ON their first visit to Upper Rhondda CC, Llanarth were greeted with a lovely playing surface and fancying another chase, the Trees inserted the home side and got to work making their target as small as possible. Lomax (1-21) struck in his opening over, and James was unlucky not to add the other opener when a big edge was spilled at slip. UR pushed the score nicely to 51-1 from 13 overs when a double bowling change saw Powell (2-33) and Baxter (2-9) completely dry up the scoring rate, with some excellent accuracy, and bag a few scalps into the bargain. Llanarth were well on top at 126-6 but again were made to pay for dropped chances by giving Phillips (40) a couple of chances, one grassed by Baxter on the boundary, getting his eyelid split by the seam in the process, continued to evidence your correspondents rapidly declining fielding skills and provided further food for thought that perhaps his specs should be worn in the field as well as for batting. A couple of annoying partnerships extended the score but skipper Heath (3-17), with some tidy leg-spin, along with some smart keeping by Nowell ensured the final total of 177 all out remained within reach. Lomax and Baxter (32) started against some lively and accurate stuff and just seemed to be getting on top when Lomax threw the kitchen sink at a wide one and was superbly taken at slip. A. Dewfield (29) and Baxter pushed the score to 68-1 from 17 overs when the latter received one in the slot to biff over the infield but mistimed his stroke badly to be caught at mid-on, and when A. Dewfield fell at 88 the game was in the balance. Thankfully Nowell (42) had settled in at the crease and in the company of C. Dewfield and Proctor edged the score along, but it was in partnership with Heath that one finally felt the Trees were back in the driving seat. Then at 161-5 with 17 runs required from 22 balls and two set batsmen at the crease the wheels on Llanarth's wagon, seemingly fixed after the Abertillery debacle, fell off again in spectacular fashion. The last five wickets fell for three runs with the final four going down for 0 in four consecutive deliveries as the innings imploded to 164 all out and defeat by 13 runs.