CRICKET returned to Avenue Road last Saturday with a spring in its step after an enforced break of four wet and weary weeks.
72 hours prior to the game the square had been a swamp, but thankfully on the day it had recovered sufficiently for the first ball of July to be bowled on the Avenue Road ground.
Having been invited to bat first on a damp wicket that was still drying out, Abergavenny struggled on a seaming wicket where runs were at a premium - After 31 overs, four wickets had fallen for only 51.
Opening batsman James Schofield continued to graft, and aided and abetted by the Fury brothers, helped to lift the score to 140. More wickets fell as batsman hit out and the innings finished on163-9.
The unavailability of four opening bowlers due to operations and injuries, left an opening for seventeen year old Nathan Byrne who continued to show outstanding promise by bowling his allotted six overs for 16 runs .
Neil Skelton and Andrew Coles each bowled tightly and Pontypridd were restricted to 89-3 off 31 overs, but the lack of an accurate fifth bowler let the away side off the hook and they reached their target with six wickets to spare.
Sunday told a different story as a young Hoovers side were swept aside by a much stronger Abergavenny team in the round robin stage of the League Cup.
A century opening partnership between Ben Morgan and Jack Horton ended with Morgan being bowled for 46 by former Abergavenny Thursdays manager Ron Walton, who also quickly accounted for Greg Fury and James Schofield.
Another century partnership followed between acting captain Alistair Fury, who carried his bat for 84 and Marc Evans, who eventually run out for 59, resulting in Abergavenny reaching 290-5 off their 40 overs.
The home side quickly made in-roads into the Hoover batting with newcomer Dave Windross claiming two early wickets, and with Ben Morgan decimating the middle order with a 4-14 spell the away side lurched to a final total of 74.
Although the opposition were weaker than usual the opportunity to bat and bowl on the square should benefit the side in their next league game away to Barry.
THE Beavers won by seven wickets in their game against Bartestree and Lugwardine CC after bowling the visitors out inside 18 overs for 25 runs.
Skipper Alun Dawkins won the toss and stuck the opposition into bat. Leg Spinner Owain Bradley took the first wicket of the day with his first ball in the second over.
Other opening bowler Paul Havard made a breakthrough with Nathan Holley and Sam Scarisbrick both having smart run outs. It was Bradley however who ran through the Bartestree line up with impressive figures of five Maidens, four runs, and seven wickets in 8.3 Overs.
As both teams went back out for the Aber innings. Openers Chaitanya Sanapala and youngster Dan Cooke were both dismissed, as was Thomas Roberts, but Scarisbrick and Alex Denning were there at the end to see the Beavers through to a comfortable victory.