USK 1sts won a dramatic last-ball Welsh Cup semi-final by a single run at home to Colwyn Bay on Sunday.

In a nail-biting finish, Bay needed 12 runs to overhaul Usk’s 201-6 40-over target with one over left, and just two off the final two deliveries.

But bowler Ben Jones and Harawal Ahmed Wassam then proved the heroes, the latter catching Will Higginson for 75 before the former denied his replacement any score, with Bay left high and dry on 200-9.

Usk won the toss and elected to bat, with Wassam scoring 42 sharing a 65-run third-wicket stand with former Qatar skipper Tamoor Zafar to take them to 102-3.

Zafar went on to prove the mainstay once again firing 84, including two sixes and seven fours in a 95-ball knock, finally falling as the final wicket (190-6).

Bay reached 45-1 in reply after Wassam had struck early with an lbw (12-1), but Zafar then bowled Dan Russell for 25 and two quick wickets for Matthew Williams to catches from Wassam and Joe Peacock made it 51-4.

Higginson's arrival, backed by Charlie Collins with 24 and a 58-run seventh-wicket stand with Matt Russell, who scored 36, saw Bay edge towards the target (173-7), Paul Murphy taking three wickets to keep the game firmly in the balance.

With the tension rising, Wassam struck again on the last ball of the penultimate over, Elliot Doyle clutching a catch to leave Bay 190-8.

Higginson was still there though, and he fired three twos and a four in the next four balls facing Jones.

The nails were being well and truly chewed now with just two balls left and two needed.

But Jones held his nerve, and Higginson's departure left one more delivery against a tailender, with the bowler bottling the new man up and Usk going through to the final at Vale CC on Sunday, September 7, much to the delight of the home team and supporters.

Ironically, their final opponents will be South Wales Premier One top-four rivals Pontarddulais, who Usk will be burning for revenge against after a 66-run home loss to just 24 hours before their semi-final victory.

Pont reached 260-5 in their 50 overs, with scores of 20 to 56, with Ollie Rayner and Matthew Marriott taking two wickets and Zafar and Jones one apiece.

Usk made a solid start reaching a hundred for the loss of two wickets thanks to 38 from Rayner and 30 from Hugo Caldicott.

And Wassam with 43 took them to 153-4 before his departure heralded a collapse, despite 25 from Matthew Williams, with Usk all out for 194.

The 2nds also lost their South East Wales 3 table-top battle away to Llandaff 2nds on Saturday, the division leaders triumphing by 42 runs after scoring 212 all out in 43 overs.

Paul Murphy took 4-38 for the visitors, backed by wicket braces for Jamie Jones and Oliver Hall.

But despite 75 from Usk skipper Sidharth Ramesh and 42 from Pat Rodden, who shared a 103-run fourth-wicket stand (126-4), no one else troubled double figures and the visitors were all out for 170 in the 41st over.

The 3rds scored 228-8 off 40 overs at home to Brecon 2nds, but were blown away by the firepower of the visitors' openers, who raced to 231 without loss in 32 overs, Daniel Bowen scoring 136 and John Kenchington 68.

Arvind Aswani scored 66 for Usk, Ceri Wynne 39, Oliver Light 24 and Damian Harvey 20.