2023 Clive Huxley Cup Final:

 
 

Hook Ladies (60 for 8 & 93 for 4) lost to Cresselly Ladies (81 for 7 & 73 for 5) by 5 wickets

 
Umpires:  Steve Alford & Rob Bellerby
Scorers: Joy James & Teagan Cartwright
Venue: Stackpole Cricket Club
 
Player of the Match: Kacey Arran (Hook)
Adjudicator: Nick Evans
 
Cresselly Ladies completed a deserved double as they won the Clive Huxley Cup after ending the league season as champions after remaining undefeated, staying the pace better in a low-scoring tussle at Stackpole, where the late Clive Huxley played his cricket after moving into the area from London many years ago – and with his daughter Kath Adams playing for Hook and showing she has lost none of her bowling skills from the time she started almost 40 years ago.
 
To be fair to Hook they battled hard to overcome a disappointingly low first innings tally on a pitch that was inevitably a little damp after so much recent bad weather but this experienced Hook team held most of the aces as they established a 21-run interval lead and were always firm favourites thereafter.
 

Hook struggle from the outset

 
Hook were in bother from the outset against Lauren Davies (1 for 14), Ava Midgely (2 for 12) and Eleri Williams (2 for 14) and after limping to 16 for 2 in five overs and then only 32 for 4 at the half-way stage they stood at 45 for 6 with just five overs left.

Ffion Ashman (0 for 2), and Meg Arthur (0 for 6 as they shared four overs) joined Carys Jones (1 for 10) in keeping the brakes on and in the final analysis only Kacey Arran (17) and Hannah Thomas (14) reached double figures before getting run out.
 

Hook battle back but Ashman holds them at bay

 
It says much for Hook’s determination that too bowled and fielded well in restricting Cresselly to 27 for 2 at half way, seven fewer than Hook but with only two wickets down. Opener Meg Arthur used all her experience to stay firm before she departed for 16, caught & bowled by Kacey Arran (1 for 13) – but then Ffion Ashman joined the fray and after the score standing at 39 for 5 in 15 overs more than doubled in the last five as she blitzed five twos and four fours in her unbeaten 35.

For Hook, Emilia Wilson (1 for 10) Maisie Davies (2 for 12) Kath Adams (0 for 8, including two maidens), and Hayley Thomas (1 for 14) bowled well before Ashman cut loose to help Cresselly to a useful tea-time lead.












 

Cresselly keep the pressure on, despite Arran’s excellent innings

 
Hook made a better start to their second innings, despite the rarity of skipper Sam Rossiter being caught by Megan Arthur off Lauren Davies’s very first ball but Kacey Arran held the innings together, putting on 24 with Jemma Phillips (12) as Davies ended up with 2 for 22.
 
Kate Farr (16) also chipped in as she and Arran added another 34 runs by the end of the 12^th over but Emilia Wilson managed just a single before Maisie Davies contributed an excellent 16 not out alongside Arran, who was on an undefeated 43 at the end of the innings that helped Hook set a target of 71 for victory.
 
For Cresselly, Ava Midgely conceded only 10 runs in her four overs and Lucy Johnson conceded 14 runs from three overs, as Eleri Williams (1 for 17) and Megan Arthur (1 for 13) took wickets and Cerys Jones also gave support late on.



 

Megan makes sure of Cresselly success

 
Cresselly’s hope of a steady start began well via Lauren Davies and Meg Arthur until the former opener reached 9 but was then caught by Kate Farr off Adams, who ended up with figures of 1 for 5 in four overs, two of them maidens to give the Cosheston School  head mistress an impressive match analysis of 1 for 13 in eight overs, four of them maidens!
 
Chloe Jones struck two fours in her speedy 17 before being bowled by Arran and Eleri Williams and Zoe Minnet went cheaply –and when Cresselly were within sight of victory Meg Arthur (27) was bowled by Wilson (2 for 10), including three classy boundaries.
 
It was left to Hayley Thomas and Arran to see Cresselly home with five wickets and 3.5 overs in hand before skipper Christine Toy received the Clive Huxley Trophy from Kath Adams, who also presented the individual winners and runners up medals.
 
Nick Evans, who has been Ladies’ Cricket president since they first set out 31 years ago chose Kacey Arran as player of the match for her all-round contribution with bat and ball – and presented the award to her to round off an absorbing clash between two very competitive teams before Cresselly emerged as deserved double winners for 2023!