IN what must be one of the most dramatic games ever played at Avenue Road, Abergavenny emerged victorious by just two runs over Panteg, after claiming the final wicket off the penultimate ball of the match.

The Aber victory tasted all the sweeter with the news that Usk had failed to beat St Fagans - a result that returned Abergavenny to the top of the table.

The result was perhaps all the more impressive for having been achieved against the odds, with Aber having been asked to bat first after skipper James Schofield lost what had seemed a vital toss in light of the heavy rain on Thursday and Friday that had left the pitch damp and sticky in patches.

Opener Greg Fury departed early, a victim of the slowness of the pitch and chipping to mid-on in the second over. Ryan Watkins joined Andrew Jones and the pair displayed great patience and skill to negate the Panteg bowlers, adding 61 hard-earned runs in the next 17 overs before Watkins was bowled by Ali Bukhari for 23.

Abergavenny reached 81-2 at the drinks break, a good position in the circumstances, with the feeling that 160 to 170 would be a competitive total. However, that started to look a long way off as Gavin Heritage, Jones and Richy Morris all departed to young leg spinner Jack Mayers, who bowled a super spell of 10-5-7-3, leaving the score on 86-5 from 32 overs. Jones, who survived some close appeals for LBW, had battled extremely hard for 45, and his and Watkins' contributions cannot be understated in giving Abergavenny a start to work with in difficult conditions, and allowing the lower order to take them to a competitive total.

The innings was just beginning to falter, and things would get worse as Will Glenn departed soon after, with Aber on 92-6 and 15 overs of the innings still to go.

Schofield was joined by Jon Denning and the pair set about rebuilding the innings and trying to reach a total that would give Aber's bowlers something to work with.

Denning played his best innings of the season and showed the potential that he has as a batsman, adapting his game as required at the different stages of the innings.

Initially the pair played carefully, picking off ones and twos where possible, before rain interrupted the innings with nine overs to go and the score on 103. After the break, Schofield and Denning changed tack and put the Panteg bowlers and fielders under pressure, running extremely well between the wickets. Denning started to play more and more aggressively, striking a number of impressive boundaries before eventually being bowled by Bukhari for a very well made 30 from just 31 balls.

Dan Cooke and Will Ford also perished in the latter overs, trying to advance the score, and it was left to Tom Watkins to join Schofield in trying to get as many runs as possible from the final five balls.

In a game of fine margins, Watkins played an invaluable part with the bat, playing to instructions and allowing Schofield, who finished on 28 not out, to get back on strike for the last few balls. The last five balls yielded a vital eight runs and Abergavenny posted a competitive 167-9 from their 50 overs.

Panteg's reply began cautiously as Akhtar Balouch and James Reid faced up to an in form bowling partnership of Ryan Watkins and Jon Denning. However, despite some edges and near misses, neither was able to make the initial breakthrough Abergavenny desperately wanted to sow the seeds of doubt in the Panteg ranks.

Balouch rode his luck and increased the scoring rate ominously. It was youngster Dan Cooke 

who eventually removed the dangerman for 33, caught behind by Greg Fury, with the score on 60 from 15 overs. Callum Reid joined his brother at the crease and instantly looked in excellent touch, as the pair advanced the score to 90 before Callum Reid was caught by Ryan Watkins off the bowling of brother Tom.

The game entered a crucial phase as Panteg's key players, Ian Bird and Ali Bukhari lay in wait in the middle order to capitalise on what looked like a match winning start. However, at no point did Abergavenny give up hope, drawing on the memories of the Welsh Cup game against these opponents, when Panteg collapsed from 105-1 to 180 all out.

James Schofield gambled and, after a probing but fruitless initial spell from leg-spinner Will Ford, he brought back first Ryan Watkins, then Jon Denning in order to try and spark off a collapse that might bring the home side back into the game.

Watkins struck immediately, having Bird well caught at gully. Bukhari replaced the Panteg skipper and looked positive from the outset, threatening to take the game away from the home side. He was dropped at deep square leg off Denning, but fortunately for Aber, he perished to the same shot in the very next over from Tom Watkins, with the score on 121-4 from 29 overs.

The game still looked like it was in Panteg's favour, but now Abergavenny scented an opportunity to take quick wickets and put the visitors' lower order under real pressure.

And how they responded. Jon Denning struck three times in quick succession, picking up the wickets of James Reid, LBW for 42, Rhys Jones and Chris Mee. At the other end, Tom Watkins, who was in the middle of a super spell, picked up his third wicket, removing Stewart Roden for four and Panteg's innings was in tatters at 127-8 from 33 overs.

However, there was another twist in the tale as, just as Abergavenny were in a position to wrap up the innings, rain swept across the ground, forcing the players from the field.

When they re-emerged, the break meant that Panteg were chasing a revised target of 162 from 48 overs. Crucially however, the interruption had robbed Aber of their momentum and Panteg number nine Jack Mayers was extremely fortunate to survive a very strong LBW appeal from Denning and a massive shout for caught behind off Tom Watkins.

One by one, Denning, and the Watkins brothers all reached the end of their spells, with Panteg still only eight down and the score now on 141, meaning that just 21 more runs were needed from the final eight overs.

Denning returned figures of 3-30, Tom Watkins picked up 3-31, and Ryan Watkins finished with 1-29 from their ten-over allocations, each of them bowling superbly.

At this point, Panteg were perhaps slight favourites, as Schofield turned to Dan Cooke and Will Ford to try and make the final breakthroughs. Both bowlers responded magnificently, and despite not picking up wickets, they restricted the visitors to such an extent that with four overs left, 12 runs were still required. The game now turned again in Panteg's favour as Mayers struck Dan Cooke for a straight six, which, in addition to a wide and a leg bye, reduced the equation to four runs needed from three overs. However, Will Ford, whose second spell was simply outstanding, bowled a maiden at Mayers, which allowed Abergavenny to retain hope as they gambled on Cooke bowling a maiden at Scott Murphy (who faced 42 balls for just five runs), and Ford being able to repeat the trick in the final over. Cooke's final over, in light of what had happened in his previous over, was outstanding, with only one run coming as a result of overthrow following a shy at the stumps. Cooke's fabulous second spell of five overs yielded just 16 runs.

And so the game came down to the final over, with Panteg needing three runs and Abergavenny wanting at least a maiden. Crucially, however, Mayers was off strike as a result of that single in the previous over. The responsibility for the final over fell to Ford and he responded magnificently, bowling a dot ball first up before having Murphy stumped off the second. Ford then bowled another two dots at last man Sean Clarke, before having him stumped off the penultimate ball of the game, leaving Panteg agonisingly short of their target. The excellence of Ford's second spell is difficult to describe, but to bowl four overs at the end of an innings, without conceding a run is a staggering achievement. The entire team played its part in the second innings, led by the contribution of all the bowlers, and backed up by a tigerish effort by the fielders that sought to fight for every single run, an effort that ultimately made the difference in this game decide by the smallest of margins.

The final wicket sparked a joyous huddle amongst the Abergavenny players and the spontaneous scenes of celebration reflected a moment that will live long in the memory of those who were privileged enough to have played and watched such a fantastic game of cricket

Unfortunately, Abergavenny didn't manage to hang on to the top spot for long as they were sunk by second-placed Usk on Bank Holiday Monday.

The game's defining stand came from Usk's fifth wicket pair Iain Clayton and Neil Perrett, who constructed a brilliant stand of 207 and rescued the innings from the wreckage made of their top order by incisive bowling by Ryan Watkins and Jon Denning.

Aber won the toss and elected to bowl to try and take advantage of any residual moisture in the pitch, and their opening bowlers did just that.

Watkins had Portz LBW for a duck, before Denning bowled Tamplin for eight, had Warwick LBW for five and took the key wicket of James, caught at square leg as an inside edge ricocheted off his pad and looped to Will Glenn. This left the visitors 19-4, and Aber scented blood.

However, Perrett and Clayton first steadied the innings to remove the possibility of total implosion and gradually stamped their authority on the bowling. Seamers Dan Cooke, Tom Watkins and Gavin Heritage struggled to return to heights they attained on Saturday and found it difficult to maintain a consistent line and length, allowing Perrett and Clayton to take advantage of some loose balls and reached 99-4 at the drinks break with the game finely poised.

However, the momentum was gradually building in the visitors' favour and Aber needed to strike as soon as possible. Even the re-introduction of Denning for a two-over burst didn't yield the breakthrough Aber were hoping for and Perrett and Clayton continued on their way, steadily increasing the rate all the while. They reached a monumental 200-run partnership in the 45th over before Perrett finally departed for a well made 88, bowled by Watkins. Three overs later, Denning returned to the attack and bowled Clayton for a wonderfully calm and composed 87, before immediately removing Matt Robinson next ball. Kear and Wilcox took the score to 250-7 from their allotted 50 overs.

Faced with a stiff target, it was imperative that Aber got off to a good start, and they began well, reaching 23 before Andrew Jones was victim of a dubious LBW decision, and departed for 11.

Two overs later, with the score on 43, Ryan Watkins was bowled by a good ball from Portz, though there appeared to be an element of good fortune about this dismissal too, as Portz seemed to have overstepped the crease and delivered a no-ball. However, Greg Fury, having ridden his luck a little early on, and Will Glenn continued to keep Abergavenny in the race, scoring at a good rate. The score had moved on to 94 in the 21st over when Fury was brilliantly caught at long-on by James for 42. Worse was to follow as, three overs later and with young Glenn batting calmly, he was run-out for 33 as Gavin Heritage called him through for a tight single.

Abergavenny were well in the game, and keeping up with the required rate, but were just losing wickets too frequently for comfort. Unfortunately this would continue as James Schofield (12), young debutant Alex Astley-Jones (11) and Jon Denning (10) each perished after having played themselves in well and progressed the innings nicely in partnership with Heritage.

Sadly, the writing was on wall with the fall of Denning at 171-7, and it became a matter of how many Aber could get, and how long they could delay Usk's moment of triumph. Dan Cooke, Will Ford and Tom Watkins all departed in quick succession, leaving Heritage stranded on a well made 43 not out, and Aber were all out for 189 in the 42nd over.

So a disappointing Bank Holiday for Abergavenny, and the result means Usk have once again leapfrogged their rival into first place. With three games remaining, Usk's destiny is in their own hands.

Aber must now focus on trying to win their remaining fixtures and put as much pressure as possible on the league leaders, in the hope that they will slip up at some point.