Nitin Mathias joined the fray to register a score of 28 not out before The Town youngsters ran out of time with an impressive total of 163 for 1 that included 23 extras.
Throughout their 20 overs Kieran Griffiths showed why he is held in such high regard as he ran well to keep the scoreboard ticking over but also punished anything loose as he included five fours and two sixes in his commanding 78 not out.
Geraint Phillips (0 for 38), Connor Bowen (0 for 21), Jack Bowen (0 for 23), Geraint Jones (0 for 43) and Josh Watson (0 for 32) all bowled their four-over stints for Whitland, without any luck.
Whitland First Innings (93 for 7)
Whitland needed a good start if they were to get anywhere near their target but they lost early wickets and only Josh Watson (15) managed double figures until Geraint Phillips launched a late offensive with 32 not out that included two big sixes off the final two deliveries of the innings.
21 extras also helped boost the Whitland total but they were a massive 70 runs adrift as Griffiths was joined by Kieran O’Connor (2 for 12), Verun Nambiar (2 for 24), Dan Cole (0 for 15) and Owen Jones (0 for 21) in bowling well for The Town.
Haverfordwest Second Innings (150 for 3)
Haverfordwest lost Dan Cole early but then Kieran Griffiths and Nitin Mathias took control in a three-figure stand before Mathias, who is a very classy batsmen, was adjudged lbw to Connor Bowen for 52 (five boundaries).
Griffiths had been content to play second-fiddle up to that point but then he launched a serious attack on the Whitland bowling as he belted 25 runs in the last four overs to finish with 61 not out that contained seven fours. There were also 30 extras as the Whitland bowlers toiled hard but with little reward.
Whitland Second Innings (149 for 9)
Whitland knew that only a super-human effort could help them retain the trophy for a third successive season and they had their large band of supporters cheering as Steffan James and Josh Watson raced past the 50-mark in the sixth over and reached 74 before the pressure finally told when Josh Watson was superbly caught on the boundary by Mark Stobbs off Griffiths’ bowling for 37 runs (four fours and a six).
James continued to show his batting prowess in reaching 62 (four fours and a six) before he was well caught by Kieran O’Connor off Dan Cole. Jack Bowen chipped in with a nicely-compiled 24 before he became the third
Whitland player caught in the deep by Stobbs.
Whitland player caught in the deep by Stobbs.
At the end of their 20 overs Whitland had reached a creditable 149 for 9 and although they were still 71 runs adrift they had showed real grit and were a real credit to the ethos laid down by coach Colin John.
Griffiths was joined by Dan Cole (2 for 33), Nambiar (1 for 21) and O’Connor (2 for 20), who at 14 already looks a nice little spin bowler, as the Haverfordwest wicket takers and it was Cole who received the Ormond Cup from Mrs June Cole, the Carew president, as reward for his team’s excellent performance on the day.
Haverfordwest:
Dan Cole (Capt); Kieran Griffiths; Nitin Mathias; George Thomas; Mark Stobbs; Kieran O’Connor; Thomas Wood, Owen Jones; Archie Thomas; Varun Nambiar; Warren Evans; James Morgans; Chris Varghese.
Whitland:
Geraint Phillips (Capt); Josh Jones; Steffan James; Josh Watson; Jack Bowen; Geraint Jones; Connor Bowen; Tim Webb; Dewi Davies; Jack Richards; Geraint Williams; Sion Benjamin; Rhys Thomas.
