Seasiders denied a vital victory by rain

the bottom three securing easy, valuable winning points.

With four games to play, however, it is still all to play for.

After once again losing the toss, the Seasiders were asked to take first strike and it proved to be fruitful for the home side who soon prospered.

Mark Dixon and Nick Davies, who have been in superb form this season, put together 37 for the first wicket before Dixon fell for 25, with a six and three fours, which took his season’s tally past 400.

Davies was prepared to take a patient role while Rob Jones was in his best form of the season as the pair added 140 for the second wicket.

Jones, who also raced past the 400 mark for the campaign, had the heartbreak of playing on just eight short of a maiden century.

His excellent 92 contained three maximums and he also found the ropes 14 times.

Davies found another willing partner in skipper Jack Tuck as the pair advanced the score to 221-4 before Tuck departed for an aggressive 35 with a brace of sixes and three fours.

Davies was dismissed with two overs remaining for another invaluable effort, passing the 50 mark for the seventh time this season, lifting his accumulation to an impressive 554 for the campaign. It is the veteran batsman’s finest season to date.

Davies’s superb effort ended on 66 as he found the ropes nine times.

Porthcawl’s total of 243-5 looked a winning score as the prediction was that 160 would be a formidable score.

For Landore, James Hyndman took 2-40, Kyle Ace 2-43 and the evergreen Paul Sibery bowled with usual accuracy to finish with 1-14 from 10 overs.

With rain threatening, the Swansea suburban side made a rapid start, Kyle Ace lashing a quick fire 59 inside 10 overs with three sixes and six fours.

However, the sight of the division’s top scorer, Jay Copp departing for just eight, thanks to a brilliant Josh Aubrey catch, gave the Seasiders the scent of victory.

Unfortunately, on 832, rain spread across Locks Lane and with no possibility of a resumption the umpires eventually abandoned the match.

Tuck finished with 1-8 and Mark Bevan with 1-12.

Before the match, both sides lined the pitch for a minute’s silence in memory and tribute to Porthcawl’s former player and inspirational, long-standing Patron, Jack Bridge, whose funeral took place the previous day.