ABERGAVENNY CC continued their winning start to the 2011 season with a comfortable nine wicket win over Pentyrch.
Aber won the toss and decided to bowl first, a good decision in hindsight, as the weather closed in late on.
Ryan Watkins and Jon Denning opened the bowling, and despite a few edges bringing four runs in the direction of the vacant third man boundary, Jon Denning drew first blood in his first bowl of the season for the club, gaining a caught behind decision in his favour.
However, he had to be withdrawn from the attack after three overs as a precaution against a recent back injury.
This forced a reshuffling of the pack as Gavin Heritage was introduced, and Watkins switched ends.
Abergavenny endured a testing period as Pentrych scored at a decent rate, aided by a mixture of good shots and good fortune, which led to a niggly Aber going a little quiet in the field. However, Tom Watkins, as he did last week, changed the game upon being brought into the attack, picking up two wickets in his second over, leaving Pentyrch 60-3.
Watkins and Heritage bowled tidily, drying up the run rate for a time, but Pentyrch gradually built another partnership, reaching 97-3.
Tom Watkins struck again, having Gardner caught at mid on, before leg spinner Will Ford eventually won an interesting dual with Lewis Coates, bowling him with a googly as he shaped to play through the newly vacant slips.
The final overs before drinks saw Pentyrch's Ghori playing some expansive though risky shots. Upon the resumption, skipper James Schofield turned to Ryan Watkins to try and nip Ghori's innings in the bud, and Watkins duly delivered.
Watkins embarked on a superb spell of 5-0-19-4 as he tore through the lower order, to leave the innings in tatters on 149-9.
Going for the jugular, Schofield turned to Heritage to try and end the innings quickly, rather than save overs for the death, and was rewarded with a wicket from the final ball of the 35th over, as Pentyrch were dismissed for 157.
Aber went out for half an hour before tea, and Greg Fury, aided by some woeful bowling, got the innings off to a flier, before falling just before the break.
After the tea interval, Ryan Watkins and Will Glenn embarked on a match winning partnership of 123.
Initially Watkins made the running as he continued his excellent and fluent form with the bat this year, but after playing himself in, Glenn expanded his game in taking the attack to the spinners, with several shots over the top, as Aber went about their run chase with one eye on the rain that was hugging the Sugarloaf.
The pair scored at an excellent rate, and both reached well made 50's, Glenn finishing on 61 not out, and Watkins unbeaten on 56. Abergavenny used just 25.3 overs to reach their target as the rain closed in and achieved maximum batting points in the process.
Another good performance from Aber, who nevertheless have room to take their game to even higher heights.
They will hope to continue their unbeaten start to 2011 in their double header with Rogerstone at home in the Macey Cup on Friday night, then away against the same opponents on Saturday