TEENAGE ACES STAR IN VICTORY
IN a game dominated by bowlers, Carmarthen Wanderers continued their winning start to the season with a hard-fought 26-run victory over Ynystawe at Trinity Fields in South Wales Premier League 2.
With the ground affected by the torrential showers from the evening before, Wanderers reached a total of 142 for the loss of seven wickets in their 50 overs with solid contributions from Steve Inward, skipper Gareth Thomas and Robbie Crawford.
The experienced Darryl Griffiths cemented the lower-middle order, allowing valuable runs to be accumulated at the end of the innings.
Ynystawe made steady progress and at 86-2 looked hot favourites to win the game.
But the Wanderers stormed back with tight bowling from Owain Binding, whose 10 overs conceded only 13 runs, while excellent catches by Ifan Knott, Thomas and Darryl Griffiths saw wickets fall at regular intervals.
Wales Under-17s ace Crawford produced an inspired spell of medium-pace bowling to mop up the Ynystawe tail, with his four wickets for nine runs taking the Wanderers to an unlikely victory.
Both Knott and Owen Bailey, who are Welsh age-group players, made their first-team debuts in the Premier League and acquitted themselves admirably.
The match ball sponsor was Hodge Bank Cardiff.
On Saturday the Wanderers travel to Panteg in Gwent.
Meanwhile, Carmarthen Wanderers Seconds slipped to a disappointing three-wicket defeat at Ynystawe in their Premier Division West encounter.
The Wanderers got off to a good start with the bat with Andrew Harley (14) and Josh Thomas (26) putting on 40 for the first wicket, but the rest of the top order failed to back this up, with only Giles Thomas and Jack McGready reaching double figures as the visitors crumbled to 141 all out.
Ynystawe also found the low, slow wicket difficult to bat on and were reduced to 12-3 when McGready captured three early wickets.
Spinner Steff Jones (2-23) and Giles Thomas (1-17) put the home side under severe pressure and when Rhys Jones made a vital breakthrough, aided by an excellent diving catch by Thomas at backward point, the Wanderers sniffed victory with Ynys reduced to 90-7.
As hard as the Wanderers junior bowlers tried towards the tail end of the innings, no further wickets were taken as the experienced Rowan Evans hit a fine half-century to see his side to victory.
The Wanderers paid a heavy price for dropping him early in the innings.
On Saturday the Wanderers are at home to league leaders Mumbles.