South Wales Cricket Association (244 for 8) lost to Pembroke County Cricket Club (246 all out) by 2 runs
 
Umpires:  John Rees (Briton Ferry Steel) & Damien Devonald (Swansea Civil Service).
Scorers: Craig Davies (Gowerton) and Natalie Thomas (Haverfordwest).
Venue: Clydach Cricket Club.
 
 
Pembroke County Cricket Club fielded a young team for their match against the South Wales Cricket Association at Clydach but showed experience beyond their years against a strong home side - and the county team edged through in a tense finish by two runs.
 
Five of Sean Hannon’s team were under 21, with an average age of 25 despite Jon Pawlett being the oldest at 38 and helping St Ishmaels to the double of league and Harrison-Allen Bowl in 2007, the year that youngest player Rhys Daley (16) was born!
 
Victory came on the back of excellent batting performances by Patrick Bellerby, Charlie Arthur, Jon Thomas, Jonathan Pawlett and Brad McDermott-Jenkins - and a match-winning late burst with the ball by Will Phillips on debut that saw him bowl five overs and take 4 for 36, including the final over where he took two wickets and helped his team to victory.
 

County build well after losing an early wicket

 
The county team suffered an early blow when they batted first and Tom Mansbridge departed in the second over with just a single to his name, but 16 year old Charlie Arthur joined Patrick Bellerby in a stand of 112 as. They settled in well with 38 runs from nine overs and then increased their run rate with another 81 runs in the next eight overs before Arthur departed with 44 from 41 balls, having stroked seven fours and two sixes to his name.
 
Bellerby scored 50 comfortably and reached 66 (10 fours and 2 sixes in only 49 deliveries) before he was third out - but Jonathan Thomas (25), Rhys Daley (10) and Jon Pawlett (32) helped Pembrokeshire past the 200 mark as Brad McDermott-Jenkins added real impetus with a blistering 29 from only 13 balls but then got run out having blitzed two fours and three big sixes.
 
They lost wickets in the inevitable late run chase but  30 extras boosted the total to 246 before they were all out with two balls of their 40 overs unused - and with opening fast bowler Dafydd Davies (4 for 36) as they key bowler in the home attack.
 

Home team fight back

 
The SWCA innings started in similar fashion as they lost Hicknell (6) from a Jon Thomas catch off John Mansbridge’s bowling, with the score on 31, but then skipper Ashley Colston and Ellis Bird advanced their total to 122 before George Smith’s slow stuff removed the skipper for 63 (ten boundaries off 67 balls), aided by a neat stumping from county captain Sean Hannon.
 
Bird played steadily at one end whilst Callum Walters hit a quick-fire 20 but fell to a terrific boundary catch by Daley off his Dock team mate Smith - and when Bird finally departed for 57 he had only three boundaries from 69 deliveries as Will Phillips entered the fray to bowl the last five overs at one end to have him caught by McDermott-Jenkins and Andrew Thomas (8), caught by Hannon.
 

Phillips swings game in county’s final favour

 
Hannon also featured as he stumped ‘danger man’ Julian Griffiths off Pawlett and then Phillips shifted Chris Keen for a duck to give the county an edge - but then the balance swung back to the SWCA as Owen Bailey strode to the crease and belted six fours and a six in his 46 not out, made from only 22 balls.
 
But Phillips pounced again to bowl Brad Griffiths, well caught by McDermott-Jenkins, and although Pembroke County conceded 31 extras, they were good value for victory in the final analysis.
 

Quotes:

 
Sean Hannon (County captain):
“We are delighted to have won a good game of cricket where we really had to battle at times when the game swung against us and our young players were all eager to play and were brilliant in the field as Rhys Daley set the example.
“There were some good individual performances and Patrick Bellerby and Charlie Arthur batted really well, whilst Will Phillips was voted ‘Man of the Match’ by his team-mates for his successful debut.”
           
Richard Merriman (Chairman of Selectors):
“As selectors we were delighted by the win because we had to make a couple of late changes to an already-inexperienced side and everyone played really well as they encouraged each other in the field and weren’t overawed against experienced opposition.
“It was also great to have a lot of support from families and we had a warm welcome from Clydach on our first visit there after a number of matches previously at Llandyssul.”
 
 
SCORECARDS:
 
Pembroke County Cricket Club Batting:
Tom Mansbridge (Saundersfoot) ct & b Dafydd Davies 1
Patrick Bellerby (Neyland) ct Julian Griffiths b Owen Bailey 66
Charlie Arthur (Cresselly) ct Andrew Thomas b Owen Bailey 44
Jonathan Thomas (Whitland) ct Owen Davies b Dafydd Davies 25
Rhys Daley (Pembroke Dock) run out 10
Jon Pawlett (St Ishmaels) ct Andrew Thomas b Andrew Dyer 32
John Mansbridge (Saundersfoot) lbw b Dafydd Davies 5
Brad McDermott-Jenkins (Neyland) run out 29
George Smith (Pembroke Dock) b Callum Walters 2
Sean Hannon (Neyland) b Dafydd Davies 1
Will Phillips (Haverfordwest) b Dafydd Davies 1
Extras 30
Total (all out) 246
 
S.W.C.A Bowling:
Owen Davies 4-0-17-0; Dafydd Davies 7.4-1-36-4; Callum Walters 5-0-45-1; Andrew Dyer 5-0-36-1; Ashley Colston 6-1-26-0; Owen Bailey 8-2-44-2; Brad Griffiths 4-0-26-0.
 
S.W.C.A. Batting;
Ashley Colston st Sean Hannon b George Smith 63
Adam Hicknell ct Jon Thomas b John Mansbridge 6
Ellis Bird ct Brad McDermott-Jenkins b Will Phillips 57
Callum Walters ct Rhys Daley b George Smith 20
Andrew Thomas ct Sean Hannon b Will Phillips 8
Julian Griffiths st Sean Hannon b Jon Pawlett 8
Chris Keen b Will Phillips 0
Owen Bailey not out 46
Brad Griffiths ct Brad McDermott-Jenkins b Will Phillips 4
Owen Davies not out 1
Extras 31
Total (for 8 wickets) 244
 
Pembroke County C.C. Bowling:
Charlie Arthur 5-0-31-0; John Mansbridge 7-1-23-1; Brad McDermott-Jenkins 3-0-24-0; George Smith 8-1-42-2; Jon Thomas 8-0-43-0; Will Phillips 5-0-36-4; Jon Pawlett 4-1-33-1.