Champs take giant step closer (From Western Telegraph)

Champs take giant step closer

Champs take giant step closer

Folly Farm Kilgetty (156 for 7) lost to Lamphey (158 for 2)

Umpires: Bob Flute and Dai Morris Scorers: Rose Jenkins and Jo Kerrison

Lamphey took another giant step towards retaining the league championship as they comfortably beat Folly Farm Kilgetty at Kingsmoor, skipper Dave Lovell again performing well as he won the vital toss which allowed him to ask the opposition to bat first and then putting in yet another pulverising innings alongside Gareth Lewis after his bowlers had made sure that the powerful home batting line-up was never allowed to take control.

Put in to bat on a dampish wicket, Kilgetty made a slow but steady start via Windsor Royall and Ian Poole before Hywel Gibbs came on as first change in the 17th over and had Royall caught behind by Mark Yea with the score on 39 - following up by the same dismissal method of Barry Wood for a rare third-ball duck.

Poole, who had struck five boundaries in his 25, was next to go at 55 as Dave Lovell held on to the catch to give Gibbs his third scalp before Simon Wood departed four runs later, a Gareth Lewis catch giving Greg England a welcome wicket.

But the Farm Lads' skipper Phil Jones restored the balance with a typically aggressive innings of 55, which included five fours and three big sixes before he touched another lifter from Gibbs into Yea's gloves. Jones received assistance from Mark Wood (12) and Peter Johnson (23), making a welcome return from the golf course.

'P.J.' had three fours in his knock before he gave keeper Yea his fourth catch, this time off Tim Haggar, leaving Kilgetty with 156 for 7 from their allotted 45 overs.

Lamphey suffered a double blow early in their riposte as Mark Wood bowled Daniel Sutton with only seven runs on the board and Craig Nutty departed five runs later, bowled by Simon Wood. But Lovell found a willing ally in local solicitor Gareth Lewis, who had seven fours and a six in his classy unbeaten 52.

The Lamphey skipper, who has an amazing league average of well over 200 after a string of impressive knocks, went even better as he finished up just nine runs short of another undefeated century as he supplemented his nine boundaries with another five big sixes for the Lamphey faithful to enjoy.

It meant that Lamphey reached their target in under 38 overs - and with news of Carew's home draw against Narberth filtering through they are now red-hot favourites to take the title again.

FOLLY FARM KILGETTY W. Royall c M. Yea b H. Gibbs 12 I. Poole c D. Lovell b H. Gibbs 28 B. Wood c M. Yea b H. Gibbs 0 S. Wood c G. Lewis b G. England 4 P. Jones c M. Yea b H. Gibbs 55 M. Wood b N. Gage 12 P. Johnson c M. Yea b T. Haggar 23 C. Hurst not out 2 Extras 20 Total (for 7 wkts) 156

Bowling: T. Haggar 9-2-25-1; N. Gage 12-4-21-1; H. Gibbs 12-2-50-4; G. England 7-1-26-1; D. Lovell 5-0-19-0.

LAMPHEY D. Lovell not out 91 D. Sutton b M. Wood 4 C. Nutty b S. Wood 1 G. Lewis not out 52 Extras 10 Total (for 2 wkts) 158

Bowling: M. Wood 12-2-39-1; S. Wood 10-3-29-1; B. Wood 7-1-16-0; C. James 2-0-19-0; N. Evans 5.2-0-35-0; P. Jones 1-0-10-0.