Division One
Haverfordwest's 13th win of the season gave the Town team the Division One title for the second year in succession and for the third time in three years. The Division One champions ended 26 points above second placed Carew who in turn finished eight points above arch rivals Cresselly. It has been a three horse race throughout the season with Haverfordwest having the edge most of the time. Both Carew and Cresselly have had their chances to take the championship down to the wire, but these chances were not taken. Haverfordwest had a lead of 28 points before the last game so that the contest was as good as over even before Haverfordwest won against St. Ishmaels. Phil Kirkby took 5 for 15 and paceman Simon Williams 3 for 35 as St. Ishmaels were bowled out for 116. Middle order batsmen Andrew Williams offered the main resistance in his innings of 57 and he received support lower down in the order from Chris Wilson who chipped in 20. Tish put up a fight before conceding defeat and Haverfordwest lost seven wickets in reaching a winning total of 119. Opener Danny Potter scored 29, supported by Karl Rhead with 23, Richard James with 19 and Phil Kirkby with 18. Andrew Williams had a good all round match for Tish and finished with 4 for 48. Pembroke will play in Division One for another season as Haverfordwest Seconds finished as champions in Division Two to save the day for Mathew Mitchell and his Pembroke teammates. On Saturday, Pembroke made the short journey to Cresselly and scored 167 for 7. There was some consistent batting, if not high scores as Hugh Davies and Phil Stephens both scored 28, Dan Williams supported with 23 and promising teenager Rob Weston was 20 not out at the end. For Cresselly, Stefan Jenkins took 3 for 52 and skipper Lyn Richards 2 for 29. Cresselly made a bad start in reply and were 12 for 3 with Julian Arthur, Andrew Harris and Simon Cole each back in the hutch. Leigh Jenkins did the early damage for the visitors. A fourth wicket stand of 74 between Adam Chandler and Damian Arthur put Cresselly back in the driving seat. Chandler scored 46 with a six and seven fours and Arthur 27. Following their departure, the experienced duo of Richard Harris and Lyn Richards came together and Cresselly won by five wickets win with three overs to spare following the pair's unbroken partnership of 70. Harris ended with 45 not out, including a six and four fours and Richards was 26 not out. Leigh Jenkins finished with figures of 2 for 55 with other wickets falling to Nigel Phillips, Daniel Williams and Rob Weston. Hook scored 231 before being bowled out by the visitors Whitland. Jamie Phelps was unlucky not to reach what would have been a deserved century. He had scored 98 with 12 fours and four sixes in an excellent innings before he was caught by Bobby Webb off the bowling of Robert Merriman. Mick Haltam had joined Phelps in a third wicket partnership of 132 and he went on to score 46 before being caught by Owen Edwards off the bowling of Bobby Webb. Mathew Rowlands kept the scoreboard ticking along in his innings of 25 not out and Ben Field was the other batsman in double figures with 10. Robert Merriman and Bobby Webb both finished with figures of 2 for 39. A second wicket partnership of 85 between skipper Paul Webb and Paul Davies helped to make the game safe for the visitors. Webb scored 30 with five fours and later his son Bobby Webb joined Paul Davies in an unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 90. Paul Davies finished with 106 not out with a number of trademark front foot drives. All in all, he hit three sixes and 11 fours. Bobby Webb provided the ideal support with 33 not out. Narberth were bowled out for 194 at Carew. Lower order batsmen David Johns top scored with an attacking innings of 41, which included two sixes and four fours and received support from Ben Hughes who scored 39. Earlier in the afternoon, Ceri Jones who makes a habit of scoring runs against Carew, smashed two sixes and three fours in his innings of 31 and Thomas Richards had a good innings of 26. All-rounder Simon Wood took 4 for 34 for Carew, skipper Robert Scourfield took 2 for 40 and spinner John Canton ended with 2 for 52. Reunited as openers after an absence of a week, Ian Sefton and Nick Scourfield once again gave Carew a solid start and in effect won the game during their first wicket partnership of 156. The partnership was broken when Nick Scourfield was caught by David Johns off the bowling of Ollie Cook for 60 after hitting a six and six fours. Sefton just missed out on a century when he was bowled by Marc Hughes for 93 after hitting four sixes and nine fours. Although Simon Wood was dismissed cheaply, Rhys Davies with 16 not out and Wayne Cannon with 14 not out took Carew to a winning total of 195 for 3. The Lawrenny batsmen were in runs and reached 216 for eight away to Neyland. James Buckle top scored with 65, including four big sixes and five fours, Andrew Cole scored 41 with two sixes and five fours, Johnny Matthias supported with 24, as did Barry Philips with 21. For Neyland, leg spinner Gary Lloyd took 2 for 34, Patrick Hannon 2 for 31 and off spinner Phil Davies 2 for 58. Lawrenny also bowled well as Neyland were dismissed for 133 to give the visitors victory by 83 runs. Neyland skipper Andrew Miller scored 36, Henry Durant 20 and Jeremy Charles was the only other batsman in double figures with 15. Spinner Ian Jenkins took 3 for 33, skipper Steve Lewis 2 for 9 and Simon Cole had a lively four over spell, which yielded 3 for 3.
Division Two
The local derby in Saundersfoot ended in a win for Saundersfoot by a margin of 76 runs over the visitors Carew Seconds who were bowled out for 102 in reply to a Saundersfoot total of 178 for 8. Opener Jason Llama and early order batsman Steve Cole both scored 30 and there were other useful knocks from Simon Stanford with 22, Jason Caine with 17, Paul Mansbridge with 14 and Ian Poole with 13. David Parcell batting at number nine maintained the momentum with an undefeated innings of 24. For the visitors, experienced all-rounder Aled Davies took 3 for 45, Darren Thomas 2 for 24 and Steve Ive 2 for 43. Carew Seconds opener Adrian Harries knuckled down to score 31 and his opening partner Steve Ive scored 10. However, the only other batsman in double figures was Darren Thomas batting at number eight who scored 18 not out. Four Saundersfoot bowlers took two wickets or more, Danny Caine led the way with 3 for 20, Simon Stanford took 2 for 2, David Parcell 2 for 8 and Kevin Sykes 2 for 29. Former Carew player Steve Cole kept a tight reign on the batsmen and conceded just 16 runs from 10 overs during which he picked up one wicket. It was an intriguing match at Lamphey. The visitors Herbrandston had to win or get enough points in a drawn match to remain in Division Two and Lamphey knew that the only way to stay in Division Two was to win. Lamphey were bowled out for 103 with just two players reaching double figures. Opener Robert Matthias scored 11 before falling to a brilliant catch by Johnny Lewis off the bowling of Paul Hood. However middle order batsmen Hywel Gibbs had a fighting innings of 50, which included six fours from 86 balls as he attempted to rally the troops. When he was bowled by Kristan Bennett, Lamphey's innings folded with the last five wickets falling for just 13 runs. Paul Hood finished with 4 for 32, Kristan Bennett took 2 for 20 in 10 overs and Steve Bennett 2 for 14. Steve Vale and Grant Cole opened the bowling for Lamphey and soon had Herbrandston in trouble. Opener Peter John scored 14, Gary Davies 10, Kristan Bennett 12 and Steve Bennett a patient innings of 11 not out. When Gary Davies and Steve Bennett were together there was a possibility that Herbie could grind out a draw, but Davies fell to a tremendous catch by Paul White off the bowling of Jason Oatley. Wickets fell at regular intervals before Grant Cole came back in a second spell and bowled Dean John to win the match. Spinner Hywel Gibbs took 3 for 17 in 12 tight overs, Vale bowled unchanged and took 3 for 28 in his 12 overs, Jason Oatley took 2 for 10 and Grant Cole 2 for 16. Herbie had a lead of 18 points over Lamphey before the match, but finished three points behind so that Lamphey remained in Division Two and Herbie are relegated along with Johnston. At the other end of the table, there was a tremendous tussle at Haverfordwest in a top of the table clash between Haverfordwest Seconds and Llangwm. Haverfordwest scored 177 for 9 and in reply Llangwm were held to 164 for 8 and did not pick up enough points to gain promotion. The win by the Haverfordwest team gave them the Division Two championship with 339 points, Burton finished one point behind with 338 and Llangwm were just two behind Burton in third place so that just three points separated the top three teams in Division Two! In other Division Two matches, the bottom club Johnston were bowled out for 100 at home to Burton and the visitors won by four wickets to clinch promotion. At Llanrhian, the visitors Stackpole lost by just nine runs chasing a Llanrhian total of 177 for 9.
Division Three
Whitland Seconds were denied promotion from Division Three after losing by seven wickets at home to Neyland Seconds, at the same time Llechryd snatched a dramatic win at Fishguard. James Heneker took the last three Fishguard wickets in successive deliveries when Fishguard wanted only three to win with three wickets left, to give Llechryd promotion to Division Two! At Whitland, opener Edward John gave the Whitland team an excellent start with his innings of 50, which included 10 fours. He was supported by Mathew Davies who scored 33 and Meyrick Rowlands who scored 32. For the Neyland team, John Jones took 3 for 27 and Jay Dunsford 2 for 28. Consistent batting by the visitors took them to a total of 169 for 3. Openers Martin Jones and Nicholas Kooman scored 36 and 33 respectively with each batsman finding the boundary five times. The good start was not wasted. The experienced Phil Sutton with 46 not out, including a six and five fours, backed up by John Jones with 34 not out, ensured that the visitors did not lose any further wickets. Skipper Stuart Harries finished with 2 for 25 for the Whitland team. Manorbier had another disappointing day and were bowled out for 68 away to Narberth who had declared after scoring 206 for 8 after 38 overs. Teenagers Kyle Quartermaine and Aron Keane led the onslaught on the Manorbier bowlers in a third wicket partnership of 113. Kyle Quartermaine scored 80 with 13 fours and Aron Keane with a six and 11 fours. Another Quartermaine then got into the act with Ben ending with 15 not out. For Manorbier, the reliable pair of Jonathan Hughes and Jeremy Smith took 4 for 47 and 2 for 43 respectively. Opener Jonathan Hughes had an attacking innings of 22 for Manorbier with two sixes and two fours supported by Phil Lawrence with 16. However, wickets tumbled as Aron Keane took 4 for 18 and Kyle Quartermaine 3 for 2 and Manorbier were bowled out for 68. Earlier, Richard Howell took 2 for 26 and Ben Quartermaine 1 for 16. Manorbier will be joined in Division Four next season by Maenclochog who were bowled out for 70 in the relegation battle at Camrose and Spittal. The home team won by 123 runs after scoring 193 for 7 before the tea interval. In a high scoring match at Burton, the visitors Hundleton had an exciting two wickets win in reply to a Burton Seconds total of 208 for 5. Ross Edwards scored 59 and Gareth Virgo 41 as Danny Bebbington took 2 for 40 for Hundleton. Jonathan Williams continued his good form with an innings of 76 for Hundleton to set up the Hundleton total of 212 for 8. For the Burton team, Dean Hayes took 3 for 34 and John Scale 3 for 35.
Division Four
Cresselly Seconds ended the season in style as runaway leaders of Division Four and recorded their 14th win of the season (more than any other team in the league) at Pembroke Dock after the Dock were dismissed for 99 to lose by 73 runs. Hard-hitting Jim Kinnear top scored for the Cresselly team with 95 and Jacob Davies scored 16. For the Dock, Jason Cole took 3 for 32 and Aaron Phillips 2 for 8. Jim Kinnear and Jacob Davies also did the damage with the ball with Davies taking 4 for 24 and Kinnear 3 for 4. Julian Edwards did not go down without a fight and scored 32 before being dismissed. The local derby at Pembroke was soon over after the visitors Lamphey Seconds were bowled out for 61. Perry Phillips took 4 for 21 and Jamie Kaijaks 3 for 17. Skipper Jonathan Matthias was the only Lamphey batsman to offer resistance in his innings of 14. Colin Kaijaks and Tim Gould soon raced to a 10 wickets win with Kaijaks 30 not out and Gould 25 not out. Lawrenny Seconds won by three wickets at home to Burton Thirds who totalled 153 for 7. Richard Phillips scored 41 with six fours and a six, Adam Davies 35 and the experienced Brian Griffiths 22 not out. For the Lawrenny team, John Fuller took 2 for 23, spinner Phil Cole 2 for 29 and there was a wicket each for Johanthan Beff and Owen Williams. Opener Steve Campbell had a match winning innings of 70, which included seven fours, and Phil Cole had a more than useful innings of 36 not out with a six and five fours. The other batsman in double figures was James Phillips with 11. For the visitors, Brian Griffiths took 2 for 37 and William Bowen 2 for 59. In a match where both teams fielded 10 players, there was an exciting finish at Kilgetty, together with some hilarity. The visitors Crymych bowled and fielded very well and restricted the free scoring Kilgetty batsmen to a total 124 all out. Mike Johns made a welcome return to the Kilgetty team and top scored with 46 before being caught by Malory Stanford off the bowling of Eurig Lewis. After the loss of two early wickets, Simon Evans joined Johns at the crease and the pair added 63 for the third wicket before Evans was bowled by David Deardon for 18. All-rounder Richard Prout also scored 18 for Kilgetty as Eurig Lewis finished with 3 for 17, Murray Briggs 3 for 23 and opening bowler David Deardon 3 for 37. Former Narberth rugby centre Elgan Vittle opened the batting for Crymych and played some glorious shots all around the wicket in his innings of 64. His innings ended when he fell to a breathtaking catch by wicket keeper Alan Townsend off the bowling of Mark Morgan for 64. Vittle hit a six and nine fours in his innings and no other batsman reached double figures. Wickets were shared out amongst the Kilgetty bowlers with skipper Graham Jenkins taking 2 for 5 and Mark Morgan 2 for 12. With the last Crymych pair together, the visitors needed just one to win. Rob Bevan faced Jamie Morgan and clipped the ball on the leg side. Unfortunately, for the visitors, Bevan lost his balance when starting off for a run and fell onto his stumps 'Inzimam style' to end the game with the scores tied! Kilgetty will join Cresselly Seconds in Division Three next season while Burton Thirds and Lamphey Seconds will be relegated from Division Four.
Division Five
St. Florence will be promoted from Division Five along with Division Five champions Haverfordwest Thirds. On Saturday, St. Florence made the long journey north to Llechryd and reached a total of 150 for 6 away to Llechryd Seconds. Opener Peter Hall provided the platform with his innings of 77, which included eight fours, and Ben McDonnell who scored 13 helped Hall add 43 for the next wicket. Richard Jones scored 23 and Tommy Roberts 17. For the Llechryd team, Steve Harding took 2 for 10. Llechryd Seconds needed to avoid defeat to have any chance of staying up in Division Five. They held on for a draw by the skin of their teeth and their innings ended on 82 for 9. Steve Harding followed up his bowling to open the innings for Llechryd and scored 31, supported by Adam Maehrlein who scored 12. Peter Hall showed that he is still an all-rounder by taking 3 for 6, skipper Steve Wilkins took 3 for 11 and Richard Jones 2 for 17. Llechryd Seconds will stay in Division Five for another season having ended four points above Stackpole Seconds who will be relegated along with Hook Seconds. This Sunday, at St. Florence, the village cricket team have a home fixture against the Wales Over 50 team. Carew Thirds were bowled out for just 60 at home to Llanrhian Seconds chasing the visitors' total of 137 for 8. Tom Hamilton scored 37, Dafydd Charles 22 not out and Colin Reynolds 20. Mathew Phillips had to wait quite a while for the ball, but showed what damage he could have done earlier by taking 3 for 37. Huw Brock was the only Carew batsman to offer meaningful resistance in his innings of 25 as Gavin Robb took 3 for 9, Dafydd Charles 3 for 13 and leg spinner David Lewis 2 for 14. Whitland Thirds were also bowled out cheaply at home to Johnston Seconds, but came within a real shout of winning after the visitors had been reduced to 6 for 3. Peter Wright has been recovering from an operation, but managed to get his only game of cricket for the season in at Whitland and top scored with 38. The only other Whitland batsman in double figures was Steffan Jenkins with 10. Nick Davies took 4 for 21 for the visitors and Chris Goodridge 3 for 13. Gary Stephens with 24 and Graham Keene with 19 made sure that the visitors recovered from such a poor start and eventually Johnston Seconds won by three wickets upon reaching 77 for 7. Ashley Evans took 4 for 25 for the Whitland team and Carl Smith 2 for 23. Stackpole Seconds and Hook Seconds will play in Division Six next season.
Division Six
Narberth Thirds had a surprise telephone call on Saturday night to indicate that they had been promoted from Division Six, along with champions Herbrandston Seconds. Narberth Thirds finished with a percentage of 21.7, just above Haverfordwest Fourths who had a percentage of 21.6! On Saturday, the Narberth team went way out west for an away fixture against Llanrhian Thirds. The visitors scored 151 before being bowled out. Skipper Chris Richards scored 58 with 10 fours, supported by teenager Jordan Williams with 31 and club chairman Huw Simpkins with 15. Ted Kitchell took 3 for 21 for the Llanrhian team who were bowled out for 62 in reply. Richard Evans took 3 for 14, Robert Gaskell 2 for 15 and Richard Bevan 2 for 13. Hundleton Seconds won by four wickets at home to Pembroke Dock Seconds who were bowled out for 120. James Olyott scored 36 and Andrew Wood 20 as Dean Williams took 3 for 34 for the Hundleton team. The fixture between Llangwm Thirds and Kilgetty Seconds were switched to the postage stamp ground at Burton. With the attacking batsmen on both teams the run scoring was high and the visitors reached 207 before being bowled out. Robert Beynon top scored with 82, an innings which included six sixes, supported by Stuart Allan with 22 and Kevin Davies with 23. In reply, Llangwm Thirds reached 211 for 7 to win by three wickets. Joseph Kiff scored 56, Lyn Rees 31 and Steven Thomas 21. Duane Rositer was the pick of Kilgetty bowlers and ended with 2 for 16.