ABERYSTWYTH Cricket Club made its debut in the South Wales Cricket Association last weekend. After having been accepted as a member club at the SWCA’s Annual General Meeting during the winter, the club will continue to enter a team in the West Wales Club Cricket Conference, but this season will see an Aberystwyth XI testing their skills against new opponents in Division 9 West of the South Wales league.

Club captain, Jim Vaughan is looking forward to the challenge. “Our membership of the South Wales Cricket Association is really exciting,” he said.

“It gives us a chance to put Aberystwyth cricket on the map and provides a vital opportunity for our best young players to show their skills and hopefully enable them to get recognition at the national level.”

Aberystwyth’s debut fixture came on Sunday 19 May with a visit to Carmarthen Wanderers 3rd XI.

After winning the toss in warm, sunny conditions on what looked like a true wicket, Aberystwyth elected to bat first.

An early wicket to a fine slip catch left the experienced batting partnership of Jim Vaughan and Iwan Roberts with the task of establishing a solid first inning platform.

Having seen off the new ball, they began to accumulate runs rapidly, and Roberts launched an especially fierce attack on the Carmarthen bowlers, accelerating to a spectacular century that included 13 fours and 4 sixes.

After Roberts retired on a brilliant, undefeated 107, Vaughan continued to a solid half century, retiring in turn on 65.

The rest of the Aber batting combined to ensure that maximum batting points were achieved, with Ted Jones (11) and Aadvik Khare (13*) assisting Pat Daniel (22) to push the total up to 266 for 7 after 40 overs.

The pick of the Carmarthen bowling was Joe Thomson with 2 wickets for 22 runs off 8 overs.

In reply, the Carmarthen Wanderers batters found the pace and movement of opening bowler Harvey Knights more than they could handle as Knights picked up two wickets for just two runs off five overs.

But Knights was more than ably supported by a young group of bowlers that has come up through the club’s junior development section in recent years.

Bryn Williams produced a splendid opening spell of swing bowling and took 2 wickets for 16.

Aadvik Khare bowled a skilful spell of left arm wrist spin to earn figures of 2-10 in 8 overs.

Iestyn Roberts delivered a probing spell of in-swing taking 1-13, and Ted Jones dismissed Carmarthen’s last man with his first and only delivery of the game.

The other wickets fell to Ioan Morris’s off spin, and a sharp run out from the combination of Pat Daniel and Adam Shaw. Wanderers were hustled out for 54 leaving Aberystwyth victorious by 212 runs.

Aberystwyth will now look to build on their successful start to the campaign when Pontyberem CC 2nd XI visit the Geufron next Saturday.