LLANARTH welcomed Cardiff to the LCG on Saturday for the final league game of the season. The hosts knew that there were various permutations which could still result in them being relegated, most of which you would require a maths degree to work out.

Skipper Dennis Heath knew all his team had to do was win the game and the results elsewhere would be irrelevant.

All-rounder David Lomax showed a distinct lack of commitment on the day the club needed him most as he decided that getting married to Jess was far more important than playing in a season defining game. When Heath broke this news prior to the start of the game the look of shock and disappointment on the rest of the players faces was evident, not because he wasn’t playing but they all felt that Jess could do a lot, lot better. (Only joking, congratulations both from all at Llanarth Cricket Club).

With Captain Heath running late, as he was at a sheep sale, he asked his deputy Chris Powell to carry out the duty of participating in the toss of the coin. Powell won the toss and as the wicket looked soft and the outfield still a little wet he asked Cardiff to bat.

Andrew Spencer and Tom Heath bowled superbly with the new ball, Spencer bowled a very tight line conceding just 11 runs off his 10 overs, four of which were wides. Heath showed how important he is becoming to the team by dismissing opener Herbert with his third ball and then had the useful Soulsby caught in the slips with the last ball of his first over. Heath finished with figures of 3-33 off his 10 overs.

Dennis Heath and Chris Powell replaced the opening bowlers and continued with the tight line and length. Heath bowled seven overs for 10 runs and he had opener Will Ricketts caught by John Foster for eight. Powell finished with figures of 2-20, the second of which was the dangerous South African Swart for eight who last year scored a century against the trees.

With his second wicket Powell became only the second ever Llanarth player to take 1000 senior wickets for the club (1000 wickets at an average of 16.45. Best Bowling Analysis 7-16 and 36 five wicket hauls).

Eian Johnson was the fifth bowler used and his mixture of pace and cleverly disguised slower balls resulted in him taking 1-32 off his eight overs. Cardiff finished on 118-7 off their 45 overs, a score Llanarth were extremely happy with.

Mark Baxter made a welcome return to the side and he opened the batting alongside Glenn Hamilton. In the first over Hamilton hit Swart for a lovely straight drive only for him to try the same shot to the very next ball and got bowled. Chris Page joined Baxter at the crease and the pair looked comfortable taking the score on to 57 before Page was bowled by Phillips for 19. Tom Vaughan swiftly joined Page back in the pavilion when he played back to a straight ball and was given out LBW for a duck.

Llanarth were starting to look a little nervy but knew that with sensible batting they would easily get to the target. Baxter’s innings finished on 38 when he was caught behind off the returning Swart. Llanarth then collapsed like a pack of cards with four batsmen failing to trouble the scorer and the innings finished an agonisingly 12 runs short of victory on 107 all out.

The players were glued to ceefax after the game in the hope that other results had gone in their favour. Unfortunately every result that came in was one that Llanarth had not hoped for and it would appear that after doing their upmost in the last few weeks to get out of the relegation zone they have been relegated. Confirmation of this depends on whether three teams are relegated from every league, a decision that seems likely.

The players would like to thank the following people for all their hard work this season. Dennis Heath and Keith Spencer for the numerous hours spent organising teams. Clive Delve, Peter Francis, Davey Jones, Mike Churchill and Jolan Brooks for their hard work preparing the ground and facilities. Sarah Heath and Alison Spencer for providing us with the best tea’s in the league and finally to Ron Baxter.