Early-season ‘Fine and Country’ Conference leaders Talybont Rachels overcame an early burst from Aberaeron and maintained their strong batting form.

Home captain Anup Menon won the toss and chose to bat, trusting openers Ayush Sharma and Anant Saxena to lay the foundations.

After 16 runs came from the first two overs that decision looked sound.

However, Aberaeron captain Steffan Rees changed the game quickly, first finding extra lift to force Saxena into giving a catch for Alex Pitchford, then forcing Sumesh Antony to play on to his stumps.

Phil Abraham was also castled in the next over. Menon got off the mark with a trademark pull high over midwicket, only for Rees to strike again with a superb yorker, leaving the innings in trouble at 44 for 4.

The hosts recovered spectacularly, being lucky that Jestus Jerry arrived at the crease in excellent form.

He and Sharma first saw off Aberaeron’s strike bowlers.

Together they added 177 in 21 overs. Sharma reached his century with a boundary and went on to 116 before Mitchell returned to have him caught by Jamie Davies. His innings included one six and 21 fours.

Soon after, Jestus also departed for 77, stumped by Dave Floyd off Phil Davies. The score stood on 225.

Ijaz and Anish Kuriakose then had just over 10 overs to turn a strong total into a daunting one.

Kuriakose dealt in singles to keep Ijaz on strike. With the ball soft and the pitch offering little assistance, Ijaz punished the straight and leg-side boundaries, smashing eight sixes.

After clearing the ropes three times in the final over, he was dismissed for 78 from the penultimate ball. Jacob Mathew added the finishing touch by hitting his only delivery for six. The innings ended on 336 for 7, Rees finishing with a commendable 4 for 52.

In reply, Alex Pitchford showed that timing matters as much as power, steering Kuriakose over the slips for four.

Devadas then produced a big inswinger to bowl Floyd and make the early breakthrough. Rees responded well, producing a sumptuous cover drive to get off the mark.

With the score on 38, however, Pitchford fell to a Kuriakose delivery that kept low

Jamie Davies struck a boundary before another fierce shot was brilliantly caught by Phil Abraham, giving Devadas his second wicket.

Callum Hutton helped his captain guide the innings to the halfway stage and made 14 with two boundaries.

Rees had hooked Ijaz for six in his first over, even though the pitch was by now starting to show uneven bounce.

Hutton tried to emulate his skipper but was dismissed in unfortunate fashion when he hit his own wicket.

Doug Whittaker has an impeccable defence, and Saxena needed an exceptional delivery to bowl him. Ijaz then trapped Mitchell LBW as the batsman overbalanced, and bowled Regan.

Rees reached a chanceless 50 with yet another fine six, his fourth. It was to be his last, going down fighting as a sliced drive off Ijaz resulted in the catch of the day, Jestus running back from gully to take a skier over his left shoulder. The game came to a swift end as Ijaz claimed his fifth wicket.

The ‘Lifeline’ man of the match award went jointly to Ayush and Ijaz.