South Wales Premier League Cricket

Ammanford (293-4) beat Newport (165-7)

A CONVINCING winning draw against Newport at the Park kept Ammanford firmly in contention for this summer’s Premier League campaign.

The hosts are looking a very confident side, particularly when it comes to batting.

Morning rain reduced the game to 40 overs, which Newport must have been thankful for by the tea interval.

Ammanford lost the toss and were put in to bat. Hedd Jones and Rhys Davies got them off to an excellent start with superb running between the wickets placing the Newport fielders under continuous pressure.

The opening stand of 70 in just 12 overs ended with the dismissal of Jones for 30, but skipper Alun Evans joined Davies to take the score to 119 when Davies left for 52.

Mathew Fisher joined his captain and the pair put on nearly a century before Evans (56) got himself out with eight overs remaining.

With the score on 213 for three, Newport must have thought the worst was over, but the arrival of Jack Murphy to partner Fisher signalled a further blitz with 80 coming from the last eight overs.

Murphy’s 39 came off just 24 deliveries and included five fours and a six. He was bowled with three balls of the innings remaining.

Fisher at the other end was on 96, but failed to get to the other end to complete what would have been a magnificent ton. He had faced just 64 balls and scored 10 fours and three sixes.

Ammanford closed a tremendous batting performance on 293 for four in their 40 overs.

A shaken Newport immediately lost a wicket with two runs on the board and a further two by the time they had reached 40.

Then a stand of 90 between skipper Michael Clayden (58no) and Scott Thornton (40) enabled them to see out the remaining overs.

They finished on 165 for seven, happy to survive and gain six points from the match to keep them in second place.

Ammanford’s 18 points was enough to keep them in fifth with most of the other top teams winning.

Next Saturday Ammanford are at Ynysygerwn in the league on Saturday before they head west to visit Neyland on Sunday in the Welsh Cup.