Aberystwyth Firsts (92) lost to Talybont Rachels (93-1) by 9 wkts

Talybont Rachels put last week’s defeat behind them as they swept to the top of the Girasol Homes West Wales Cricket Conference table with an emphatic nine-wicket win over Aberystwyth Firsts.

After dismissing the Aber batsmen for 92, Ben Harper (57 not out) and Neil Mystery (25 not out) took hold of the Talybont reply to push their team to victory.

Home captain Ted Trewella won the toss, and chose to bat first on a pitch which played true all day, though the recent deluges ensured a slow surface.

Aber openers Zaid Khan and Anthony Burrell started proceedings against the bowling pair of Phillip Abraham and Milton John.

Khan’s attacking approach initially paid dividends, clearing the boundary against John. He was soon thwarted, however, when he edged Abraham behind to Sojan Varghese, making his long-awaited return from injury. Khan had made 12.

Burrell has been in prolific form of late, and continued in the same vein in partnership with Adam Shaw, who showed a solid defence.

The score had reached 40 when the second wicket fell. Shaw, having made 11, raised his back leg momentarily for Varghese to pull off a trademark swooping stumping off Graison John.

Aber’s lynchpin Burrell was the next to fall, toe-ending a pull to Neil Mistry at square leg for 21.

Fielding has not always been Talybont Rachel’s strong suit, but the athletic outfielders ensured that Aber’s runs became scarce, and Graison John’s inswing proved difficult to get away.

Aber’s cause was not helped by a rain delay of twenty minutes or so.

Milton John returned at the railway end, and got rid of Sion Meredith and Trewella cheaply.

Mel Jones had become the mainstay of the Aber innings, pushing the ball sensibly into the gaps in his compact style, but the Aber’s side youthful tail was now exposed.

Jones had reached 17 when Simon Lloyd-Williams became the toast of sexagenarians everywhere as he dived full length at gully to pull off an astounding one-handed catch.

Lloyd-Williams then proved more than adept as a bowler, striking three times in his next over to remove Titus Mathew, Bryn Morris and Dan Graison, including a more classical stumping by Varghese.

With only one wicket left, Alfie Lawson and Omair Syed consolidated for a time, playing straight and collecting the odd run.

However, Nijo John had speared several yorkers at the stumps and one finally found its way through to bowl Syed, ending the innings at 92.

All the Talybont/Rachel’s bowlers prospered, Abraham claiming 1-18, Milton John 2-31, Graison John 3-25, Lloyd-Williams 3-16 and Nijo John 1-3.

After a prolonged tea interval, Ben Harper and Vinod Mathew strode out to lead the chase, with the first over providing the unusual sight of Titus Mathew trying to outfox his father.

Before the battle could become too intense, Mathew sr was dismissed by the other opening bowler, Zaid Khan, the left-hander getting too much across his stumps in attempting a leg-glance, and the full delivery trapped him in front of his stumps

Nel Mistry came in, and countered Khan’s outswingers by judicious leaving. With the pitch holding no great terrors, both batsmen played the bowling well, Harper pulling any short ball powerfully, and Mistry unfurling elegant drives on both sides of the wicket.

One imperious on-drive to the boundary will live long in the memory. Trewella brought himself on, and suffered astonishingly bad luck in his first over, enticing no less than 4 fruitless outside edges.

With so few runs in the bank, Aber could scarcely afford such misfortune, and despite the gallant efforts of young spinners Dan Graison and Omair Syed, Talybont/Rachels’ reached their target before the 21st over was up.

Mistry was unbeaten on 25, and Harper had posted 11 boundaries in his unbeaten 57. Khan’s one wicket cost him 17 runs.

The match was noteworthy in that two father/son combinations appeared on opposing sides. Both sides are very grateful to the caterers for the marvellous tea, and to the scorer for his diligence.