Crickhowell’s season ended with a disappointing defeat at the Marches League T20 Finals Day at Eastnor.

The earlier semi-final that day saw Colwall skittle out Garnons and then book their place in the final by knocking off the runs with some ease.

Crickhowells’s game against Kington though, was a much closer affair with Kington wining the toss and asking Crickhowell to bat first.

Crickhowell managed to field eleven, but with skipper Francis suffering from a soccer injury sustained the day before and a number of others carrying injuries the team lacked some sparkle. Tim Price was also unavailable due to the arrival of his first child and whilst mother and baby Ted, are doing well there must be something in the genes, as like father Tim, Ted also failed to arrive ‘on time’!

In the game though, Crickhowell did manage to post a reasonable total of 123, with Ioan Lilley batting well as he has done through most of the season, scoring 48 before being bowled by Morgan.

Cornock (16) didn’t seem himself for some reason, but supported Lilley well but just couldn’t find any of the big shots he’s renown for, and Nick Francis managed to pick out the square leg boundary fielder with only his second delivery faced.

Greg Tew coming in at number six managed to hit a very useful 21 to see the side through to some respectability, but the total was someway short of what the team would have wanted. Opening bowlers Ben and Joseph Bowker then had some difficulty finding a challenging length and line and Kington got away to a flyer scoring 37 off the first four overs.

Green scored a quick-fire 39 before being spectacularly caught by Cornock, off Ben Bowker, but the damage was done and even though Francis (0-9 off 3overs) and Phill Bowker (1-25 off 4) bowled well, Ben Smith and Protheroe were able to see Kington home in only 16 overs.

Greg Tew also took a wicket for Crickhowell, but in truth, Crickhowell were again off colour and not really firing on all cylinders. The team licked their wounds and hung around to see Colwall beat Kington in the final and they were also able to reflect on a season of some ups and downs.

The end of term report for Crickhowell in 2016 would read something like this: Can do better, but shows signs of some promise – must work harder and undoubtedly shows talent ‘at times’, but lacks concentration and makes silly, avoidable mistakes! In the league, the cold facts of the season were: Played 18, won seven, lost seven, with four games cancelled or abandoned, and a total of 205 points achieved.

The team finished in sixth position in Division One with five teams above them and four below, so ‘mid table mediocrity’ it was, but earlier in the season when the team had five straight wins in a row, there was hope for so much more.

The team’s ‘batting points’ total of 32, tells its own tale as this was the lowest total across all teams in the division! Even the teams relegated scored more batting points than Crickhowell, so achieving more consistency with the bat, is one area the team has to improve on, next year.

The bowling points total of 48, was slightly better, but far too often there too few runs on the board which placed too much pressure on the bowling department.

Highlights of the season would be: two comprehensive wins against local rivals Glangrwyney, who managed themselves to avoid relegation, so these local derbies will continue next year; a win against Builth which saw the team clutch victory from the jaws of defeat; and a remarkable performance against Woolhope to skittle the team out and knock the runs off before the rain came, on a day when no other teams in the division were able to play.

Individual highlights were: Ioan Lilley’s batting through the season as the one shining light that stayed on for most of the time; a superb 138 not out by Nick Francis in the local derby against Glangrwyney; 94 by Greg Tew and 74 not out by Jeremy Kerrison in the same game against Ledbury, 81 by Ben Bowker against Goodrich; and fifties from Paul Cornock and Tim Price in the game against Builth, with Price’s runs coming with the last pair of batsmen at the crease to see the side through to 225 having been 149 for nine.

On the bowling side, Ben Bowker returned good figures on several occasions including 4 for 22 against Builth, 5 for 21 against Ledbury and 6 for 39 in that remarkable game at Woolhope. Nick Francis also chipped in, picking up wickets throughout the season with a best of 4 for 53. Joseph Bowker, who was out injured for a substantial part of the season, also came back well and showed what he can do with a best performance of 4 for 34 against the champions Luctonians. In the field, Crickhowell are not the most mobile of teams these days, with several players edging towards 50 and two also now in their 60s, but there are a few youngsters coming through and Callum Tew and Lloyd Francis have fielded well when required to play. Nick Francis also held some stunning catches and Ioan Lilley also took two match winning catches, one in particular, which will last in the memory for some time, against Glangrwyney. Behind the stumps, Ryland Wallace, now in his 60s, continues to perform as well as ever, and finished second in the wicket keeping rankings for the league. Ryland now heads off in the close season, to Australia to represent England and Wales in an over 60s Ashes Tour and the club wishes him all the best for this challenge, ‘down under’.

With all the ups and downs of the season now behind them, and the frustrations they can bring, the spirit and friendly atmosphere in the club continues to shine brightly though. So the club looks forward to a well-earned rest as it contemplates what next season might bring and thanks all players, friends, and sponsors for their continued support though the season.