4th XI Match Reports - 2008

14/6/08 Defeat at Blaina
The 4th XI travelled to Blaina with only 10 men and were defeated by 5 wickets.
After losing an early wicket, the 2nd wicket partnership of Shae Ellis and Ricky Griffett put on 48 before Ricky was out for 23. Shae also put on 43 for the 4th wicket with Daniel Chaulk before being caught behind for 42, with the score on 91. Daniel was eventually run out for a very good 40. Aled Edwards (13) and Josh Bryan (10) helped push the score along, but the Blaina bowlers stuck to their task and Sully were all out for 144.
Then after tea Nathan Cuddihy continued his run of good form with the ball and took 3 wickets as the home side were made to work for their runs. Some decent bowling from Daniel Chaulk and Shae Ellis (after a poor start) ended with both claiming a wicket each. But Blaina pulled away and reached the target in the 32nd over.
Blaina 147/5 Sully 144 ao

7/6/08 Brucie and Greg Inspire Centurions in Great Win
Christian Bruce hit a fine half century and Greg Tressider took four wickets as the 4th XI beat Great Western by 96 runs at Rhoose.
After a wobbly start, which left Centurions on 10 for 2, Brucie and Don Sylvester put on 60 for the 3rd wicket when Don was out for 20. Lewis Doel had only one scoring shot, but it was a huge six, unfortunately he was out shortly after this. Brucie carried on putting bat to ball and when he was joined by Ricky Griffett they had a whale of a time. Ricky hit 6 fours in his entertaining knock of 25 and when Brucie was eventually out he had reached 79.
A late cameo from Greg Tressider (16) helped the score along to 164 for 9 after the 45 overs.
After tea Lewis Doel and Nathan Cuddihy both took a couple of wickets as the visitors' top order began to crumble. Then John Wooden and Greg Tressider came to the party with more wickets. John picked up 2 and Greg mopped up the tail with 4 wickets for just 13 runs. Maximum points were secured and the game was wrapped up in the 18th over.
Sully 164/9 Great Western 68 all out

24/5/08 4ths Slump to 10 Wicket Defeat
The home match against Croesyceiliog brought the 4th XI down to earth with a crash as the game was lost by 10 wickets. Batting first in very windy conditions, Centurions lost some early wickets and never quite recovered. Christian Bruce (41) and Paul Fisher (21) put up some resistance but the last wicket fell with the score on 111.
In reply the Croesy openers Hall and Hagger were always in control as the Sully opening bowlers struggled to find a way through (and struggled to find rhythm in the strong wind).
Centurions had some opportunities to strike back, including a cast-iron lbw decision which Brucie had turned down. Then some quality spin from JT Sylvester nearly brought a wicket, but the chance was put down - then an almost identical chance was dropped off the bowling of Paul Fisher. But the visitors ran out worthy winners and reached the target without loss. A bright spot in the field was the performance of young Ben Spear, who stood in as emergency wicket keeper - he performed very well in difficult circumstances.
A word of thanks to Mrs Wooden for the lovely tea and to Mr Griffiths for umpiring.
Sully 111 all out Croesyceiliog 112 for 0

10/5/08 4ths Lose In Spite of Heroics in the Field
The 4th XI faced Mountain Ash with a much changed side, thanks to the late call-ups to the 3rds etc and gave debuts to Alex Grey and John Edwards.
The batting was pretty poor, apart from a spirited 28 from Barney, and some accurate bowling kept the score in check and wickets kept tumbling. For Mountain Ash, Cooper's 4 for 7 off 10 overs included no less than 7 maidens as the visitors had Centurions all out for a paltry 67 - in fact it could have been a lot worse if it hadn't been for a last wicket partnership of 15 between Lewis Cuddihy and Alex Grey.
The Sully bowlers had it all to do and they responded magnificently to the challenge. Openers Nathan Cuddihy and Josh Bryan took 8 wickets between them, with Nathan ending with 5 for 28 and Josh posting figures of 3 for 21. This, coupled with a fantastic run-out by Josh, with a direct hit, set up a final few overs that could have gone either way. However, the target was reached off a leg bye and Mountain Ash had scrambled home by one wicket. So, a defeat, but a fantastic effort in the field gave Sully plenty to be proud of.
Who says low-scoring matches can't be exciting?
Sully 67 all out Mountain Ash 68 for 9

3/10/08 4ths Off to a Flyer at Rhoose
The 4th XI started the 2008 season with an emphatic victory over a young Brynmawr 2nd XI. Batting first on a damp, slow wicket, skipper Mick Fisher and Nick Jones put on 50 for the first wicket, with Nick hitting a flurry of boundaries in his 32. A huge 6 was the highlight of Ricky Griffett's 18 as the score was pushed along - the 2nd wicket falling at 72. Then a mini slump brought about the loss of another four wickets and the score had reached 138 for 7 before the tailenders ensured maximum batting points - Aled Edwards getting a six in his 22, with Josh Bryan (23 not out ) and Liam Bennett (19 not out) taking the score to 179 for 9 after the 45 overs.
After tea Greg Tressider and Nathan Cuddihy bowled accurately to peg the visitors back - with Greg taking a marvellous 6 for 11 off his 6 overs. This effectively finished the game as a contest and only Keetch (18) reached double figures in the Brynmawr total of 50 all out. Nathan Cuddihy (1 for 23) Liam Bennet (2 for 6) and Josh Bryan (1 for 8) all bowled well. The whole team did their part and some good work in the field, including a fantastic running catch from Lewis Cuddihy, gave the bowlers all the support they required. Let's hope this is just the start.
Sully 179 for 9 Brynmawr 50 all out