Semi-Final One:

Ken Morris Cup Final Play-Off Day:

 

Town experience wins against Cresselly’s young blood

 

Cresselly (113 for 9) lost to Haverfordwest (119 for 6) by 4 wickets

 
Cresselly’s very young team, captained by Steve Thornton, and helped along by experienced campaigners Dave Cleverly, Tom Rowlands and Neal Williams, showed their range of talents before losing out to a Haverfordwest  team which ultimately was good value for victory as they put their experience to good effect before celebrating entry to the final with the third six of the match from Suleman Safi.
 
Neal Williams was one of the few ‘old heads’ in the Cresselly team and he contributed 13 runs alongside Ollie Rowlands (14) and his father Tom (23) before another talented youngster in Ollie Toy (aged 14) top scored with 33, including seven boundaries as testament to his stroke play.
 
There were also 17 extras against the bowling of Safi (1-22), John Ryan 1-15, Brandon Dewstowe (0-18), Danny Dewstowe (2-13) and Richard Davies (3-35) – but it was generally felt that a score of 113 for 9 might not be enough.
 
And that is how it turned out as Jason Stobbs belted 29 and found support from Jason Phillips (18) Richard Davies (12) and ‘Mr Extras’ (22) as Suleman Safi finished things off with 24 not out, including those three big sixes.
 
It says much for Cresselly’s resolve that 13 year old Cody Jones claimed 3 for 19, Ollie Rowlands (1 for 25, aged 16) and his 14 year old brother Fin (1-25) as they joined Lucien Thornton (16) his brother Corin (15) and Arthur Jenkins in the youngest team ever to compete in the finals!




 


 







 

Semi Final Two:
 

Carew cruise through as Neyland struggle with strong Rooks’ batsmen

 

Neyland (138 for 9) lost to Carew (139 for 1) by 9 wickets

 
Neyland played really well as they batted first and built up a sizeable score but then Carew’s experience in their batting line-up told and they eased through to the final for the loss of just a single wicket, despite the yeoman efforts of  the Neyland bowlers to shift them.

Neyland’s solid score was built around good innings from Lewis Page (28), Simon Ellis (29), Joe Campodonic (18) and Rhys Beavis (19), assisted by 22 from ‘Mr Extras’.

For Carew there was an outstanding bowling performance by Jamie Heaps, as he grabbed 6 for 30 in his four overs, ably assisted by Jac Scourfield (2 for 33) and Connor Davies (1 for 31) – but at this stage Neyland were still very much in the hunt.

Then the Carew opening pair of Dan Heaps and Dai Rees started well and managed to maintain that momentum until they had reached 40 and Dan Heaps was run out trying to take a quick run and falling just short, with five boundaries in his 27.

But Jac Scourfield came in at No 3 and looked in good nick from the outset as he and his older partner really went to town – running well between the wickets and punishing anything loose, despite the efforts of Page, Evan Roberts, John Coles and Rhys Beavis so that Rees finished up with eight fours in his unbeaten 64 and Scourfield was unbeaten on 40 (7 fours), with Carew looking good for the final!



 
 














 

Ken Morris Cup Final:
 

The Town try hard but Carew hold the edge

 

Carew (148 for 4) beat Haverfordwest  (134 for 9) by 14 runs

 
Carew were delighted to receive the Ken Morris Cup after beating their counterparts from Haverfordwest in a game enjoyed by a large crowd at Narberth, with both teams having chances before The Town ran out of steam in the second half of their innings, lost a bit of momentum and had to settle for the runners-up trophies.
 
The Rooks certainly didn’t get off to the best start because they lost run-getters Rees, Dan Heaps and Rhys Grigg with only 36 runs on the board but Jac Scourfield continued his batting from the first innings and found a willing ally in Connor Davies as they shared a stand 80 runs that was a mixture of excellent running between the wickets and nine boundaries between them.
 
The Town found it hard to settle to a battle plan and by the time Scourfield was adjudged lbw to Danny Dewstowe their opponents were well on their way to a big score as Connor Davies reached a deserved unbeaten half century and old-stager Kerry Waters added a few alongside ‘Mr Extras’ in their challenging tally of 148 for 4 as Suleman Safi, John Ryan and  Danny Dewstowe grabbed a wicket apiece.
 
The Town needed a flier but lost ‘Mr Reliable’ Richard Davies to Grigg before Graham Jenkins and Jason Stobbs fired things up as Jenkins belted five fours in quick succession and Stobbs had three fours before both departed at a key time when they needed to build quickly; but they were still well-placed with 74 at the half-way stage as Jamie Phillips top scored but the team lost its momentum.
 
But they lost their way as Kerry Waters belied his 58 years to remove Stobbs first, then the father and son duo of Brandon and Danny Dewstowe, Phillips and then Safi after he had belted a six the previous ball but mistimed another attempt at a maximum.
 
It was helter-skelter stuff and he finished off by bowling Steffan Bridger to return remarkable figures of 6 for 23 in only five overs. Skipper Jamie Field trapped Dan Field lbw and although Town skipper Mark Davies and John Ryan tried hard to keep in contention they fell by 14 runs.
 
And finally:
 
Richard Howell, the excellent organiser of the competition since it’s inception thanks all the Morris family who attended (there had been a moving minutes silence before the start for Richard Morris, who used to organise the trophies etc but had sadly passed away, alongside similar respect for Lily Allen, whose family are involved in Lawrenny Cricket and who had tragically lost her life.
 
He thanks all the umpires and scorers, the ground staff, the clubs for their support and PembrokeshireSport.co.uk for its unstinting coverage of  the whole competition.
 
Jamie Heaps was delighted to receive the trophy from Gilly as captain of Carew CC and team mate Kerry Waters was presented with his award by Charlene, two members of the Morris family, to round off a great days’ cricket for a cracking tournament where Richard Howell and wife Rhian, plus Huw Simpkins, deserve every credit.