On a day filled with glorious sunshine, Commoners got back on track with a 48-run victory over Aberystwyth Seconds.

UWA Commoners (266-7) beat Aberystwyth II (218-8) by 48 runs, West Wales Conference sponsored by Fine & Country

After a recent visit from Ceredigion MP Ben Lake to highlight how important the Vicarage Fields is as a cricketing venue, the game was played on a grass wicket for the first time this season.

The ground staff had been hard at work preparing a wicket and received high praise from both teams for the fantastic wicket they had produced in such a short period of time.

West Wales Conference table 280523
(Submitted)

Student Ash Oakes won the toss and elected to bat. This proved to be the right decision as Guy Baron and James Carver-Hardy put on a 107 run partnership for the first wicket.

Baron (42) was dismissed in the 18th over for caught behind off the bowling of Graham Saunders.

The dangerous Oakes came to the crease but could only add 12 to the score before being caught behind off the bowling of Michelle Watson.

From this point wickets started to fall at regular intervals with the Commoners struggling to build any meaningful partnerships but the scoring rate stayed steady at around six runs an over.

Rai Tourqeer who had travelled across from Nottingham that morning to be available also fell to Watson only adding 2. Carver Hardy was still going strong and was closing in on an maiden century when he was bowled by Nigel Salmon for 96. A great innings by the student and his contributions to the team will be missed when he returns home at the end of term.

Fellow student Alex Bellenie wowed the crowd with four massive 6s before he was caught behind from Salmon’s bowling. Jacob Hughes-Pickering (10) and Ollie Somerfield (15) added some runs to the score but were bowled by Peter Loxdale and Emlyn Mainwaring respectively.

With the score at 230-7 with 5 overs remaining, Ian Lawton took about smashing a quick fire 30*, alongside some great pinch hitting from Jan Ruzicka 13* took the Commoners to a total of 266-7 from their allotted overs.

These runs in the final few overs would prove to be crucial. Aberystwyth’s wickets were shared around the bowlers with Watson taking home figures of 2-53 from her 8 overs.

Aberystwyth set about their run chase in a pedestrian manner, in part due to some tight bowling by Oakes and Etesham Siddiqui.

After 10 overs Aberystwyth had reached just 30 runs pushing the required rate to 8 an over. Commoners made the breakthrough when there was a mix up between the batters with Carver-Hardy assisted by Lawton running out Watson (7).

Lawton made that over even better for the Commoners bowling new batter M Dodds (0). Opener Salter (18) would fall shortly after to Mustafa Ahmed to leave Aberystwyth 32-3.

This brought Peter Loxdale to the crease, who had picked up an injury while fielding, and after the a cautious start set about picking apart the Commoners bowling to score a magnificent century that included sixteen 4s and three 6s.

Austin Thomas supported Loxdale superbly in a partnership of 110 before Thomas (21) was clean bowled by Ollie Somerfield.

The in-form Graham Saunders was sent back to the pavilion for a golden duck, leaving Somerfield, who had just spent the night celebrating his school leavers, on the cusp of a hat-trick. Salmon was the new man in and with the Commoners surrounding the bat, the scene was set.

Salmon not one to shy away from a big moment attempted to heave the Somerfield for 6 but didn’t get hold of it but it was not to be for Somerfield with the ball agonisingly just out of the reach of Oakes.

It wasn’t long before Salmon (1) departed bowled by a beautiful Oakes yorker. Loxdale was next to fall finishing on 106 bowled by the ever present Lawton.

Lawton would soon have another victim when he took the wicket of Mainwaring (4). G Jones (29) and R Jones (5) prevented Commoners getting full bonus points with Aberystwyth finishing on 218-8. Lawton taking home figures of 3-31.

Despite Loxdale’s century Aberystwyth never really looked like the threatening the Commoners total but Commoners will have to find a way to bowl teams out if they want to challenge for the league title this season.

Commoners face Tywyn at home next Sunday, while Aberystwyth Seconds face the senior Aberystwyth Firsts.

Report: Jacob Hughes-Pickering