PembrokeshireSport.co.uk continues its unrivalled coverage of the 2025 Harrison-Allen Bowl Final with our match report, written by Fraser Watson, and the scorecards from all four innings. We also have terrific action pics from Matthew Kelly of RAW Photography, and Bill Carne’s snaps of all the other people who made it a smashing day – so we hope you enjoy it!

We will finish off tomorrow with some Bowl Final Snippets and other thoughts on the big day!


 




 

Narberth (144 for 5 & 155 for 8) beat Neyland (134 for 7 & 124 7) by 41 runs

 

Umpires: Trefor Evans & John Willington
Scorers: Gwynneth Johns (Narberth) & Kacey Arran (Neyland)
Announcer: Richard Merriman
Ground Staff (Richard Arthur, George Richards, Phil James and Glyn Cole (Sadly missing was Denis Chiffi, who is currently sidelined by illness)
Venue: Cresselly Cricket Club
 

So after months of delays and postponements, in the end it was Narberth. And it was fully deserved, writes Fraser Watson.
 
All the logistics leant towards Neyland. Their past record, their experience on this occasion, and the leadership under Sean Hannon pointed towards yet another Bowl victory. Sure enough, they won the toss and opted to field, despite bright sunshine - but Narberth weren't in Cresselly to read the script.
 
Much of the build-up talk centred around the availability of Louis Davies, but he was there and made his intentions clear when he hooked Tom Pritchard for a one-bounce four early on. Narberth reached 31-0 before the first wicket fell, Shay Norcross falling LBW to Jack John.
 
But it didn't deter the batting attack, and in the tenth over Davies launched Andrew Miller's first ball for six and Jamie McCormack soon joined the party with a maximum of his own over mid-on. He went for 23, brilliantly caught by Hannon off Ross Hardy, but another chance for Neyland went begging when Nick Koomen spilled a catch off Lewis Hough on the boundary.
 
Davies continued to build and a square drive brought up his half-century, then in the 20th over he hammered Miller for a six and a four in successive balls. He was run out late on, trying a risky single having carried his side to 144-5 - a total that looked about par on such a superb wicket and day of weather.

 

Neyland solid but with no real fireworks

 

The Neyland reply started solidly if not spectacularly, and when Nick Koomen miscued a straight drive off Ben Hughes, McCormack was there to take a simple catch. Fellow opener Paul Murray, so often a match winner on this stage, survived being dropped before he reached 39 and holed out to Kyle Williams off Davies. Gregg Miller (19), Danny Potter (21), and in particular Ross Hardy (29) - who glanced two successive balls to the boundary in the 20th over.
 
But an inability against good bowling and well-set fields to have the explosive few overs expected from such an experienced batting line-up failed to materialise, so instead of the 15-20 runs lead that looked possible at one stage  Neyland found themselves just 10 behind Narberth's total, thanks to the bowling efforts of Davies (1 for 17), Ben Hughes (three wickets) and Llew Jones (two wickets), allied to some excellent boundary catches.

 

Narberth build another big score after a disappointing start

 

The underdogs then had their hopes to hammer home their advantage was soon suppressed by Ross Hardy, who led a fight-back attempt as Norcross (13), Davies (16), Hough (11) and McCormack (16) all started but didn’t finish.
 
But it was No 5 Llew Jones who then pushed the lead on with 38 off 27 balls, including two fours and two sixes before bring stumped by Hannon off Koomen for 38. Ben Quartermaine, who came out to bat next despite a nasty muscle pull from earlier in the day, blasted 29 off 14 balls - including three maximums, two onto the clubhouse roof - and by the time he was run out he'd helped his side post 156-8, setting Neyland 167 to win.
 
Hardy and Andrew Miller were the wicket-takers for Neyland alongside Nick Koomen but his five overs supplied 54 runs as he was the unlucky bowler in the firing line when Narberth went on the attack.
 

Neyland started badly and didn’t recover until it was too late

 
That total looked even more sizable when Koomen went for a golden duck, caught first ball of the innings, superbly caught by keeper Kyle Williams, off Davies. The slow bowling of Matthew Johns (doing really well despite a nastily cut hand in the first innings) then helped tighten Narberth's grip, and he removed Hardy, Hannon, and Alan Webster en route to taking 3-22 - a contribution particularly poignant in front of mother Gwyneth, who was scoring in her first bowl final after 57 years of doing the books for Narberth.
 
At 66-7, Neyland were simply left with too much to do, and although serial Bowl winners Dai Davies (41 not out) and Danny Potter (32 not out) kept things going, a total of 124-7 fell 41 runs short as Narberth, unfancied by so many for this final, were able to celebrate a deserved first Bowl final win since 1958.







 

SCORECARDS

Narberth first innings:
Shay Norcross lbw b Jack John 8
Loui Davies run out (Tom Pritchard) 72
Jamie McCormack c Sean Hannon b Ross Hardy 23
Lewis Hough ct & b Andrew Miller 8
Ben Quartermaine c Andrew Miller b Jack John 7
Jack Tucker not out 2
Kyle Williams 17 not out
Extras: 7
 
Tom Pritchard 3-21-0            
Jack John 6-34-2            
Ross Hardy 6-25-1
Andrew Miller 6-46-1 
Alan Webster 1-0-17-0
Total: 144  (for 5 wickets)
     
 
Neyland first innings:
Paul Murray c Kyle Williams b Loui Davies 39
Nick Koomen c Jamie McCormack b Ben Hughes 7
Gregg Miller c Shay Norcross b Ben Hughes 19
Ross Hardy c Lewis Hough b Ben Hughes 29
Dan Potter run out (Kyle Williams) 21
Alan Webster b Llew Jones 4
Sean Hannon not out 0
Jack John lbw b Llew Jones
Extras: 7
 
Loui Davies 6-17-1
Llew Jones 6-49-2
Ben Hughes 5-33-3
Ben Quartermaine 3.2-0-21
Matthew Johns 1.4-0-7   
Total: 134 for (7 wickets)
 
Narberth second innings:
Shay Norcross c Gregg Miller b Ross Hardy 13
Loui Davies b Ross Hardy 16
Jamie McCormack lbw b Ross Hardy    16
Lewis Hough c Dai Davies b Andrew Miller 11
Llew Jones st Sean Hannon b Nick Koomen 38
Ben Hughes b Andrew Miller 5
Ben Quartermaine run out (Jack John) 29
Kyle Williams not out 8
Ryan Williams not out 5
Extras: 14
 
Ross Hardy 6-0-27
Jack John 6-0-32
Andrew Miller 5-0-34
Nick Koomen 5-0-54
Total: 155 (for 8 wickets)
 
Neyland second innings:
Nick Koomen c Kyle Williams b Loui Davies 0
Paul Murray b Ben Hughes 12
Gregg Miller run out 13
Ross Hardy b Matthew Johns 3
Dai Davies not out 41
Sean Hannon c Ben Quartermaine b Matthew Johns 10
Alan Webster c Lewis Hough b Matthew Johns 7
Andrew Miller b Llew Jones 0
Dan Potter not out 32                                 
Extras: 6
 
Loui Davies 6-1-25
Llew Jones 6-0-43
Matthew Johns 6-22-3
Ben Hughes 4-31-1
 
Total: 124 (for 7 wickets)