TITLE JOY FOR DEADLY DAFEN
DAFEN are the 2022 champions of the Peter Lynn & Partners Solicitors South Wales Cricket Association.
The Llanelli side sealed the first division title and the Dan Radcliffe Cup that goes with it in style on Saturday with a crushing victory against nearest rivals Aberdare.
With one game left in the season Dafen are 24 points clear of Aberdare.
Dafen won the toss and then rattled up 317-5 in their 50 overs, openers Matthew Evans (52) and Luke O’connor (120) giving them the perfect start with a 145-run partnership.
No. 5 Scott Phillips added an unbeaten 51 off just 20 balls that include five sixes as the Aberdare attack floundered. Chris Hughes took 4-70 off seven overs.
Unsurpsrisingly, the Cynon Valley side were never likely to reach that target and ended on 77-5 in 20 overs after rain. Jonathan Randell took 2-33 and Simon Holliday 2-1.
Fourth-placed Llangennech’s bid to finish third was kept alive when they won at home to bottom team Maesteg Celtic.
Celtic chose to bat but were restricted to 154-8 despite opener Nick Poole’s 64. James Taube took 3-31 and Bav Patel 2-29.
After a heavy shower Llan’s innings was reduced to 20 overs and they got to a winning 99-3 in that time thanks to skipper Taube’s 56 not out.
Still in third place before the final Saturday of the season are Maesteg, who beat visitors Tata Steel by eight wickets.
Tata were all out for 138 in 41.5 overs, Joe Crocker’s 54 the highlight for the Steelmen as Callum Walters took 3-17 and Liam Wyatt 3-37. Skipper Ashley Colston (40) and Matthew Rogers (82no) then guided Maesteg to 142-2 in just 21 overs.
Below Llangennech are Bronwydd, who won by five wickets at Gowerton.
The hosts were given a solid base by captain Matthew Mason, whose 61 from 73 balls included nine fours and three sixes.
After his dismissal, Jack Hobbs (29), Callum Eakins (25no) and Ben Whitehouse (23) all made useful contributions as Gowerton closed on 216-7. James Dickson’s 4-43 did most to restrict the batsmen.
An opening partnership of 87 from James Cale (74) and Gareth John (31) followed by a second-wicket partnership of 71 between Cale and Carwyn Jones (46) put the visitors in control and captain Ollie Furneaux’s 35 not out guided them home with six overs and five wickets in hand.
With it almost certain that two teams will be relegated back to the SWCA from the South Wales Premier League, it means Gowerton will be playing in division two next year.
In the other game in the top flight, Llandysul beat visitors Baglan by the Duckworth-lewis method after rain.
The Port Talbot side made 214-9 in their 50 overs, Yakoob Ali top-scoring with 51. There were also 49 extras. Steffan Jones was the star bowler with 5-32.
Set a revised target of 212 from 49 overs, Llandysul skipper Ben Edkins (103 not out off 109 balls) and Chris Strange (62 not out off 69 balls) then eased the Ceredigion side to 212-3 in 42,2 overs. Lee Williams took 2-27.
The battle for the second division title will go to the final weekend.
Merthyr Tydfil currently lead the way by four points from Briton Ferry Steel after both sides won on Saturday.
Merthyr (173-4; Jack Rhodes 48, Blaine Harris 51no) beat Swansea Civil Service (169 all out; Saurabh Nagpal 46) by six wickets, and Ferry Steel won at bottom club Margam by eight wickets.
Margam were bowled out for 60 in 39.5 overs, Daniel Williams taking 3-9, Kris Pemberton 3-9, Wayne Thomas 2-16 and Steffan Evans 2-4. Ferry Steel then took just 7.4 overs to get to 64-2 thanks to Jamie Griffiths’s 37 not out.
Briton Ferry Town are third but cannot catch their town neighbours. Town won at home to Skewen by eight wickets after dismissing the visitors for 127 (John Jones 31; Rupesh Naik 3-26) and then easing to 128-2 in the 26th over.
Another low-scoring game saw second-from-bottom Landore lose at home to Drefach by two wickets.
Jay Copp (32) top-scored for the Swansea side as they were shot out for 111 in 37 overs. Rob Seymour took 3-21.
But that lowly total proved a struggle for the Gwendraeth Valley team, who edged over the winning line at 112-8 in 33 overs. Skipper Ben Mitchell top-scored with 24 as Paul Siberry took 3-43 and Siraj Salim 3-22.
In the other game in the second division, Pontyberem (55 all out; Stuart Johnson 3-8, Matthew Green 2-10, Dominic Malt 2-13, Mohan Bains 2-11) lost at home to Morriston (56-0; Meilyr Powel 28no) by 10 wickets.