THREE half centuries helped Abergavenny 1st XI secure a thumping 128-run third South Wales Premier One league win on Saturday as the season reached the half-way point, reports PAUL SUSSEX.

Batting first against visitors Ynystawe, who are also towards the rear of the table, Abergavenny for once had to build a score without Glamorgan star Ed Byrom, who was caught off a lifting ball in the eighth over for 17 (20-1).

Two overs later and it was 31-2 having lost new man Will Glenn, bowled for seven.

Ryan Avery, who by his own high standards has had a lean time of it so far this season, along with Morgan Bevans set about rebuilding, and with a great deal of application put on 128 runs for the third wicket.

Both showed invention in their stroke play before Bevans holed out for 58 (159-3).

The hosts then amassed another 90 runs in the final 8.3 overs to post 249-6 off 50 overs, Avery reaching 76 before departing to a catch (179-4) and Tom Norton cracking a whirlwind 50 off just 27 balls, including two sixes and five fours before holing out (243-5).

Owen Harris also struck an unbeaten 21 off 14 balls as Ynystawe were hampered by Lucas Carey pulling up with hamstring issues and Aditya Singh pulled out of the attack by the umpires for bowling two beamers in a row.

In reply, Josh Spies bowling from the brook end was replaced early on by Jack Ryan who got rid of Tom Blake caught on the boundary by Byrom (37-1).

Ryan then trapped Alex Horton lbw for a duck (44-2) before Spies now bowling from the Avenue Road end removed the Ynystawe skipper for 17 (48-3).

Abergavenny’s spinners then came to the fore and restricted Ynystawe from building any meaningful partnerships, with the visitors limping to 121 before being dismissed in the 36th over.

Young Lloyd Sharp deserves praise as a young bowler learning his trade at the top level, taking 3-12 off 5.2 overs, while fellow spinners Sam Clarke and Harris took a wicket each, with the trio sharing five wickets for just 46 runs off 19.2 overs.

Ryan returned to finish with 3-18 and Spies completed the victory claiming the final wicket for figures of 2-39.

At the half way stage, Abergavenny are in joint sixth with 98 points.

Sadly Sunday proved an anti-climax as Abergavenny crashed out of the Senior Open Welsh Cup in a 10-wicket defeat at Malpas.

The visitors could only post 152-9 off their 40 overs, Rowan Snell scoring 37, Toby Smith 34, Sam Clarke 19 and Ryan Avery 12 before the hosts raced to 156 without loss in 27 overs.

Next week, the 1sts host Usk in a league derby, which is also Past Players’ Day, the 50th anniversary of winning the Three Counties League and will see the 1st XI dress up Aussie-style after the game in tribute to overseas player Spies.

Abergavenny 2nds trip to Abercynon was washed out by a waterlogged square, and they'll hope for dryer conditions away to local rivals Llanarth 1sts this weekend.

But while the 3rds got their game on away to Pencoed 1sts, it ended in a seven-wicket loss.

Despite several Aber batters getting starts and moving into the teens, not one managed to pass 20 as they collapsed from 59-2 to 100 all out in 29 overs.

They had early success with the ball, reducing Pencoed to 23-3 including two ducks, with two wickets for Dylan Beaumont-Welsh and one for Evan Jones.

But the hosts then reached 101 without further loss in just 18.2 overs, leaving Aber seventh in South East Wales 10, with a trip to Pontymister & Crosskeys this Saturday.

For the 4ths, it's been a long wait for a first win, and with the SEW12 basement side welcoming table-toppers Bay Dragons 2nds at the weekend, the prospects didn't look good.

But they confounded the form book with a memorable last ball three-wicket win at Crickhowell after dismissing the league leaders for 213 in 36 overs, Lotte Matthews securing 4-25, James Forrester 2-41 and Jonty Heffaran, Aaron King and Steve Brown a wicket apiece.

Steve Brown then blasted a four off the last ball to reach 217-7 and his half century to claim a magnificent victory, the Wales over-50s cap finishing 52 not out, backed by Ellis Jones with 32, Owen Thomas 32, Muhammad Usama Ali 22, Roy Packiyaraj 13, Hefarran 12 and Ioan Wallace 10.

And they'll be hoping for more success at home to Monmouth 2nds this Saturday.