Pembroke County Cricket Club - Under 15 Junior League Final:

 
 

Lawrenny (67-5) beat Whitland (66-7) by 5 wickets

 
Sponsor: Colin John – Llewelyn Davies & Co Chartered Accountants
Umpires: Jon Willington & Allan Hansen
Scorers:   Rob Williams & Darren Bujega
Coaches:   Rob Williams & Mark Lee
Venue: St Ishmaels CC
 
This year’s final was between the top sides from the  two  zones,  both with 100% records  with the match being a  closely-contested affair, a repeat of the 2019 Under 13's final, with Lawrenny beating   Kilgetty   in the one semi-final and  Whitland  beating  Pembroke Dock  in the other.
 

Luc leads by example – but Finley fires up Lawrenny

 
Luc Owen, the captain of Whitland won the toss against his counterpart Finley Lewis, and chose to bat. Oscar Lewis and Rhydian Eynon opened the bowling with Oscar picking up the wicket of Ethan Ryan in the third over. Rhys Jones (15 and Luc Owen then formed a useful partnership, moving the score onto 51  until the 15th over when Luc, who played shots all around the ground, had to retire on 38.  Ethan (0-11) and Corey Hall (0-11), together with Rhys Eynon (0-12) had kept things as tight as possible.
 
However it was in the 16^th over that Finley Lewis (3-7) struck for Lawrenny with an excellent hat trick, all bowled; middle stump, top of off and leg stump. There was then a fine piece of fielding by Rhys Eynon with a direct hit to claim another wicket to remove the Whitland middle order. 
 
Noah Williams (0-12) and the returning Oscar Lewis (3-9) picking up a further two wickets aided, by a stumping by Will Allen which saw Whitland finish on 66-7 after 20 overs. It had been a tight spell of bowling by the Lawrenny team, only conceding 5 extras which would prove decisive at the end of the day.



 

Whitland bowl well but Lawrenny fight back

 
Opinion was divided at the break although Whitland knew they needed a good start and that's exactly what they got. A very tight spell of bowling by Luc Owen (1-3) , removing the dangerous Will Allen and Charlie  Bujega (0-10), followed by Ethan Ryan (2-13) and Cian Rees (1-9)  Freddy Davies (0-6) kept picking up wickets on a regular basis,  and this together with another good piece of fielding by Cian Rees with a direct hit to remove Ethan Hall (7).  At 15 overs with the score on 53 compared to 51 in the first innings the game was evenly poised.
 
It was at this time the experienced Finley Lewis (27 (not out) who had opened the batting, who was still at the crease and had been accumulating runs slowly, increased the tempo. This together with Mr Extras (18) saw Noah Williams hit the final runs to get Lawrenny over the line.
 
This was one of the closest finals for a number of years with both sides bowling very well backed up in the field by their respective teams and two good wicket keepers in Will Allen and Daniel Howells. There were also two excellent knocks by the respective Captains Luc Owen and Finley Lewis.
 

Many thank yous needed

 
In the presentation after the match, Martin Jones (Junior Organiser),  congratulated both sides on reaching the final  with some excellent play by both teams and enjoyed by a large supportive crowd.  Coaches Rob Williams and  Mark Lee  also deserve great praise for their efforts.  He also thanked St Ishmaels for hosting the final, including Mel Williams who prepared the ground, Wendy Bradshaw and Pat Williams,  with Chris Bradshaw on the BBQ as normal provided excellent refreshments for the player and spectators
 
He thanked umpires Allan Hansen and  Jon Willington  and the Scorers  Rob Williams  and  Darren  Bujega  who all contributed to the evening’s entertainment.
Last and by no means least Martin thanked sponsor Colin John  Llewelyn Davies & Co Chartered Accountants for his continued and valuable support of Junior Cricket in the County.  It was also great to see Richard Merriman (County Chairman)  and his wife  Linda  together with Nick Evans County President   in attendance .
 
The winning trophy, now in its 47th year, donated by the families of the late Stan Richards and John Bowen,  looked a picture. It was great to see Georgina Morgan, daughter of John whose grandson Ollie Rees presented the winning trophy, with Colin John presenting the medals to Lawrenny.  County Chairman Richard presented the runners up cup, donated by Martin & Yvonne  Jones, together with the medals to Whitland.
 
Lawrenny -  Finley Lewis, Will Allen, Noah Williams, Rhydian Eynon, Rhys Eynon, Corey Hall, Ethan Hall, Oscar Lewis, Lilly Buckle, Taylor Lewis, Fletcher Broadhurst, Mark White and Ioan Mutter.
Whitland -  Luc Owen, Daniel Howells, Ethan Ryan, Rhys Jones, Charlie Bujega, Freddy Davies, Cian Rees, Cai Lewis, Dafydd James, Ryan Windsor, Luca Jones, Joel Evans.