Alec Colley Cup Semi-Final:
Llangwm (112 for 8) lost to Neyland (114 for 2) by 8 wickets
Umpires: Dave Bonner & Mervyn John
Scorers: Janice Brick & Jen Seaton
Pics: Susan and Brian McKehon
Venue: Hook Cricket Club
Neyland marched into a final tussle against Cresselly in the Alec Colley Cup as they beat Llangwm by 8 wickets thanks to good all-round bowling and fielding which limited the opposition to 112 for 8 before Nathan Banner showed why he is an influence at this level with a superb innings which saw his side win with eight wickets and eight overs still in hand.
Put in to bat first, Llangwm lost skipper Martin Thomas early as Rod Murphy took the catch off Banner’s bowling before Andrew Harries recalled glory days of yesteryear with three nice boundaries in his 17 before he was bowled by Patrick Hannon, another experienced player still qualified to play in this competition, with 40 runs on the board.
Disappointing spell for Llangwm
It was the start of a disappointing spell for Llangwm as James Lewis was caught by Hannon off Paul Miller’s slow stuff and Huw Brock was adjudged lbw to Banner – and after Sean Weller (12) and James Lewis (9) advanced the score it then slumped 63 for 7 as Huw Brock, Dan Morgan (who cracked a mighty six over square leg) and Mike Williams all departed quickly.
Brock leads Llangwm resistance
Andrew Brock played well during this time but when he’s reached 26 after belting Paul Miller for a six and a four, the slow bowler gained revenge from a juggled catch by Lewis Page at long on, to complete an excellent 4 for 35 analysis.
There were late runs from Sean Thomas (16 not out) and David Lewis (12 not out, including a massive six into the adjoining field from the final ball, but pundits around the boundary at Hook generally felt that it wasn’t enough to really challenge Neyland’s strong batting line-up.
Neyland make a rapid response via Banner and Page
And that is the way things turned out as Neyland opened with Banner’s experience alongside Page’s youthful talent, this pair setting such a pace that their 50 came in six overs – and Banner achieved a personal half century two overs later with a string of boundaries.
Page also played some cracking shots as he had four fours and a six in his 30 out of 102 for 0 in the tenth over before he was bowled by the experienced ‘Ackie’ Harries.
As so often happens, one wicket quickly became two as Steve Murray was adjudged lbw for a duck from his second ball, giving Harries an unlikely double maiden in the circumstances.
But Banner blitzed successive boundaries off Callum Jenkins to take Neyland to victory, with 11 fours and a six in his unbeaten 74 as his side can now prepare for the final at Pembroke against Cresselly 2nds on Sunday, 18th August 2019.
SCORECARD:
Llangwm Batting:
Martin Thomas ct Rod Murphy b Nathan Banner 3
Andrew Harries b Patrick Hannon 17
Sean Weller b Patrick Hannon 12
James Lewis ct Patrick Hannon b Paul Miller 9
Huw Brock lbw b Nathan Banner 0
Andrew Brock ct Lewis Page b Paul Miller 26
Daniel Morgan b Paul Miller 8
Mike Williams b Paul Miller 0
Sean Thomas not out 16
David Lewis not out 12
Extras 9
Total (8 wickets) 112
Neyland Bowling:
Jamie Smith 2-0-13-0; Nathan Banner 5-1-21-2; Patrick Hannon 5-0-25-2; Paul Miller 5-0-35-4; Gary Lloyd 3-0-17-0.
Neyland Batting:
Nathan Banner 74 not out
Lewis Page b Andrew Harries 30
Steve Murray lbw b Andrew Harries 0
Luke Ryan not out 0
Extras 10
Total (2 wickets) 114
Llangwm Bowling:
Mike Williams 2-0-15-0; Andrew Harries 5-1-32-2; James Lewis 1-0-17-0; Sean Thomas 2-0-27-0; Callum Jenkins 2-0-18-0.