CAREW 178 for 7

BRONWYDD 138 all out

Carew travelled to face Carmarthen side Bronwydd who had defeated Cresselly in the previous round in the regional final of the Village Cup.

Situated in a beautiful setting between the Gwili Railway and the Afon Gwili, the ground provided a perfect backdrop for a great afternoon's cricket.

After a delayed start due to rain, Carew lost the toss and were put in to bat. The openers, Gareth Lewis and Nic Scourfield, got off to a steady start, sharing a partnership of 98 runs before Gareth was caught behind for 55.

Two more wickets followed in quick succession, with Nic Scourfield being caught and bowled for 35 and Tim Hicks out for just a single.

Ian Sefton and Rob Hicks then shared a quickfire stand of 41 runs from just 44 balls, before Rob was bowled for 18. Ian (28), Tom Scourfield (15) and Rhys Davies (10) then pushed the total to a respectable 178 for 7 off their allotted 40 overs.

It was imperative that the Carew bowlers performed well and this proved to be the case, with Scott Helmich and Tom Davies restricting their opponents to just 21 runs from the first 10 overs.

Helmich was particularly impressive throughout his spell, finishing with two wickets for 17 runs off nine overs, including five maidens.

The other bowlers also stuck well to their task and, with wickets falling at regular intervals, Bronwydd were left needing 41 runs from the last two overs with the final pair at the wicket. A fielding error off the first ball of the 39th over encouraged a quick single which led to a run out, giving Carew victory by 40 runs.

Carew now go into the national rounds and last 32 of the competition where they will face Warwickshire champions Water Orton at home on Sunday, July 1.

Batting: Gareth Lewis 55, Nic Scourfield 35, Tim Hicks 1, Ian Sefton 28, Rob Hicks 18, Tom Davies 4, Tim Scourfield 15 not out, Rhys Davies 10.

Bowling: Scott Helmich 2 for 17, Tom Davies 2 for 34, Rhys Davies 2 for 28, Matthew Phillips 3 for 36, Martin Scourfield 0 for 10 and Tim Hicks 0 for 8.