MATCH REPORT

Cresselly 150 for 9 drew with St Ishmaels 177 for 7 

Cresselly opened the new season with a trip to league and cup champions St Ishmaels. 

The game was well contested and eventually came to a draw that favoured St Ishmaels, but it would be fair to say that either team could have won. 

Without the services of Huw Neale, Andrew Harris and Adam Chandler, Cresselly anticipated a hard battle with the ‘new kids on the block’. St Ishmaels were also weakened as they were without the experienced all-rounder Andrew Williams.

The game began well for Cresselly as they successfully won the toss (a talent mastered by today’s opposition last season). Skipper Lyn Richards decided to take to the field in search of wickets on a pitch that played well throughout the match.

Openers James Salter and Peter Bradshaw put on a good partnership of 72 before Salter (37) was stumped by wicketkeeper Neilson Cole, making the fatal mistake of trying to take on veteran Richard Harris in his 40th year of playing Pembrokeshire cricket. That was Harris’ only victim in a splendid spell of bowling with figures of twelve overs, one wicket for seventeen runs. 

Wickets continued to fall as Ryan Lewis (4-41) caused havoc with his varied approach to off-spin. Jonathan Pawlett (57) anchored the innings, and he was well supported by Andrew Palmer (36) as St Ishmaels set Cresselly a target of 177. 

Cresselly openers Phil Williams and Julian Arthur began well with some good running between the wickets. The partnership came to an end with the score on 66 as Williams ‘middled’ the ball into the hands of keeper Bradshaw for 20 off the bowling of Palmer. 

Cresselly were steady in the run chase with Arthur (37), vice captain Simon Cole (19) and Damian Arthur (24) contributing.  As the overs began to accumulate, Cresselly seemed to lose their way, thus falling further behind the required run rate. Ryan Lewis (27) gave Cresselly some hope with some aggressive strokes, but as wickets fell a draw appeared increasingly likely. 

Cresselly finished on 150 for 9 with Stefan Jenkins demonstrating his highly skilled ‘leave’ to secure the points.  

Cresselly entertain Burton next week at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’. 

Cressellycricketclub.co.uk man of the match – Ryan Lewis and his losing draw credentials.