Pembroke County Cricket Club (188 for 6) beat the South Wales Cricket Association (183 all out) by four wickets

A super seventh wicket stand between Neyland’s Henry Durrant and Whitland’s Mathew Davies led a Pembroke County Cricket Club XI to an impressive win over the South Wales Cricket Association at Lawrenny on Sunday.

Having been put into bat, the SWCA were all out for 183, as Josh Simmons top scored for 50.

Captained by Sean Hannon, the PCCC slipped to 94-6 in their reply, but then it was Durrant (45 not out) and Davies (32 not out) who put on another 94 together, a stand admittedly helped by ‘extras’, to see the home side over the line in the 34th over.

The visitors had struggled to 21-2 early on as openers Yak Ali (4) and Jack Donovan (4) fell to Tom Davies and Iestyn Scourfield, but then it was No 3 Dan Allen and Simmonds who put on 90 together before the PCCC crucially removed both in quick succession.

Durrant had Allen caught by Brad McDermott-Jenkins for 49 after seven fours and two sixes, before spinner Ceri Brace clean bowled Simmonds, who had six fours and two maximums in his half century.

That left the SWCA 111-4, and after the home side continued to turn the screw, it took a late counter attack from No 10 Tom Clark (five boundaries in his 23 not out) to take the total up to 183.

For the PCCC, aside from a run out wickets were shared around between Scourfield (1-28), (Tom) Davies (1-33), Brace (1-56), Durrant (3-21), (Mathew) Davies (2-28), and McDermott-Jenkins (1-18).

But the home side then got off to a nightmare start, slipping to 2-3 as the top three of Dan Sutton (1), Dylan Blain (1), and Nick Koomen (0) all went cheaply, before a stand of 80 between Iwan Izzard and McDermott-Jenkins steadied the ship.

But the latter went for 35 (six fours and a six) and Izzard for 43 (eight fours), and then Tom Davies (10) also fell to leave the PCCC in trouble.

However, it was then that Mathew Davies joined Durrant at the crease, and the Neyland all-rounder would go on to strike seven fours and a six, while ‘Titch’ stroked five boundaries as he continued his good season form, as the frustration of the SWCA began to tell as they eventually conceded 22 extras, including 14 wides.

For the away side, wickets fell to Dafydd Davies (1-24), Harry Bolland (2-22), Will Collinson (1-20), and Simmonds (2-33).