Friendly Cricket Match:
 
 
The Wales XL played at Kilgetty recently against a young Pembrokeshire County cricket team in an entertaining clash where the result was in doubt until the very last ball before the Over 40s edged home. 
 

Good start – and finish for the XL Club batting

 
Welsh XL skipper Simon Holliday won the toss and surprised absolutely no one when he elected to bat - and with XL 40 for 0 after four overs a large score seemed possible but good bowling from Ross Hardy restricted XL to 97-4 at drinks.
 
Gareth Thomas (Carmarthen) was unlucky to get out having looked very impressive for his 53 but it was thanks to belligerent 29 from Chris Richards (Gorseinon) and seven sixes in his 76 from Simon Holliday that XL posted a competitive 206 all out.
 

County start slowly but Merry and Hardy lead fight back

 
An excellent tea was provided and on resumption three wickets by Gareth Thomas meant that at drinks Pembrokeshire were restricted to 86 for 4. 
 
However Jake Merry hit an excellent 60, including three successive sixes off County Club chairman Paul Webb, and Ross Hardy smashed six sixes in his 82 not out so a very exciting game came down to 10 to win off the last over with Leighton Walters (Carmarthen) keeping his nerve, (despite bowling a no ball off the penultimate ball).
 
 With just four runs needed to win from two balls Walters bowled Jake Merry and then conceded only one off his last ball.
 
A very enjoyable day‘s cricket ended with Wales XL winning by one run and avenging last year’s defeat – and now they can look forward to their next tussle as they begin their defence of their Over 40s Zone Cup when they travel to play against the North-West Region at the picturesque Aigburth ground in the Liverpool area.