TALYBONT Rachels slipped further behind in the title race when losing by 68 runs against Commoners in the Girasol Homes West Wales Cricket Conference.

Batting first after winning the toss, the Commoners made the most of their opportunity to push the scoreboard as they finished on 184 after 38.3 overs.

Opener Rakehs Bhatia was caught by Dave Barrow from the bowling of Milton John for 13, including a six, but Ravi Mander joined opener Bill Somerfield to move the score on with a stand of 33 runs.

Mander hit three boundaries in his 24, before he was bowled by Huw Davies, who also saw David Wilcockson caught by Barrow for 9 runs, to make it 77 for 3.

Phil Abraham removed Will Copeland for nought, but Anish Kuriakose joined Somerfield and contributed 17 runs, including 3 fours, before he was dismissed lbw by Nijo John, to make it 112 for 5.

Somerfield went on to score 57 off 74 balls, with 4 fours, before he was caught by Abraham from bowler Dave Barrow, and there were also double figures for Umar Aslam (11) and Ian Lawton (10), before Commoners were all out for 184.

Phil Abraham finished with economical bowling figures of 2 for 22 in his 9 overs, which included 3 maidens, whilst Huw Davies claimed 3 for 46 from 9 overs, and Dave Barrow 2 for 26 from 6.3 overs.

In reply, Talybont openers Vinod Mathew and Huw Davies made 34 for the first wicket, before Davies was caught by Rakesh Bhatia from bowler Arshad Sher for 24, which included 3 boundaries.

Sher (3 for 13 from 9 overs) also accounted for Mathew for 14, and Neil Mistry, stumped by Ravi Mander for just 3, whilst Anish Kuriakose dismissed Dave Barrow for 0 and Graison John for 1 to return figures of 2 for 21 off his 9 overs.

Phil Abraham, who was batting at number six, offered the most resistance as he struck 4 fours and a six in a defiant knock of 32, but he was dismissed lbw by Guy Baron - who went on to finish off the lower order to return 4 for 10 in 3 overs.

Talybont were out for 116 in 36 overs, as Commoners claimed victory by 68 runs.

• ABERAERON maintained pole position in the West Wales Conference as they tore through the Aberystwyth Seconds line-up, who were all out for 49 runs.

Simon Mitchell took 4 for 17 and Paul Hughes snapped up 3 for 3, with Steffan Rees and Josh Roper claiming a wicket each, whilst Steffan Davies (16) was the only batsman to make double figures.

The Aberaeron reply had reached 37 when opener David Griszpan was bowled for 30 by youngster Titus Matthew, who then also bowled Chris Strange for 2.

John Fice (8 not out) and Josh Roper (5 not out) went on to score the winning runs as they reached 50 for 2 in 8.4 overs.

• TYWYN bowler Dave Jenkins was the star of the show on Sunday when taking 6 for 19, as Aberystwyth folded to 83 all out in a seven-wicket loss at Cae Rhianfa.

Opener Zaid Khan (31) and number six Ioan Morris (16) did what they could with the bat for Aber, but the total was never going to trouble Tywyn, for whom Jack Williamson also returned 2 for 6.

After losing Callum Taylor for 6, caught by Zaid Khan from bowler Omair Syed, opener Richard Rees and James Bradbury-Willis moved the score on to 73.

Rees was bowled by Ted Trewella for 39, 6 fours, but Bradbury-Willis (23 not out) helped Tywyn to 84 for 3 in 21.4 overs.