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Ormond Youth Cup Final:

Whitland fight back gives them victory

Cresselly (157 for 3 & 100 for 8)
lost to Whitland Youth (137 for 9 & 123 for 2)

Umpires: Dave Brandon & Peter Perry
Scorers: Nick Jones & Ann-Marie Jenkins

Venue: Carew Cricket Club

Man of the Match: David Dunfee (Whitland)
Adjudicators: Barry Wood & Dai Morris

Whitland again won the Ormond Youth Cup Final as they fought back from a tea-time deficit of 20 runs to ease home with eight wickets, and 5.1 overs, to spare.

It gave them an astonishing seventh success in the past eight seasons as tribute to the coaching of Colin John and there was clear evidence on both sides of the value of giving young players the chance to play senior cricket as they produced a cup final full of quality, commitment and resilience because there were several interruptions due to heavy rain showers. These were superbly dealt with by the Carew ground staff, led by Gerald Hicks and Derek Lloyd, who linked well with umpires Dave Brandon and Peter Perry in making sure the match was finally completed.

Cresselly set a challenging total

Cresselly received an early set-back as they lost Shane Lewis for just three runs, with the total on 11, bowled by Whitland skipper Dan James. But Cresselly captain Iwan Izzard joined Matthew Morgan in a productive partnership of 124 where they built the tempo steadily and sped past the three figure mark until Morgan was well caught by Dan James off David Dunfee for 54 runs, with seven fours and two sixes.

Izzard also departed seven runs later as a he attempted a risky second and was run out for 61, a mature innings that contained seven fours and a six. It was left to Alex Bailey and Harry Thomas to scramble a few late runs as Cresselly finished up on 157 for 3, with 20 wides in their 26 extras, despite good bowling by Dan James (1 for 18) and Dunfee (1 for 34).

Borderers battle back

Whitland’s response suffered early set-backs as top order batsmen Owain Evans, Josh Watson and Steffan James were out in reaching 42 for 3 before Dunfee and Dan James hauled them back into contention in a stand of 58. Dunfee smashed one of the biggest sixes seen recently at Carew in his 43 and James supported well with 25. The rest of the Whitland batsmen managed a few more runs alongside 22 extras to boost their first innings total to 137 for 9 as Tom Arthur (2 for 22), harry Thomas (2 for 34) and Ed James (2 for 15) were their best bowlers.

Change bowlers give Whitland a chance

With a first-innings lead of 20, Cresselly were eager to restart after yet another shower but David Dunfee halted them in their tracks by shifting Morgan for a single and Shane Lewis for four runs. Iwan Izzard (28) and Alex Bailey (18) redressed the balance as they added 48 runs for the third wicket but both fell in quick succession – and it was left to Tom Arthur to take them to exactly 100 for 8 as he smashed three big sixes in his 29 runs.

Geraint Phillips (3 for 34) and Steffan James (3 for 27) proved excellent change bowlers for Whitland after Dunfee’s early 2 for 13 burst and a target to chase of 121.

Evans eases Whitland through

Owain Evans made a cracking start to the Whitland second innings and found Josh Watson as a useful foil until Watson departed for ten runs when the total had already reached 48, despite the fact that boundaries weren’t easy to hit on the wet outfield.  Evans sped to his 50 and had reached 64 (six fours and a six) before he became Matthew Morgan’s second wicket – but by then Whitland were really on top because Dunfee had helped him add a further 61 runs in quick time.

Dunfee had one escape when he was caught off a no-ball but finished the game in style with another powerful six hit that earned Whitland their eighth Ormond Cup victory from ten appearances. Dan James received the Ormond Cup from Beryl Marsh, the chair of Carew Cricket Club, and David Dunfee received the man of the match trophy, sponsored by Hugh Phillips. David Loosmore, the county club chairman, led the awards ceremony and thanked Tony Pidgeon for again sponsoring the competition, Gethin Evans and the Carew Ladies for providing the teas and the ground staff for their yeoman work. He also added that Pembrokeshire Cricket is in good hands with players of quality on view from both clubs – and no-one at the ground would argue with that after this wonderful final!

Cresselly First Innings:

Whitland First Innings:

Cresselly Second Innings:

Whitland Second Innings: