Whitland defeated a strong combined Johnston and Neyland team by 20 runs in the semi-final, to book a place in the final for the fifth year on the trot, which is a remarkable record for a youth team in any sport. One player, Dan Newton, was 12th man in the 2003 final when Whitland lost to Llanrhian and has been an ever-present in the final since. Since appearing in the final of the Ormond Youth Cup for the first time in 1999, Whitland have made it to the final more frequently than any other club and their record to date is six finals to date with four wins. It is a tribute to the time and effort put in to the development of young players by the Whitland club and particularly to the mentoring of coach and team manager Colin John, who has been at the helm throughout that period. Whitland were bowled out for the low total of 80 in the semi-final by the visitors from Johnston and Neyland. Bobby Webb was the highest scorer with 13, supported by Jonathan Thomas and Alex Pickersgill, with 10 and 10 not out, respectively. For the visitors, Henry Durant and Nicholas Kooman both took 3 for 20, with Steven Mills junior taking 2 for 19. When the visitors replied, tight bowling by Bobby Webb and Iestyn Scourfield restricted the runs to around two per over and that grip was not relaxed when the bowling changes were made. Carl Smith took out the first four Johnston and Neyland batsmen and such was his hold over the batsmen that he finished with figures of 4 for 9 in his five overs. Off-spinner Jonathan Thomas bowled from the bypass end and also tied up the batmen, picking up one wicket in the process. It came from the catch of the season by Dan Newton fielding at mid-wicket. Newton had to turn and chase the ball when Lee Summons hit the ball in the air and brought the large crowd of spectators to their feet when he managed to not only reach the descending ball, but also to take the catch cleanly. His agility and pace off the mark, showed why the young Welsh Schools number 10 is one of a number of Whitland cricketers in the Llanelli Scarlets' age group development teams. Ashley Sutton offered the most resistance for the combined team with 17 not out. The other batmen in double figures were Steven Mills junior with 13 and Henry Durant with 10. Whitland will play Llangwm in the final at Carew on Sunday, August 26. In the other semi-final, Llangwm won by seven wickets at home to Fishguard after dismissing the visitors for 70.
