Centurions out of cup, but Smith stars in Select XI against Dragons (From Penarth Times)

Centurions out of cup, but Smith stars in Select XI against Dragons

8:20am Thursday 21st June 2012 in Sport

AFTER a complete washout on Saturday, Sully Centurions Cricket Club travelled to Salisbury on Sunday to play South Wiltshire in the group final of the ECB Kingfisher Beer Cup.

With an impressive new pavilion, the Wiltshire side currently top the Southern Premier League, but found runs hard to come by on a slow pitch.

With Tom Evison celebrating his first game as skipper by taking four wickets, the travelling Sully faithful had plenty to cheer in the first half of the game and the home side were restricted to 156 for eight after their 45 overs.

Centurions were in confident mood as they went in for tea but their innings got off to a bad start as Ryan Sylvester, Adam Shantry and Richard Reddy all departed quickly.

Lloyd Smith, who has been having a marvellous time with the bat, also failed to get going and Centurions were staring down the barrel at 28 for four.

A solid partnership between Jamie Sylvester, who was nursing a dislocated finger sustained while fielding, and Dan Rowe, took the score along to 94 for five when the former was out for a dogged 31 with seven overs remaining.

Rowe was joined by Gareth Davies, who was the first visiting batsman to hit a boundary, but the run out of the former, with the score on 116, marked the start of huge collapse.

The final four wickets fell for just three runs, leaving Centurions 37 runs adrift and the end of a dream for another year.

South Wiltshire: 156-8 Sully Centurions: 119

Swalec Premier Select XI

A SWALEC Premier Select XI last week took on the Welsh Dragons (Glamorgan County Cricket Club) in a Twenty20 clash - and Centurions were represented by captain Lloyd Smith, dependable opening bat Ryan Sylvester, and recent addition Tom Maynard (not the player of the same name who so tragically lost his life on Monday).

Winning the toss, the Dragons elected to bat and a slow start brought just 39 runs off the first five overs and offered the Swalec side a glimmer of hope.

This was shortlived, however, as the Dragons' batsmen showed why they play first team county cricket, with boundaries coming at a heady pace.

Half centuries for Wallace and Allenby, and oh-so-close-halves by Marsh and van Jaarsfeld, both spoiled by a wicket apiece for Sylvester and Maynard, saw the Dragons finish their 20 overs on 239.

A strike rate of 12 per over was always going to be a tough target and, with fast paced bouncers keeping the Swalec batsmen on their toes, runs were in short supply.

However, the Dragons hadn't reckoned on Lloyd Smith. Following the early departure of Wadlan and with Ryan trapped lbw, it was left to Smith to show the Dragons the meaning of a 'good knock' in Twenty20!

A steady play-in was followed by what will probably be the innings of the season as Smith showed little regard for any Glamorgan bowler, smashing boundaries with aplomb.

Having raced to 91 by the end of the 18th over, a successive six and four took him over the ton. A few more runs in the final over culminated in Smith ending the innings on 105 not out, and walking off to a standing ovation.

His knock included seven sixes (two off Robert Croft) and 10 boundaries.

In the end, the Swalec side, with a total of 156 for four, were comfortably beaten but with Smith firing on all cylinders, they were far from disgraced.

Smith has amassed 675 runs already this season and has an overall average of 74.78 in league and cup games for Centurions.

Now, if the Dragons start to struggle in the T20 competitions, Smith can be reached on 07. . .!!

WEEKEND TEAMS

* 1st XI v Bridgend (Saturday, away): T Evison, L Smith, J Sylvester, R Sylvester, M O'Shea, D Rowe, T Maynard, A Shantry, R Reddy, D Eskins, C Lowen and G Davies.

* 2nd XI v Bridgend (Saturday, home): M Thomas, T Williams, L O'Sullivan, T Edwards, C Sleeth, B Callow, L Bruce, B Spear, N Cuddihy, M Rowe and R Bennett.

* 3rd XI v Panteg (Saturday, Wenvoe at 12.30pm): From D W Sylvester, N Jones, R Griffett, M Hayes, H Miller, I Ridout, D Thacker, S Davies, G Patel, M Pryce, S Banga, J Bryant and Pavel.

* 4th XI v Panteg (Saturday, leave Sully Inn at 12 noon): From M Fisher, D P Sylvester, L Burnett, M Burnett, G Stone, P Harrison, P Barnett, J T Sylvester, A Sylvester, T Johnson, E Davies, S Macmillion, S Morse and L Sylvester.

* 1st XI v Gowerton (Sunday, home, Welsh Cup): Evison, Smith, J Sylvester, R Sylvester, L Bruce, Rowe, Maynard, Shantry, Reddy, Eskins, Lowen and Davies.

* 3rd XI v Coed Ely (Sunday, away, leave Sully Inn at 12.15pm): D W Sylvester, N Jones, Griffett, Miller, Ridout, Thacker, Patel, Banga, Bennett, Spear, Sleeth, Callow and Edwards.