Alan Brown Cup Final - Sponsored by Bysiau Cwm Taf):
Pembroke (179 for 3 & 179 for 0) beat Hundleton (84 for 8) and 125 for 3) by 149 runs
Scorers: Ginny Davies (Pembroke) & Mike Price (Hundleton)
Man of the Match: Jack Harries (Pembroke)
Venue: Whitland Cricket Club
Catering: Sian Richards
Pembroke confirmed their right to be considered favourites to win this year’s competition as they proved far too strong for a plucky Hundleton team playing league cricket a whole section lower and already trailing by a massive 95 runs by the end of the teams’ first innings.Skipper Jack Harries had scored a classy 87 not out and added another 80 not out after a splendid tea supplied by Sian Richards as he and Gareth Long, who joined the club from Upper Rhondda at the start of the campaign batted throughout their 20 overs and accumulated another 179 runs without losing a wicket to set their near neighbours a daunting 275 target to win.
It is worth noting however, that Ava Midgley (15) should have had a wicket as reward for her accurate bowling but looked on in dismay, alongside brother Elliot (13), as dad Start dropped a catch he should have taken!
Pembroke Power to a big score
Pembroke skipper Jack harries elected to bat first with the intention of batting Hundleton out of the game and joined Gareth Long in making an electric start where they punished anything loose with some boundary scores.
They raced to 79 before Long went for one big hit too many and top edged a Ben Adams’ delivery into the safe hands of Jonathan Williams having scored 31, including four fours and a six in the 26 balls he faced.
But Hundleton hopes of a big breakthrough were ruined as Jon Rogers and Harries shared a partnership of 77 in which the No 3 belted two fours and three big sixes in his 36 from only 19 deliveries but skied a ball to Dylan Davies, who made the catch look easier than it was, off Stuart McNiffe.
At this stage a Pembroke total of 200 seemed possible but Hundleton managed to slow things down a little as Ceri Brace departed for a duck from five balls faced, bowled by the village side’s best bowler, Craig Williamson.
Welsh international Alan Webster smashed the biggest six of the day, however, in his late cameo of 11 not out and Harries was still there after the allotted 20 overs with 87 not out from 65 balls, including 12 fours and two sixes in his classy innings that took his team to 179 for 3.
Hundleton unable to break the shackles as they gave chase
Hundleton knew they needed a good start to get anywhere near the Pembroke tally but lost experienced opener Jonathan ‘Taffy’ Williams for 5 with the score on 12, caught by the ubiquitous Harries of Jon Rogers’ bowling.
Then big hitter Williamson (8) fell to a tumbling catch by Long off the canny slow stuff of Sam Davies at the start of a splendid spell which saw him shift Steff Williams (16 off 18 balls) Jonathan Nicot (2) and Dylan Davies (0) that saw him return fine figures of 5 for 25.
Opener Ben Adams had struck four boundaries in his in his 25 (33 balls) but he also fell to Davies, again caught by Harries, before Rogers returned to bowl Stu Midgley in his 2 for 12 analysis from five aggressive overs – and Hundleton were restricted to a disappointing score of 84 for 8.
Harries and Long really turn the screw
With a massive lead of 95 Pembroke players would have enjoyed tea a little more than their tired opponents and then sat back to watch a virtuoso partnership by openers Harries and long, apart from that one minor blip where the ‘Midgley family catch’ went down.
They raced to three figures in double-quick time as Hundleton deserved credit for never giving up the chase and both Adams and Williamson bowled quite well in the challenging circumstances of a cracking batting surface and a big outfield.
At one stage it looked as if either batsman might reach three figures but clearly looked tired towards the end and Long went closer before he ended up undefeated on 92, made from 57 deliveries and including 11 fours and two sixes.
Harries struck 12 boundaries in his 80 not out (60 balls) to leave older pundits reflecting on whether anyone had ever batted all 40 of his team’s combined overs as he finished with 167 runs, surely another record on a day when he also pouched four catches.
Williamson just misses out on a deserved half century
Hundleton needed an impossible 275 runs for victory but were clearly determined not to be shot out whilst trying to maintain a run rate of almost 14 runs per over and they made sure they could hold their heads high after a hard day.
Ben Adams departed for 9, caught by Paul ‘Chalkie’ White off Jon Rogers but ‘Taffy’ Williams and Craig Williamson both played well before Williams (20) was caught by Rogers off Andrew Price.
Johnnie Nicot joined Williamson and they stayed together until the end, with the former batsman ending on 21 not out and Williamson striking six gours and a six in his undefeated 47 – and it would have been nice to see him reach 50 because he typified Hundleton’s spirit against a stronger all-round team in Pembroke.
The medals were presented by Clive Edwards, from sponsors Bysiau Cwm Taf, with Arthur Brady, the hon secretary of the umpires association, having the easiest task of the day as he announced Jack harries as the man of the match!
SCORECARDS:
FIRST INNINGS:
Pembroke Batting:
Jack Harries not out 87
Gareth Long ct Jon Williams b Ben Adams 31
Jon Rogers ct Dylan Davies b Stuart McNiffe 36
Ceri Brace b Craig Williamson 0
Alan Webster not out 11
Extras 14
Total (3 wickets) 179
Hundleton Bowling:
Craig Williamson 5-0-22-1; Steff Williams 5-0-45-0; Ben Adams 5-0-39-1; Ava Midgley 3-0-33-0; Stuart McNiffe 2-0-32-1.
Hundleton Batting:
Ben Adams ct Jack Harries b Sam Davies 28
Jon Williams ct Jack Harries b Jon Rogers 5
Craig Williamson ct Gareth Long b Sam Davies 8
Steff Williams b Sam Davies 16
Johnny Nicot ct Jack Harries b Sam Davies 2
Dylan Davies ct Ceri Brace b Sam Davies 0
Stu Midgley b Jon Rogers 8
Evan Davies not out 5
Stuart McNiffe not out 1
Extras 11
Total (8 wickets) 84
Pembroke Bowling:
Jon Rogers 5-0-12-2; Andrew Price 2-0-13-0; Sam Davies 5-0-25-5; Andrew Webster 4-0- 14-1; Ceri Brace 4-1-12-0.
SECOND INNINGS:
Pembroke Batting:
Jack Harries not out 80
Gareth Long not out 92
Extras7
Total (0 wicket) 179
Hundleton Bowling:
Craig Williamson 5-0-39-o; Steff Williams 5-0-55-0; Ben Adams 5-0-44-0; Ava Midgley 5-0-39-0.
Hundleton Batting:
Jon Williams ct Jon Rogers b Andrew Price 20
Ben Adams ct Paul White b Jon Rogers 9
Craig Williamson not out 47
Steff Williams ct Jack Harries b Ceri Brace 9
Johnny Nicot not out 21
Extras 19
Total (3 wickets) 125
Pembroke Bowling:
Jon Rogers 4-1-19-1; Andrew Price 5-0-34-1; Sam Davies 5-0-38-0; Ceri Brace 5-0-24-1; Paul White 1-0-10-1.
