NEWLY-promoted Abergavenny 1st XI just missed out on posting a first ever win in South Wales Premier One for the second successive week, losing by two wickets in the final over at Bridgend Town, reports PAUL SUSSEX.

Aber got away to a good start reaching 42-0 off 10 overs, but then lost three wickets in 27 balls, with openers Ryan Avery and Ed Byrom departing for 20 and 22 respectively, leaving them 59-3.

A good fourth-wicket partnership of 75 followed between Tom Norton and Morgan Bevans, before the former holed out for 43 (135-4).

Former England U16 player Tom Norton scored 43 and bowled a hostile 10 overs
Former England U16 player Tom Norton scored 43 and bowled a hostile 10 overs (Abergavenny CC)

Karl Leathley with 14 and Owen Harris with 20 formed small partnerships with Bevans who reached 45 before becoming the eighth victim with 200 on the board.

Captain Sam Clarke also chipped in late on with 18, before Lloyd Sharp was caught off the final ball of the 50-over innings with the visitors all out for 217, Bridgend’s opening bowlers ‘The Jones Boys’ – Alex and Tomos – sharing six wickets.

Abergavenny began their defence of the total really well, Josh Spies and Norton restricting Bridgend to 33 from 10 overs, which included a dropped catch at slip off the latter's bowling.

And when the hosts reached 74-4, Abergavenny were on top, with both Owen Harris and Sam White having completed their ten overs.

But two solid partnerships then put Bridgend back in the box seat, with 81 runs added for the fifth wicket and 47 for the seventh.

There was another twist when Bridgend lost their seventh and eighth wickets on 203, 14 short of Aber's target.

And it went right down to the wire and the 50th over, but Bridgend finally reached 221-8 with five balls tp spare.

Clarke took 3-40, which included another wonderful Norton catch on the boundary, backed by Spies 2-37, Owen Harris 2-45 and Sharp 1-23, and although Norton's spell was wicketless, his hostile bowling limited the hosts to 37 off 10 overs.

The 2nds flew the Abergavenny CC flag with the club's solitary win on Saturday to go top of South East Wales 5, beating Bridgend 2nds at home by 86 runs after amassing 316-9 in 45 overs.

Ed Woolcott with 70 continued his vein of form, as did Jack Ryan when they put on 123 for the third wicket, with the latter going on to just miss his ton, out for a 73-ball 90 that included 10 fours and a six.

Jack Ryan bowled superbly for Abergavenny
Jack Ryan impressed with the bat firing 90 for the 2nds (Abergavenny CC)

Drew Heffernan (23), Greg Fury (24) and Pawan Nisansala (36) were the other main contributors.

Bridgend were at one point 113-1, but were soon 151-5, with Pawan Nisansala and Lewys Wilkes-McCarthy going on to take four wickets apiece and Nathan Byrne and Ryan a wicket each as the visitors were all out for 230 in the 42nd over.

The 3rds were on the receiving end of a huge total as Cardiff 4ths scored 314-5 in 40 overs, despite wicket braces for Joe Bowden and Manuraj Raju, and one for Marc Morgan.

Faced with a mountain, Abergavenny openers James Morris (34) and Jaiden Caswell (57) put on 103 for the first wicket.

But they then lost four wickets for 21 runs, and while Archie Eccles (34) and Will Jones (37) rallied, they were all out for 226, leaving Abergavenny third in SEW 10.

The 4ths hosted Pontypridd 3rds, who posted 196-9 in 40 overs, with Alex Holmes in his season debut taking 4-18.

Alex Holmes took four wickets on his season debut for the 4ths
Alex Holmes took four wickets on his season debut for the 4ths (Abergavenny CC)

Roy Packiyaraj also took two wickets, and there was a wicket each for Lee Fury, Owain Bradley and Maria Sheehan.

But they found runs hard to come by in reply, only Alex Holmes (13), Mukesh Kumar (11) Lee Fury (10) and Satish Rohra (20) making starts, and no one pushing on.

And they were dismissed for 90 in 25 overs to stay bottom of SEW 12.

Fixtures this Saturday (May 24) - 1sts v Swansea 1sts, Radyr 3rds v 2nds, 3rds v Penarth 4ths, Fugitives 3rds v 4ths.