Aber 1sts grab hat-trick of wins in league and cups

IT proved a great week for Abergavenny 1st XI as they won their way to the Macey Cup T20 Gwent final on Wednesday night, downed high-flying derby visitors Usk for a first win of the season in South Wales Premier One on Saturday and then beat Radyr away in the Senior Open Welsh Cup on Sunday.

Opener Baljeevan Khalsa cracked 64 off 35 balls, including three sixes and six fours to give Aber a flying cup start at Malpas in midweek, before Tom Pipe blasted an unbeaten 65 off 40 balls, as the visitors reached 183-5.

Malpas were then limited to 143-9 in reply, Evan Jones taking 3-22, Lewys Wilkes-Mccarthy 2-14 and Mujeid Ilyas 2-21.

Saturday saw the visit of third-placed Usk, who batted first after winning the toss on a sunny but breezy afternoon.

Tom Mason impressed in an opening partnership of 88, scoring 46 before being caught by Josh Spies.

Fellow opener Hugo Caldicott fell shortly afterwards for 36 with the score on 93, Morgan Bevans holding a catch, with both wickets off Sam Clarke deliveries.

The spinners did a good job for Abergavenny with skipper Clarke finishing his spell with 2-16 as Usk reached 150-6.

Glamorgan CCC's Billy Root – brother of England star Joe Root – scored a patient 66 to help the visitors to 222-9 off 50 overs, with Lloyd Sharp, Mujeid Illyas and Ben Morris taking two wickets apiece and Spies one.

Abergavenny felt it was around a par score, and could have been below 200 with improved ground fielding.

In reply, the hosts reached 51-3 after 19 overs, opener Ryan Avery scoring 26.

But Bevans and Ilyas boosted them to 120-3 after 30 overs before the former was trapped lbw having scored 66 (145-4) after a 94-run partnership.

Ilyas pressed on with new partner Tom Pipe and reached his half century with 61 runs needed from the last 10 overs.

Pipe was out for 12 in the 44th over, with Sharp joining Ilyas and they passed 200 two overs later before the hosts lost the latter to an Elliott Doyle catch off a Tamoor Zafar delivery for a magnificent 71 from 73 balls (201-6).

A brilliant 17 runs off the 47th over then put Aber in the box seat for a first victory of the season, which duly arrived in the 48th over to the jubilation of the home crowd.

Cameo innings from skipper Sam Clarke with 12 not out and Lloyd Sharp 23 not out sealed the deal.

Aber stay bottom, but it was a significant lift at the start of the second half of the season.

Twenty four hours later back in cup action, skipper Clarke fired 75, backed by Ryan Avery 26 and Will Eccles 21, as Aber posted 187 all out off 39.4 overs at Radyr.

The hosts were then dismissed for 114 in 30 overs, Clarke starring again with 5-14 alongside Leo Ling with 4-16.

Meanwhile, the unbeaten 2nds continued their great league form on Saturday away to Cardiff CC 3rds, amassing 265-6, with Baljeevan Khalsa once again the man of the moment with a magnificent 94 at better than a run a ball, including eight fours and four sixes.

Acting skipper James Hrastelj fired an unbeaten 46, and James Morris scored 23, Alex Holmes 16, and Will Jones and Will Eccles both 12s.

Cardiff then fell 82 runs short of the daunting target when bowled out for 183.

Two of the top scoring Aber batters did the damage with the ball as well, Hrastelj taking 2-28 and Khalsa 3-10, well supported by Toby Smith 2-41, Tim Price 2-36 and Eric Pike 1-26.

And their winning streak sees them 14 points clear at the top of Division 4.

Abergavenny 3rds also won by seven wickets at home to Ebbw Vale 2nds, in a game where veteran Ryland Wallace played alongside his grandson Ioan Wallace, with the latter scoring an unbeaten 26 to help them over the finish line.

The visitors made 191-9 off 40 overs, with two wickets each for Steve Brown and Dan Bowden and a wicket each for Maria Sheehan, Ryan Watkins, Jaiden Caswell and Joe Bowden.

After a poor start losing skipper Steve Brown to be 6-1 they rallied thanks to Archie Eccles with an unbeaten 51, Ryan Watkins 51 and Jaiden Caswell 49 to reach 197-3 in 29.3 overs.

But smarting from the rain spoiling their march for victory earlier in the season when they amassed 358-6, South Wales Sri Lankan 2nds were in no mood to let history repeat itself, as they put visitors Abergavenny 4ths' bowlers to the sword scoring a giant 394-7 in their 40 overs.

The hosts' Priyamal Gallage cracked a magnificent 195 off 85 balls, including 18 sixes and 13 fours.

But despite the huge score Arun Babu took a superb 5-65 including the wicket of Gallage.

There was also a wicket each for Ben Pike and Owain Bradley.

Abergavenny were in trouble early on in reply at 66-4, before Ben Pike with 62, backed by Charles Snell 27, Adil Gatrad 15, and skipper Barry French 16 helped them to 169-9 at the close.

Saturday's (July 11) fixtures include – Newport 1sts v Abergavenny 1sts, Penarth 1sts v Usk 1sts, Abergavenny 2nds v Pontymister & Crosskeys, Taw 2nds v Abergavenny 3rds, Abergavenny 4ths v Sudbrook 3rds.