D. R. Morris Cup Semi-Final:
Carew (158 for 9) beat Cresselly (151 for 4) by 7 runs
Venue: Kingsmoor, Kilgetty (looking absolutely superb!)
Umpires: Rob Bellerby & Dave Bonner
Scorers: Julie Davies, Cerys Jenkins & Phoenix Phillips
Carew produced a typically battling performance to earn their place in the 2024 Duggie Morris Cup Final at the expense of near-neighbours Cresselly in an absorbing clash where the result was in doubt until the last couple of balls.Watched by a large crowd in perfect conditions at a splendid venue it was Cresselly skipper Tom Arthur who won the toss and asked opposite number Rhys Davies to bat first - and each side held the ascendancy for periods of time at certain stages, with dropped catches playing a part
Carew showed more overall self-awareness
But in the final analysis there were two key performances which swung the game The Rooks’ way and they came when they looked a little shaky at 97 for 6 and in strolled Luke Hicks to smash 42 runs in 16 deliveries (and being dropped early on) to take his side to a good score.
And then when they bowled it was tall opener Joel Read (known as ‘Big Bird’ to his team mates) who bowled his allotted four overs straight through for only seven runs, and with Iori Hicks doing the same at the other end for only 24 runs it meant that Cresselly stood at 40 for 3 at the half way stage in their innings.
Perhaps they paid the price for using the same batting order as they would in a 45-overs match because that pedestrian start meant that although opener Morgan Lewis and Alex Bayley hit seven sixes between them, they were always working against the clock and simply had too much to do late on.
Carew get off to a poor start but show real battling qualities
When Crew batted first they got off to a bad start as in-form opener Morgan Grieve was caught second ball by opposing keeper Neilson Cole off Dan James without scoring and the dangerous Jon Rogers slapped a long hop from James straight to Scott Arthur in his second over for 5 to leave Carew looking to rebuild, which they did via Shaun Whitfield (five boundaries in his 31) and Brian Hall (30 in only 24 balls) before Whitfield was caught at long off by Tom Arthur off Christian Phillips and Hall playing on to Tom Murphy.Rhys Davies added 16 runs before getting caught by Tom Arthur at long off but then the mayhem started as Luke Hicks slammed five sixes after being dropped when he had scored only one, including one that clattered on the clubhouse roof. He sped to 42 before he was bowled by Charlie Arthur going for another big blaster.
His innings changed the perspective of the innings and left Cresselly facing a challenging tally, rather than one that might have been far smaller in other circumstances.
Cresselly crawl to a mid-innings low score
And then things went from bad to worse for Cresselly as Read had them looking pedestrian after anchorman Phil Williams had his stumps clattered in the third over for only two runs in nine balls and ‘danger man’ Charlie Arthur survived a dropped chance but Luke Hicks made amends at mid-on to dismiss the powerful hitter for 4 runs, a single scoring shot from 10 deliveries.Scott Arthur scored 9 runs in 17 balls and at the other end Morgan Lewis could only look on and hope to find a partner to stay and score runs as Carew inevitably tightened the net in the field – and Cresselly were only 40 for 3 after ten overs.
He was joined by Alex Bayley and the pair gradually did well to raise the tempo but it was always tight despite Lewis’s four fours and four sixes as he ended up on 75 not out.
Bayley also blasted three sixes and four fours, including a determined effort to snatch victory in the final over - but it was all in vain before he gave a return catch to Whitfield from the last ball of the match.
Carew were left delighted to win the tactical battle and have Cresselly regretting missed chances - but helping to provide a cracking contest for those of us who were neutral and watched a semi-final that was a credit to this ever-popular competition!
Scorecards:
Carew Batting:
Morgan Grieve ct Neilson Cole b Dan James 0
Shaun Whitfield ct Tom Arthur b Christian Phillips 31
Jon Rogers ct Scott Arthur b Dan James 5
Brian Hall b Tom Murphy 30
Rhys Davies ct Tom Arthur b Christian Phillips 16
Gareth Lewis b Tom Murphy 7
Luke Hicks b Tom Arthur 42
Iori Hicks b Tom Arthur 3
James Hinchliffe c Neilson Cole b Charlie Arthur 1
Scott Richards not out 8
Joel Read not out 1
Extras 14
Total (9 wickets) 158
Cresselly Bowling:
Dan James 4-0-23-2; Charlie Arthur 4-0-38-1; Tom Arthur 4-0-45-2; Tom Murphy 4-0-22-02; Christian Phillips 4-0-22-2
Cresselly Batting:
Phil Williams b Joel Read 2
Morgan Lewis not out not out 75
Charlie Arthur ct Luke Hicks b Iori Hicks 4
Scott Arthur Ct Iori Hicks b Shaun Whitfield 9
Alex Bayley ct & b Shaun Whitfield 55
Extras 6
Total (4 wickets) 151
Carew Bowling:
Joel Read 4-0-7-1, Iori Hicks 4-0-24-1; Shaun Whitfield 4-0-36-1; Rhys Davies 4-0-34-1;Jon Rogers 4-0-46-0