REES STARS AS LLANELLI CLAIM DERBY
IWAN Rees delivered a superb allround performance to help get Llanelli off the mark in division two of the South Wales Premier League.
The Stradey Park side had lost their first three matches, but they hit form with a six-wicket win at Carmarthen Wanderers.
Rees took 4-17 in his 10 overs as the Wanderers, who decided to bat first, collapsed to 110 all out in 44.4 overs.
Alex Symmons and Jac Rees also chipped in with a couple of wickets.
Liam Rogers top-scored with 23 for the home side.
Iwan Rees then took centre stage with the bat as his 42 was the backbone of his side’s successful reply.
He combined with Owain Baxter (20) for an opening partnership of 52, with Llanelli coasting home with more than 18 overs to spare.
Llanelli host Ynysygerwn at the weekend, with the Wanderers heading to Penarth.
Gorseinon went down to a heavy 121-run defeat at home to Penarth.
Will Skone top-scored with 62 for the visitors as they reached 248-5 in their 50 overs. Jack Thomas made a run-a-ball 36 and Nitin Mathias added 34.
Kieran Howells took 3-33 for
Gorseinon.
But the home batting struggled in reply as they were dismissed for 127. Gafyn Donald made 28 before he became one of Mark Thomas’s three victims.
Ammanford suffered their third successive defeat in the South Wales Premier League as Newport edged home by just three runs at The Park.
The visitors won the toss and elected to take first knock. Their innings was defined by a 148-run partnership between Imran Hassan (112no) and Mujahid Ilyas (57).
Ammanford were looking down the barrel of another 300-plus target until the return of Saihaj Jaspal (3-26) and Dan Roberts (1-32) to the attack slowed down the run rate.
Owen Davies and Josef Davies also picked up a wicket each as Newport closed on a hefty 259-6.
Ammanford’s response began perfectly with a 131-run opening partnership between Kurtis Marsh (78) and Glamorgan’s Andrew Salter (44).
Dan Roberts continued the good work, but four wickets fell in quick succession before the arrival of skipper Alun Evans at the crease.
The match was well within Ammanford’s grasp had these two managed to stay together, but the departure of Roberts (39) left the burden firmly on Evans’s experienced shoulders.
An unbeaten 43 from the captain wasn’t quite sufficient and Ammanford fell an agonising three runs short of their target on 256-8.
Ammanford have now lost against the top three clubs in Premier 1, but in each case have shown an eagerness to challenge.
The rest of the summer beckons encouragingly, beginning with a visit to Port Talbot Town on Saturday.
Glamorgan’s Prem Sisodiya was in scintillating form as Cardiff recorded their first win of the season by beating Pontarddulais by four wickets.
Bont collapsed from 136-2 to 160-9 after they chose to bat. Richard Grant made 47 and skipper Cameron Herring 35, but Sisodiya delivered the goods with a fine 10over spell of 4-13.
He wasn’t finished there as he struck seven fours in a patient 69 which helped see his side to victory. Greg Holmes added 40.
Lukas Carey and Iestyn Rees both took three wickets.