Neyland triumphs in nail-biting final, clinching glory

Neyland Cricket Club secured their eighth D.R.Morris Cup victory in the last ten finals, living up to their favorites tag in a hard-fought match against Narberth. Despite Narberth’s underdog status, they led by 16 runs at the interval and put immense pressure on Neyland in the second half of the match, as noted by Bill Carne, a correspondent at the event.

The match was far from comfortable for Sean Hannon’s Neyland team. Narberth made an impressive start in their final innings, but they were completely thrown off balance by a remarkable four-over spell of bowling from the youngest member of Neyland’s team, Jack John. John’s outstanding performance, including a maiden and conceding only 19 runs, earned him the well-deserved man of the match trophy from Robert and Dan Ridge, a father and son duo.

Neyland struggled to establish themselves early in the match. Asked to bat first on a slightly damp wicket, they suffered an early setback when Nick Koomen was caught by keeper Will Nicholas off Ben Quartermaine’s bowling in the second ball of the innings.

TDespite the challenges, Patrick Bellerby (17) and Ashley Sutton (11) worked to repair the damage and took the score to 30 before both were dismissed. Bellerby gave a catch to Nicholas, this time off a lifter by Ben Hughes, while Sutton was adjudged lbw to Loui Davies. Neyland continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, with Nicholas taking another catch off Matthew Johns to dismiss Ross Hardy (18), and Paul Murray (17) departing alongside Brad McDermottJenkins, who was caught by Davies off Davy Johns for a single.

With the score at a precarious 70 for 6, experienced players Dai Davies and Andrew Miller steadied Neyland’s innings. They pushed the score to 100 before Miller (12) was bowled by Lewis Hough. Late contributions from unbeaten batsmen Dai Davies (21) and Hannon (12) helped Neyland reach a total of 119 for 7, with Narberth keeping the scoring tight.

Narberth started their reply strongly, reaching 30 runs in the sixth over. However, Richard Adams was stumped by Neyland skipper Hannon off Andrew Miller’s bowling, and Hough was caught by Hannon as well. Kyle Quartermaine and Jamie McCormack then formed

Despite the pressure Neyland applied late in the innings, Narberth fell short of their expected total, finishing on 135 for 6. Quartermaine, who scored a quickfire 61 from 42 deliveries, including two fours and five sixes, was dismissed by Jack John. With the wicket drying out, Neyland went on the attack during their second innings. Koomen and Bellerby led the charge, scoring at a rapid rate before Bellerby was bowled by Loui Davies for 18. The momentum was maintained by Sutton and Murray, who contributed 25 runs each, but both were eventually dismissed by Matthew Johns and Ben Quartermaine, respectively. Davies bowled superbly for Narberth, ending with after reaching 105 runs in 12 overs, and they finished with a total of 144 for 7, falling short of their initial expectations.

Narberth needed a strong start in their chase but found themselves struggling at 31 for 2. Jack John played a pivotal role, taking two crucial wickets. He dismissed Adams and Hough with catches by Koomen and a return catch. John continued his impressive performance, bowling McCormack and Davies for minimal scores. The onus was on skipper Kyle Quartermaine, who had been a hero in the first innings. However, after hitting two massive sixes, he mishit a delivery from John, and Bellerby caught the ball at ‘Cow Corner.’ Ben Quartermaine briefly dismissed by Koomen off Ross Hardy’s delivery. Narberth’s innings came to an end after 17.4 overs, and they were all out, bringing an end to an exhilarating match enjoyed by a large crowd of partisan supporters.

Following the match, the presentations were conducted by Dave Brandon, chairman of the Pembroke County Club. Medals were awarded to both teams, scorers, and umpires by Graham and Jane Morris. Sean Hannon, captain of Neyland, stepped forward to receive the prestigious trophy. The man of the match award was announced by Robert Ridge, and Richard Merriman, the previous chairman of the County Club, served as the announcer for all four innings.

Ladies suffered a challenging defeat in their third game of the Welsh Women’s Premier League campaign against Newport.

SThe match took place in Newport, and Pembrokeshire was eager to improve their performance from their previous encounter with the same opponent. However, Newport once again displayed their dominance, led by their captain, Rose Evans.

Pembrokeshire faced difficulties right from the start, losing their openers, Jemma Philips and Nia Williams, with only 12 runs on the scoreboard. Ffion Ashman (22) and Sam Rossiter (23) managed to stabilize the situation with a partnership of 20 runs for the third wicket. Unfortunately, Ashman was caught by Tess Jackson (2-31), and Emilia Wilson (15) joined Rossiter for a 51-run stand before Rossiter was stumped by Newport’s captain, Rose Evans.

Maisy Davies (19) and

Lucy Johnson (10) also made promising starts but fell victim to Jasmine Smith’s outstanding bowling performance, who took an impressive 4-8. Pembrokeshire continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, and their innings concluded with Maddie Potter being bowled by Safa Mohammed (2-5). The team lost their last four wickets for just 10 runs. After the tea break, Pembrokeshire deployed six different bowlers in an attempt to secure a breakthrough, but Newport’s skipper, Rose Evans, and senior international player, Eve Jackson, showcased their skills with an unbeaten partnership of 58 and 49 runs, respectively. Newport achieved a convincing tenwicket victory in the 17th over.

The Pembrokeshire Ladies squad expressed their gratitude to their sponsors for their generous financial support throughout the season. The team acknowledged the contributions and assistance of Valero Energy Ltd, Price and Kelway Solicitors, The Haverfordwest Pool Trust, Pembroke County Cricket Club, and Mrs. Sandra Pidgeon. They also extended their appreciation to Nick Evans and Andrew Scott-Davies for their valuable time and effort.

The Pembrokeshire Ladies team recognizes that without the support of their sponsors and dedicated individuals, they would not have the means to compete in the competition.