Ammanford CC v Neath

Ammanford’s match against Neath at the Gnoll was cruelly overshadowed by the tragic loss of first team scorer Gary Phillips, who died on Saturday morning.

Despite the devastating loss of a man who has not only been a decades-long club stalwart but also a good friend to generations of Ammanford players, Alun Evans and his team decided to go ahead with the match against Neath. He said: "It was what Gary would have wanted".

Batting first, the home side built a solid start with an opening stand of 95 between Scott Matthews (69) and Steven Rheingold (35).

That start was consolidated by a further half century partnership between Matthews and Lorenzo Machado (75), which helped Neath towards a total of 209 for 5 in a match curtailed to 33 overs.

Josef Davies bowled well for his figures of 3 for 35.

Ammanford’s response was understandably erratic, with batsmen getting in but unable to provide the stand which could match Neath’s total.

Top scorers were Rhys Huw Davies (34) and Josef Davies (30), but they couldn’t prevent Ammanford falling short of their target by 39 runs. At the close they were 170 for 9.

Ammanford could do themselves a lot of good with a victory over Pontarddulais at the Park next Saturday, but for now they remain rooted to bottom place. However, at this sombre time the club will be acutely aware that there are more important things than cricket.