2008 Review
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2nd XI Report
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Cowbridge 2nd XI had a
successful year in 2007 with a number of the younger members of the team
showing they had the ability to represent the Club at 1st XI
level in 2008. As such, the 2008 season posed the usual challenge of
developing more youngsters whilst remaining competitive in the league. A
balance between experienced campaigners and youth was a must.
The season started with an away fixture
against Clydach. With a relatively young side, coupled with some more
mature debutants for the 2nd XI in Howard Phillips and Javid
Khan, Cowbridge were confident of making a winning start to the 2008
season. Batting first, Cowbridge opened with the experienced Jonty Webb
and young Adam Wood. Adam batted well and eventually went on to score 49
out of a Cowbridge total of 133. Adam became the regular opener for the 2nd
XI and made a number of telling contributions before rightly being given
his chance to move up to the first team where he fitted in very well.
With 2007’s opening bowling duo of Lloyd
Bishop and Elliott Street both unavailable, Jamie Pursey was chosen to
open the bowling with debutant Javid Khan. They were ably supported by the
two young spinners of Rhydian Harris and James Thomas. All four bowlers
bowled superbly and Cowbridge won the match comfortably, bowling Clydach
out for 100. Javid was very economical, bowling 7 overs for just 7 runs
enabling Jamie Pursey to take 5 wickets, Rhydian Harris 3 wickets and
James Thomas 2 wickets. An encouraging start to the season.
The second match of the season saw
Morriston travel to the Athletic Ground. Cowbridge were asked to bat first
and again, Adam Wood showed his ability, anchoring the innings and making
51 not out. Andy Finucane (25), which included 3 sixes and Collin White
(23) were the other batsmen who contributed to the Cowbridge total of 144
for 7.
With an even weaker bowling line up from
the week before, the skipper opted to entertain the crowd and took it upon
himself to open the bowling in tandem with Jamie Pursey. I must have
forgotten I was 28 and not 16 when I last opened the bowling on a regular
basis for the 2nd XI! Despite a brave effort from all the
bowlers, Morriston ran out winners by 3 wickets with the pick of the
bowlers being Jamie Pursey and James Thomas, each taking 3 wickets.
The third match of the season was a nail
biter as Cowbridge entertained Pontardawe at home. Pontardawe batted first
and made 156 for 6 from their allocated 50 overs, with Javid Khan and
James Thomas taking 3 wickets a piece.
Given the batting performances of
previous weeks, Cowbridge were confident they could win the match. They
started well and kept up with the run rate throughout the innings. Jonty
Webb made a patient 53 whilst Andrew Finucane made a flamboyant 41. The
game did go all the way down to the final over with Cowbridge coming out
on top, winning by 4 wickets.
On a wet pitch Carmarthen Wanderers were
next to visit the Athletic Ground and once again the match went down to
the final over. Cowbridge batted first and made 129 all out from 45 overs.
This gave Carmarthen an extra 5 overs to score the runs required.
Unfortunately this turned out to be decisive, as Carmarthen ran out
winners, scoring the runs required from the penultimate ball of the 55th
over.
With the next two games abandoned due to
the weather, Dafen was the next game to be played and they came to
Cowbridge hoping for a better result than the previous season. Dafen
batted first and scored 180 all out. In reply,
all of the top order made good starts with Adam Wood making 21, Andrew
Finucane 20, Jonty Webb 22 and Lloyd Bishop 33. Lloyd was striking the
ball extremely well and victory seemed to be there for the taking however,
his dismissal started a batting collapse and Cowbridge were dismissed 9
runs short of their target.
Despite losing
the next two matches, the highlights from these games were contributions
by two of the new comers to the team. A nice 21 by young Alastair Brace at
BS Port Talbot and Charles Hoey taking 4 for 43 at home to Clydach.
When Cowbridge
travelled to Pontardawe with what looked to be a weakened side, another
loss could have been on the cards. However none of the team was thinking
of defeat, as the seconds produced their best performance of the season.
Having been
put into bat Cowbridge opened with Lloyd Bishop and Alastair Brace. Ben
Rowland joined Lloyd after the early dismissal of Alastair and the pair
put on a superb partnership of 89; with Ben making 33 and Lloyd going on
to make 63 including 13 fours. Jonty Webb once again chipped in with 43
not out. Cowbridge finished on 201 for 6. The team’s highest score of the
season.
Cowbridge
bowled extremely well with Jamie Pursey taking 3 wickets and also bowling
9 maidens from his 14 overs. The game ended in a winning draw for
Cowbridge as Pontardawe ended their innings just 6 runs short of their
target. Harri Collier and Sam Wood also made their debuts for the 2nd
XI and performed well which provided further positives from the match.
The remainder of the season was badly
affected by the weather. However, in the last three games played, notable
performances included scores of 57 & 39 by Jonty Webb, 29 & 35 by Arvind
Singhal and also a 5 wicket haul by James Thomas.
Cowbridge finished the season in the
bottom half of the table. However, I believe the season was a success with
regard to players moving up to the 1st XI. Adam Wood performed
well for the 2nd XI and also made notable contributions in the
1st XI. In addition, James Thomas also gained 1st XI
experience. Harri Collier and Sam Wood made debuts for the seconds and
will feature more next season. The ever reliable Jonty Webb performed well
with the bat all year and in the younger players, namely Alastair Brace,
Rhydian Harris and Dewi Harris, you could see a constant improvement
throughout the season.
All in all, despite the final league
position, the 2nd XI continues to do its job by giving the
youngsters the opportunity to develop and progress to play first team
cricket in a competitive yet enjoyable environment.
Richard Finucane
2nd XI Captain
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