Alec Colley Cup Final:

 
 

Cresselly 2nds (82 for 4 & 150 for 6) lost to Neyland 2nds (142 for 5 & 93 for 7) by 3 wickets

 
Umpires: Dave Bonner and Dave Brandon
Scorers: Jess Lewis & Arthur Arran
Man of the Match: Will Hughes (Neyland)
Venue: Treleet, Pembroke
 
Neyland won the Alec Colley Cup after an absorbing final at Treleet where they looked hands-down winners at tea but Cresselly fought back in typical style and both teams deserved every credit for the way they played under umpires Dave Bonner and Dave Brandon.




 

First Innings – Cresselly struggle against accurate bowling (82 for 4)
 
Cresselly skipper Julian Arthur won the toss and chose to bat first but his hopes of a challenging score didn’t reach fruition as his early batting order found it hard going against the tight bowling of Gary Lloyd (0 for 17) and Jamie Smith (1 for 15) so that after ten overs their score was only at 50 for 2 after Arthur himself was removed for six runs from 23 deliveries, only three of which produced runs, and opening partner Neal Williams followed with two fours in his 24 made from 46 deliveries.
 
Scott Arthur also struck two boundaries in his 23 not out) and there was 19 from Christian Phillips before has was bowled by Tom Pritchard – who then shifted Matthew Lewis for a ‘golden duck’ next ball and only just missed out on a hat-trick as Damien Arthur straight drove the next ball low and hard but Pritchard was unable to take what would have been an amazing catch in any circumstances.
 
Pritchard finished with 2 for 22 though and only 32 runs in the second half of the innings left Cresselly in a parlous state at 82 for 4.



 

First Innings – Neyland power their way to a huge lead (142 for 5)
 
In sharp contrast, Neyland’s first innings was started in rocket-fuel fashion via Will Hughes and Gregg Miller, whose running between the wickets was far superior and their ability to punish the bad ball was evident from the outset.
 
They sped past 50 in the eighth over and matched Cresselly’s total in the 12^th over, giving them all ten wickets and eight overs to build a lead.
 
And build it they did before Miller eventually departed for 44 (four fours and two sixes), bowled by Ollie Berry when a half century seemed likely and Hughes struck five boundaries en route to 45 before he was well caught by Matthew Lewis off the bowling of his brother Corey.
 
Christian Phillips then struck twice to shift George Evans (lbw for 13) and Louis Page (8), stumped by Scott Arthur and Joe Campodonic was run out for 11 in the inevitable late race for even more runs – and with Paul Miller and Luke Ryan adding a few from the final over it took Neyland to a massive lead of 60 at the tea interval.
 




Second Innings – Cresselly fight back after another poor start – (150 for 6)
 
Cresselly were understandably eager for a good start to their second innings but Gary Lloyd and Jamie Smith put a stop to that with the respective wickets of Scott Arthur and Christian Phillips – and things went from bad to worse as Neal Williams was run out for 10 in a complete mix-up.
 
But the Arthur brothers, Damien and skipper Julian have played many years for Cresselly and put this to good effect with some big hitting, assisted by a couple of dropper Neyland catches, as they laid a solid platform despite the captain clearly carrying a hamstring injury but refusing to leave the fray.
 
They passed the Neyland advantage in the 11^th over and Julian reached 37 Six fours and a six) before he top-edged a Kieran Arran delivery to Tom Pritchard in the covers, who stretched out a long arm to take a good catch one-handed.
 
Damien went on to score an excellent 55 (2 fours and two sixes) before he was caught and bowled by Gregg Miller.
 
And then Matthew Lewis, still smarting from his one-ball first innings, raised the tempo even further as he smashed three big sixes in his rapid unbeaten 24 and Neyland suddenly found themselves needing 91 to win from their second innings!
 



PS Do you know Stadtler and Waldorf in the background of the above pic?

Second Innings – Neyland start well – collapse – but get over the line late! (93 for 7)
 
It was very much a case of ‘as you were’ when Neyland began their second innings well through Will Hughes and Gregg Miller, this opening pair putting on 47 runs to contribute more than half the runs needed – and in good time too.
 
But then Matthew Lewis joined the fray to continue the good work he had done in Cresselly’s second innings, bowling Gregg Miller for 13 and Hughes for 33 (five boundaries) before having Paul Miller caught by Neal Williams for a first-ball duck to send Neyland to 50 for 3 and looking nervous as Lewis returned fine figures of 3 for 12 in his five miserly overs!
 
Luke Ryan was run out from a direct by Julian Arthur as the pressure continued and there was only a single apiece for George Evans and Jamie Lewis, plus 2 from Joe Campodonic as then fell to Corey Lewis and Josh Lewis (2).
 
Luckily for them, Lewis Page was keeping his head from his No 3 slot and he had two fours in a sensibly compiled 27 not out that took Neyland to the brink of victory before 59 year old Gary Lloyd, the first team hero with the ball a day before, struck a boundary with three balls left – and was again cheered from the field as Neyland breathed a collective sigh of relief and Cresselly, whilst disappointed by defeat, could at least take some comfort from their fighting spirit with so many youngsters in their team!
 


And finally . . .
 
Pembroke deserve every credit for their hard work in getting the match on after the disappointment of it being postponed seven days earlier, with the pitch and outfield looking a picture after the hard work of Jonathan Davies and his ground staff.
 
Also deserving of praise were the Pembroke players who manned the burger stall all afternoon and the ladies for providing a smashing tea for both teams and officials.

Scorers Jess Lewis and Arthur Arran also deserve a mention for their efforts, with the latter coming in at short notice for Neyland.
 
The man of the match award, donated by Neyland Cricket Club in memory of their late hon secretary Martin ‘Ceefax’ Rees, was chosen by the umpires and few would argue with their choice of Neyland opening bat Will Hughes, who scored 45 and 33, and also featured in the field. He received his special award from Martin Jones, the chairman of Neyland, who also outlined the magnificent work done by ‘Ceefax’ for club and county before his early death.

All of the awards, including medals for both teams and the lovely trophy to delighted Neyland skipper Paul Miller, were presented by Nick Evans, the president of the Pembroke County Cricket Club.