ABERGAVENNY CC's First XI continued their fine start to the season with victory in a closely fought match against last year's premiership side St Fagans.

St Fagans won the toss and elected to bat first, but opening bowlers Ryan Watkins and Nathan Byrne bowled superbly to restrict St Fagans to a miserly two runs an over in the first 10 overs.

Indeed, if it hadn't been for wides, St Fagans may well not have made it into double figures until the twelfth over.

Wides were to prove a problem for the Aber bowlers as they racked up 38 in total, a figure that could have proved costly on another day. Byrne bowled an excellent spell of 10-2-25-2 straight through, while Watkins was followed by Gavin Heritage.

Heritage was understandably rusty early on in his first league outing of the season, and his initial three overs were expensive. Meanwhile Tom Watkins was introduced after Byrne had bowled out and struck with his first ball in league cricket for the Abergavenny first team. He bowled a disciplined line and length, and finished with 1-45 off nine overs, with only his last over coming in for any punishment.

At the other end, Heritage was replaced by Will Ford, who bowled steadily, but struggled with a back problem and just allowed St Fagans to continue building a partnership through Hopkins, who struggled to get a run in the early exchanges, and Williams.

With Ford hampered, youngster Dan Cooke was introduced into the attack. Cooke hit a consistent line and length, and was rewarded for some fine bowling with the key wicket of Hopkins, bowled by a good yorker. Cooke finished with 1-24 from six overs.

With 11 overs to go, St Fagans were handily placed on 170-4, with their sights set on 240 if things went well. However, Heritage and Ryan Watkins were reintroduced into the attack to close out the innings and both bowled magnificently. Watkins was extremely unlucky to unrewarded in the game but finished with the exemplary figures of 10-1-27-0. At the other end, Heritage mixed his pace well, and bowled some good yorkers and picked up five wickets, to finish with 5-56. More importantly, the pair kept conceded only 42 runs of the last 11 overs, and with Williams the mainstay with 71, St Fagans finished on 212-9 from their 50 overs.

Abergavenny got off to a steady start through openers Greg Fury and Andrew Jones, before Fury fell, caught at mid-off for five. Ryan Watkins joined Jones and the pair played several attractive strokes, although several found the fielders.

The score had advanced to 46, when Watkins was bowled by a good ball for 20. Heritage continued the steady momentum to the innings, compiling a patient 24, while at the other end, Jones continued to show all his quality, demonstrating excellent judgement of which balls to defend and attack, always quick to punish anything loose.

However, with the score on 107, Heritage was caught at short fine leg and Will Glenn walked to the wicket at a pivotal moment. He showed no signs of pressure, and apart from one mix-up when running between the wickets with Jones, demonstrated excellent temperament and timing in progressing to 23, striking two fours and a six. However, with about 40 needed from nine overs, Glenn just got marooned at one end, and was eventually bowled, bringing a fine partnership of 68 to an end.

James Schofield joined Jones, who was now nearing a century, and after Schofield had taken a few balls to get to grips with the wicket, the pair ran positively and kept up with the rate comfortably.

However, two overs later, it came a something of a shock when Jones was caught behind for a superb 93 with 30 still needed. Jon Denning, currently playing just as a batsman, picked up the baton and Aber continued to chip away at the total. Denning also fell before seeing the side home and Cooke now had to handle the pressure of trying to chase five runs an over to get Aber over the line. He handled the situation very well, hustling some good singles, and, with 10 needed from 13 balls, struck a fine boundary over midwicket to reduce the pressure and the equation to just six runs needed from the final two overs.

Unfortunately he was bowled attempting to finish the game with the same shot, and it was left to Will Ford to see Aber home as Schofield struck the decisive boundary of the last ball of the 49th over.

This was a good win for Aber, made all the more impressive through the contributions of the younger players such as Cooke and Glenn who will have gained valuable experience in chasing targets and closing out tense matches against good opposition in St Fagans, who will be in the final shake up in the battle for promotion to the premier league.

Meanwhile, its Pentyrch next up at home for Aber, who will look to keep their fine winning streak on song.

MEANWHILE back at Avenue Road for the Second XI team's game against the same opponents, a road track of a wicket, the result of the dry spring, and a very fast outfield resulted a very high scoring match delighting the batsman but proving a veritable grave yard for both side's bowlers.

St Fagans won the toss batted, and had scored 41 before Greg Spencer bowled McKenzie.Will Morris bowled the other opener for 28 with the total at 75 but that was the last success for 33 overs as Wallwark and Lennon added 221 runs before the former was stumped by Douglas Spencer for130.

Lennon quickly followed caught by the wicket keeper and Spencer completed a hat trick of dismissals when he stumped Heseleiss who became young leg spinner Jamie Norman's second victim. St Fagans reached 305 -5 off their 50 overs.

Abergavenny got off to a steady start before acting captain Richie Morris was caught having made 48. Nick Kinman was joined by fellow experienced batsman Ryland Wallace and the total had reached 103 when Kinman departed, caught.

That was the last wicket to fall as Douglas Spencer gradually overcame his rustiness to produce some beautiful shots and was not out 44 at the end with the Aber score 215-2. Wallace had retired hurt just before the end with 67 against his name.