Dinas Powys U13s cricket team take first indoor title! (From Penarth Times)

Dinas Powys U13s cricket team take first indoor title!

7:30am Thursday 12th November 2009

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DINAS Powys Under-13s cricket team ended a glorious season by beating the cream of South Wales en route to their first indoor title.

The club defeated Newport, Cardiff, Radyr, Lisvane, Cowbridge and the Vale in a weekly six-a-side competition at Sophia Gardens.

They were led from the front by skipper Matthew Todd-Bennett, whose batting and wicket-keeping were exemplary, with strong all-round support from Sam Marlow, Connor Hetherton, Tom Brookfield, Josh Clogg and Will Hume.

A short season protected from the elements culminated in last Thursday’s crunch tie against Pentyrch.

Following an unprecedented six wins out of six, the Dinas youngsters needed just 4 bonus points to etch their name on to the prestigious junior trophy.

Pentyrch, a more than handy third in the league before kick off, made a challenging 62 in their 10 overs, batting first.

Smart run outs from Will Hume, Sam Marlow and Tom Brookfield were the highlight of a tight fielding display well marshalled by Todd-Bennett, as the Villagers secured their first 3 points. Tidy spells from Hume, Clogg and the other bowlers restricted Pentyrch to a manageable target.

Fresh from their half-time team talk, steady opening batsmen Marlow and Todd-Bennett scored sensibly with the all-important 4th point – and 20 runs – first on the agenda. It came early in the 4th over with a 6 from Todd-Bennett - to the relief of a large and vocal support waiting in the wings led by Mike Lowe.

With the title sealed, and a weight off their shoulders, the Villagers upped the tempo in pursuit of their 7th successive victory.

But when Marlow was caught and Buckets Bennett retired on 20 not out, Dinas Powys turned to middle-order invincibles Hetherton and Brookfield, who have both represented the club’s senior indoor side in recent weeks.

Despite needing 23 off 18 balls, the championship-winning youngsters raced home with a ball to spare, to the envy of a watching second placed Newport reliant on Dinas defeat.

Brookfield, with his eye for a gap, was the perfect foil for Hetherton, who kept the opposition’s boundary boys busy by blasting over the top.

According to watching coach Geoff Marlow, the win was evidence of a blossoming junior section.

"It is a fantastic achievement for the boys after the disappointment of losing out in the final of the outdoor league season," he said.

"This title brings to fruition the progress that’s being made by the juniors, and we look forward to welcoming more youngsters to join this successful club in the coming season."

Daniel Lewis, Keir McInery and Rhys Harlin all made effective contributions during the campaign - which sees silverware adorning Dinas Powys junior shelves for the first time this century.

Not surprisingly, chairman Simon Hiscocks promised lemonades all round to the fledgling squad, but joyous scenes of celebration were curtailed by the dreaded homework. It was a school night after all!

See next week’s Penarth Times for photographs of the team receiving their awards.

Visit www.dinaspowyscc.co.uk for details

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