The 2nd XI travelled to Chepstow and recorded a 9 wicket win, which included a rapid half-century from Rhett Jones. Excellent fielding and tight, accurate bowling including four wickets for 19 from Dave Goodway and three for 17 from Lloyd Bruce, saw a poor Chepstow side routed for just 105 on a lovely sunny afternoon. Terry Williams bowled 10 overs, including 5 maidens, to post figures of 1 for 11.
In response, determined batting from Goodway (38 not out), supported by the power of Richard Jones (13) and the sublime hitting of Rhett Jones (52 not out), saw the target reached in just 19 overs, to give Sully a second successive win.
Chepstow 105 all out Sully 106 for 1
Big Win for 2nds
A century for Roger Clitheroe was the highlight of a 91 run 2nd XI victory over Pentyrch at Burnham Avenue. Sully batted first and apart from Roger's magnificent 110 not out Matthew Thomas powered his way to 39 in support as the score raced to 244/6 after 50 overs.
A great spell from Terry Williams (4/31) and Rhett Jones' 2 for 7 did the business for Centurions as Pentyrch were all out for 153.
Sully 244/6 Pentyrch 153 all out
Defeat At Home
Sully lost the toss on a glorious summers days down at Burnham Avenue. The visitors capitalised on some early wayward bowling and raced to 70 from 9 overs before a piece of good fortune saw the opposing captain run out from a dropped catch off the bowling of the impressive Lloyd Bruce (3 for 41). 3 further wickets fell quickly as the Sully bowlers found their lines on a superb batting track. A miserly spell from veteran Terry Williams (10 overs for 28) created some pressure on the St Fagan's batsman and another flurry of wickets saw the visitors slide to 145 for 7 from 31 overs. However, the visitors rebuilt and despite multiple bowling changes the 8th wicket could not be broken until the 44th over, by which time the score had moved on to 208. The tail saw out the remaining 6 overs to finish on 231 for 9.
After tea the home batsmen set off in a positive frame of mind but suffered an early run out as Huw Williams was run out backing up for 2. A solid partnership of 81 ensued as Matt Thomas and Rhett Jones punished any loose bowling. When Thomas departed for 56, two further wickets fell including that of Jones (37) and Sully slipped to 107 for 4. However, rebuilding began between Owain Sullivan and Steve Hood as the score progressed serenly to 151 in the 33rd over, before Sullivan was bowled by the impressive off-spin of Brohi and when Donny Sylvester departed first ball, Sully were in trouble again. Lloyd Bruce joined Hood at the crease and played stubbornly for 13 as they added 36 but when Bruce was bowled Hood soon followed caught for 38 and victory again seem distant as the home side were 189 for 8. A wayward spell of bowling helped SUlly put on 19 for the 9th wicket to give hope again but when Adam Gilliatt was bowled, veteran Williams soon followed and Sully slumped to a 22 run defeat and were left to rue the poor opening spell at the start of the day.
Sully 209 all out St Fagans 231 for 9
Victorious Again at Sully
An under-strength Sully got out of jail against bottom side Tondu on Saturday. Having invited Tondu to bat on a glorious day down at Burnham Avenue the opening bowlers kept the visiting batsman in check as only 15 runs came off the opening 10 overs. With the pressure building wickets began to fall but two missed opportunities allowed the Tondu batsman to rebuild and despite a miserly spell from the returning Ian Thickpenny (1 for 5 from 6 overs) the visitors reached 180 for 7 from their 50 overs.
After tea the home side had a disastrous start as they slumped to 13 for 3 but when Steve Hood was dropped first ball the luck began to sway the way of the Centurions. Matthew Thomas mixed aggression with some good fortune to power the home team towards their victory target. Together with Hood they put on 132 before Hood's luck finally ran out when on 33. Unfortunately for Thomas he fell 8 runs short of a well deserved century but he had done enough to see his side home. The last rites were delivered by the in-form Owain Sullivan (21 not out) has he despatched a series of straight drives to finish the game in the 34th over and give Sully an 18 point victory.
Sully 182/5 Tondu 180/7 Click Here For Scorecard
Good Win at Bridgend
Sully put in a solid all round performance to overcome a dogged display by Bridgend and claim their first outright win of the season.
Having been inserted on a slow track, Centurions were soon in trouble as two quick wickets fell. However a strong rearguard action lead by Roger Clitheroe and ably supported by an unusually subdued Rhett Jones took Sully past the first batting bonus point. When Clitheroe departed for a solid 53 and Matt Thomas quickly followed it was left to Steve Hood and Jones to lift the tempo of the innings. When Hood departed for 35, he was replaced by Owain Sullivan who preceded to hit the ball in his unique style and scored a quick fire 25 not out and took the score past 200 when the innings closed.
After Tea, the visiting bowlers gave nothing away early as they stuck to their line and length on the slow track. Rhett Jones picked up 1 for 22 from 10 tight overs to go with his 59 runs. When the spin twins of Lloyd Bruce and the fast improving Ben Callow were introduced into the attack the wickets fell more quickly. With Bruce finishing with 3 for 30 and Ben Callow deservedly completing the victory off the last ball with a superb 3 for 43 from his ten overs.
Bowling Bridgend out for 173 gave Sully a 21 point haul for their efforts.
Bridgend 173 all out Sully 201 for 6 Click Here for Full Scorecard
Weather is Defeated, But So Are The Seconds!
The 2nd XI managed to get the game with Abergavenny 2nds underway - one of very few matches to be played on a day of deteriorating weather conditions.
However, following this defeat, perhaps they may have wished that the game had been called off along with all the others!
In a game reduced to 45 overs Centurions batted first and managed to get through 11 overs before the first rain break. By this time Shae Ellis was out, with the score on 30, having failed to follow his Sunday 100 last week with another big score. After the restart another 3 wickets fell in quick succession and it was left to two of the more senior team members to steady the ship. Roger Clitheroe hit a marvellous 87 - using Rhett Jones as a runner for much of his innings after pulling up with an injury. He was well supported for a decent spell by Sean Davies, who hit 30. Sean also needed the services of 'Rhett the Runner' for the latter stages of his knock after pulling a muscle. Skipper Steve Hood (27) and Owain Sullivan (16) added some late flourishes and at the end of the 45 overs, Centurions had amassed 193 for 7 (a decent score in the conditions, but perhaps 20 or 30 short.)
In reply Abergavenny were in trouble early on, with two early wickets for Huw Williams and Rhett Jones. Unfortunately Centurions couldn't capitalise on this and the Abergavenny batsmen to their task.A good deal of the Centurion bowling that followed was under par, which the visitors took advantage of to good effect. Only one more wicket was to follow (Lewis Doel taking this one) and the target was reached with plenty of overs to go.
Sully 193/7 Abergavenny 194/3
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First Victory of the Season for 2nd XI
The 2nd XI dug deep to record a 17 point winning draw away at league newcomers Blackwood. Having elected to bat first on an uncovered green track, going proved tricky against the new ball for the Sully top order. After a promising opening stand of 22, Sully quickly slipped to 53 for 4 as the top order looked to be too positive in the testing conditions. However the evergreen Roger Clitheroe continued to resist the temptation of the big shot and began to prosper as he was joined at the crease by Rhett Jones. Rhett showing great maturity played circumspectly as he got used to the trying conditions. Despite taking two blows to the fingers, he continued to refrain from playing big shots too early in his innings.
A partnership of 86 began to lead Sully into a strong position before Clitheroe tried a booming drive and was caught behind for a superbly crafted 55. Matthew Thomas then quickly despatched the ball out of the ground twice in succession but then failed to clear the cover fielder and was caught for a quick fire 16. This was the cue for Rhett to open his shoulders and despatch the bowling to most parts of the small, home ground. A smeared, flat six off the last ball of the innings took the Sully score passed the 200 mark as Rhett finished on a superb 78 not out.
After the interval with conditions unchanged throughout the day Sully would always have a strong chance with a total of 203 to defend and so it proved. Huw Williams bowled a miserly opening spell and with him man of the match Jones tied down the other end, conceding just 23 from his 10 overs. The required run rate soon escalated and with the ball threatening to misbehave off a length Sully continued to press home the advantage.
Some steady batting from the experienced middle order stalwart from Blackwood kept the visiting attack at bay and kept the home team in with a shout until Matthew Thomas (4 for 37) was reintroduced for his second spell and a devastating over saw him take 3 wickets, in amongst the wides, and firmly closed the door on any hopes the home side had of winning.
With the 36 required off the last 5 overs and those overs to be bowled by Williams (10 overs for 22) and Steve Hood (2 for 36 from 10) the result was never in doubt as Blackwood limped to a final total of 190 for 8.
A very decent all round performance by the seconds this week showed what they can do in this league, the next step now is to return this type of performance on a regular basis
Blackwood 190/8 Sully 203/7 Click Here For Scorecard
A Lesson from Cardiff
Sully 2nd XI were taught a cricketing lesson on Saturday as they were overwhelmed by last year's champions, Cardiff. The decision to insert Cardiff backfired badly as the visiting batsmen cruised to a daunting total of 280 for 3.
Terry Williams bowled a miserly spell (0-29) but failed to get the early breakthrough. The Sully bowlers struggled to gain any sort of control as they bowled both sides of the wicket. The only wicket takers were Steve Hood (1-36), Rhett Jones (1-62) and the returning Dave Goodway (1-69).
Needing a strong start to have any opportunity to overhaul the Cardiff score, Sully got the complete opposite as they slumped to 12 for 3 with the top three, Goodway, Clitheroe and Jones, all back in the pavilion inside the first 5 overs.
Some rebuilding was achieved through the dogged Shae Ellis and Ben Horlock as they put on 35 before Ellis departed for 16. This preceded a further collapse as Matt Thomas and Sean Davies fell in quick succession.
Owain Sullivan briefly showed some defiance but when he fell for 8, Horlock quickly followed, finally falling for a characterful 27. The last rites were delivered when Hood was bowled for 8, leaving Sully all out for a very poor 80.
The pick of the bowling was the opposition captain Jon Rees who finished with 6 for 21.
Sully 80 all out Cardiff 280 for 3
For full scorecard click here
Next week the seconds travel to newly promoted Blackwood and need to show much improvement if they are to get their season back on track.
Opening Day Defeat at Newport
The 2nd XI slumped to a 4 wicket defeat on the opening day of the season. Having been inserted on a hard green track the visitors soon lost the wicket of Sean Davies in the 4th over, a dogged stand of 28 between the returning Roger Clitheroe and Ben Horlock took the score up to 40 before Horlock departed LBW. Clitheroe, joined by captain Steve Hood, put on a further 29 before the former's vigil ended in the 24th over when he was caught at point for a stubborn 27.
The run rate picked up as Hood and new batsman Huw Williams put on 47 before Hood was well caught at deep mid-on for 27 with the score on 127 in the 33rd over. With 17 overs remaining and the dangerous Matthew Thomas walking to the crease a total in excess of 200 was the minimum requirement but wickets fell at regular intervals including that of Williams for a well made 39. Only a rear guard action by 10th wicket pairing of Birthday boy Terry Williams and the debutant Ben Callow saw Sully limp to 170/9, having lost 6 for 45 in the last 18 overs of the innings.
After tea, with the need for a disciplined bowling performance to bring themselves back in to the game, the Sully bowlers found life tough as too often they dropped the ball short and were duly punished. When the breakthrough was made, Terry Williams (1-40) was the beneficiary of a fine catch from Owain Sullivan, a second wicket soon followed for Huw Williams (1-33) who again benefited from a fine catch, this time by Horlock. With the total on 38 for 2 Sully were pressing hard to get back into the game but a flurry of boundaries and some wayward bowling saw Newport proceed at over 6 an over before Hood picked up a fortunate wicket with his first delivery. Three further wickets fell quickly through a run-out, a second wicket for Hood (2-32) and one for the impressive Shae Ellis (1-27) but man of the match Geraint Leach nursed Newport over the line in the 43rd over for the loss of 6 wickets.
Sully were left to lament on a poor last 15 overs with the bat and an undisciplined first 10 overs with the ball. Next Saturday Sully entertain last years champions Cardiff.
Newport 171/6 Sully 170/9 For Full Scorecard Click Here
