ABERGAVENNY 1st XI fielded a side with an average age of just 19 years 3 months at home to Ammanford on Saturday, with seven having come through the junior ranks, reports PAUL SUSSEX.

But despite twice being in the box seat, they couldn’t quite get over the line, losing out by 16 runs.

The bowlers – led admirably by Australian overseas teenager Josh Spies, who is just two wickets off being the South Wales Premier One top wicket taker – had Ammanford in dire straits at 141-8 in the 41st over.

And they were also in a great position of 122-1 in the 24th over when batting.

But the Ammanford tail ‘wagged’ with a ninth-wicket partnership of 82, Fin Jeffries scoring 53 runs of 31 balls, aided by dropped catches, as they finished on 226-9.

Spies took 2-35, Sam Clarke 3-30, and Lloyd Sharp 2-12 backed by a wicket each for Leo Ling and Owen Harris.

Skipper Clarke was injured late on though and took no further part, which also proved costly.

Abergavenny 16-year-old Olly Jones with 25 and 17-year-old Jack Ryan gave the home side a great start putting on 56 for the first wicket in 13 overs.

Ryan fired 66 sharing a 66-run second-wicket partnership with Morgan Bevans, who scored 21, and was unlucky to be given lbw.

But Abergavenny fell from 122-1 to 141-6 in 10 overs, and despite rallying to 206-7, fell short of their target with just the 10 batters available, and finished on 210-9, with Tom Pipe also scoring 29, Sharp 30 and Spies 15, with Ammanford moving above Abergavenny to sixth.

The imperious form of unbeaten South East Wales 5 champions Abergavenny 2nds continued away to Llandaff 3rds with a 217-run win though, Drew Heffernan firing a magnificent 158 not out from 131 deliveries, including 26 fours.

He was supported by Ed Woolcott with 36, Ellis Jones 34, and Pawan Nisansala 58, as they amassed a mountainous 349-4 off 45 overs.

Llandaff were never in the hunt and were dismissed in the 30th over for 132, Evan Jones taking 5-42, Lewys Wilkes-McCarthy 4-25 and Eric Pike 1-25.

The win leaves Abergavenny 66 points ahead of local rivals Llanarth, with one game left at home to basement side Abercynon to record an invincible season for the 2nds.

Abergavenny 3rds fielded with just eight players for the first 15 overs, and only nine players from then on, but still beat hosts Creigiau 2nds by two wickets.

Creigiau scored 158-9 in their 40 overs thanks mainly to an unbroken 10th-wicket partnership of 51, after a great Abergavenny bowling effort led by 3rds leading wicket-taker Andy Timpson with 4-19, supported by Chai Sanapala with 2-19 and solo strikes from Dylan Beaumont-Welsh and Roy Packiyaraj.

The 4ths skipper Barry French was the star with the bat scoring 58, backed by Sanapala with 24 and Joe Bowden 30, with whom the former put on an 86-run partnership for the third wicket as Aber reached 159-6 with two overs to spare, and the win securing seventh in SEW 10.

The 4ths made it three weekend wins out of four, with a 16-run home victory over Whitchurch Heath 4ths, reaching 180 all out before dismissing the visitors for 164.

Ioan Steptoe scored a season’s best 81, backed by Lee Fury 39 and Ioan Wallace 15, before Lotte Matthews took 3-17, Dan Gethings 2-22 and Steptoe, Fury, Owain Bradley and Bella Collett a wicket apiece for a 20-point SEW 12 victory.

Saturday’s (August 30) final day fixtures include – Ynystawe 1sts v Abergavenny 1sts, Abergavenny 2nds v Abercynon 1sts, Abergavenny 3rds v Pencoed 1sts, Bay Dragons 2nds v Abergavenny 4ths.