A ROASTING hot day and a beautiful Peter Francis curated wicket, with a lightning fast outfield, were the playing conditions that greeted both sides at the LCG.

Llanarth captain Dennis Heath won the toss and gave his batsmen first dibs as the Trees looked to return to winning ways after last week’s disappointing result.

Sam Michell and Mark Baxter (35) opened up and had their techniques examined by the in-swing and out-swing of Mathew Taylor and Dale Owen respectively. Baxter’s day began badly as he managed to pull his groin making his very first run, an ailment that should have cost him his wicket when taking a, now too swift, three but the keeper fumbled the return allowing him an reprieve, and a hasty reassessment of what runs were and were not possible.

Shortly thereafter Michell departed as he drove uppishly, as is his wont, to be caught at a well positioned short cover. This brought David Lomax to the crease and with his dodgy knee a more relaxed status quo to the running pace between the wickets was restored. Whilst Lomax took his time in laying the foundations of his innings Baxter struck the odd boundary to keep the scoreboard ticking over but disappointingly perished when edging a cut to slip. At 60-2 from 18 overs Llanarth needed some impetus.

Milo Thomas (72*) was the new batsman and never one to die wondering about whether he could biff a ball he set about raising the run rate. Whilst Lomax operated within the confines of the MCC coaching manual, Thomas appeared not to have heard of the tome but his clean ball striking began to get Llanarth on top. The bowlers struggled to deal with the contrasting styles, and runs flowed to the tune of 96 being scored between overs 21 and 30.

The now well set Lomax was severe on anything loose, stroking 16 boundaries in his innings and although the returning Taylor stemmed the run flow it was a surprise when the Llanarth maestro caught a leading edge to give a return catch when a ton seemed a certainty.

Abercynon bowled and fielded well in the final five overs to restrict further damage. Allan Dewfield (20) produced a useful cameo and skipper Heath was well caught off a steepler on the boundary edge. Thomas’s excellent innings ended unbeaten as Llanarth took tea with 247-6 on the board. Perhaps slightly disappointed as the batsmen were oft advised, by one or two fielders, throughout the innings that it was a 300 wicket. An excellent tea was ravenously demolished with Michell, in particular, monopolising the apple crumble.

What followed after tea was a superb example of incisive new ball bowling, against a confident Abercynon batting line up on a run of big scores. Raja Banaras (2-13) induced David Williams to edge behind for the breakthrough and then Lomax forced Hefin Jones to work across the line only for the ball to go straight up allowing Tom Heath to make ground and pouch the offering. Lomax followed this, next ball, with a delivery that no batsman wants first up as it swung away and rattled the top of off stump. Llanarth had 3 wickets in 7 balls and the visitors were in trouble at 16-3.

Abercynon’s outstanding batsman, Ashley Willis, watched the tumbling wickets from the non-strikers end and, having previously scored a hefty amount of runs against the Trees, the home side couldn’t relax whilst he remained at the crease. Banaras bowled beautifully to him, three raucous lbw shouts were summarily rejected and he whistled a jaffa past the outside edge before eliciting a mishit drive that was joyfully snaffled by D Heath.

At 29-4 after 10 overs the innings was in tatters and it didn’t get any better when T Heath (3-30) was introduced. He castled one and gloved another, with Michell doing well to reach forward and complete the catch. However Taylor (44) was offering defiant, aggressive resistance and anything remotely short was fiercely pulled to the boundary

By now off-spinner Chris Powell was operating and after taking his first wicket started copping some flak from Owen Davies (26). With runs to play with Powell set about trying to purchase a wicket but his fielders weren’t on the same wavelength, contriving to drop three chances in one over in the vicinity of cow corner.

T Heath ended the fun when Taylor pulled firmly to Andrew Spencer at mid-wicket and Spencer (2-10) himself closed the game with the ball. Firstly Davies skied a bunt and gloveman Michell accepted this particular chance, then Owen hammered a drive to Baxter at mid-off for the final wicket.

An Abercynon total of 123 all out gave Llanarth a fine victory from an excellent performance. Can the Trees produce consecutive quality performances in next week’s vital clash with an impressive Newport.