Dinas Powys CC: 2nds win league but Midweek XI miss out in cup (From Penarth Times)

Dinas Powys CC: 2nds win league but Midweek XI miss out in cup

8:20am Thursday 6th September 2012 in Sport

AFTER a long break from cricket DPCC 2XI finally got to take to the field versus Pontymister with a chance to clinch the league title. With 3 points needed to guarantee the silverware, this was going to be a nerve jangling afternoon, and so it proved.

Villagers captain Andy Ford won the toss and elected to bowl on a damp wicket, needing 6 wickets to claim the 3 points needed.

Upinder Singh and Richie Morgan opened the bowling but lacked their usual line and length and were punished each time they strayed. They were replaced by left-armers Will Mardell and Dani Zaman.

After 20 overs the Villagers were still searching for their first wicket when Mardell snared Velu with a lovely c&b. Zaman also took a wicket and bowled an immaculate spell finishing with 1-16 off his 10 overs - nothing less is now expected from the big man who has had a superb season!

Dinas were toiling in the field by now with some massive sixes being hit, and thought the next wicket was never coming until the skipper threw the ball to Mike Lowe with instruction to get a wicket at any cost.

Lowe duly obliged, taking the wicket of the big hitting Awan who was on 84, assisted by a superb catch from Red Todd-Bennett. Lowe finished with figures of 1-68 off 7, but the skipper had said at any cost!

With three wickets needed Jack Preston was given a chance with the ball and took two quick wickets thanks to catches from Andy Smith and John Yella, so now it was just one needed and the man of the moment was Singh who clean bowled Badat for 60 with 2 balls to spare and the celebrations started.

Pontymister finished on 258-6, a daunting target indeed.

A superb Ruth Clogg tea was taken as Dinas contemplated the task in front of them, and probably too many cakes were consumed in celebration.

Openers Andy Smith and Jack Preston made steady progress until Preston was run out for 34 after a dodgy Smith call, Smith was stumped shortly afterwards for 29, and Yella was bowled by one that went underground - and suddenly it was 78-3.

Big hitting Zaman was promoted up the order but fell for 18 so it was left to Gareth Evans and Red Todd-Bennett to rebuild, but the game was slipping away.

Evans was out for 43, Todd-Bennett for 23 and Dinas finished on 222-8 - Mardell (20) and Morgan (6) being the not out batsmen.

The celebrations then started properly with the title in the bag. It has been a superb performance indeed to clinch the title on the first attempt at this new higher level and bodes well for the future.

Well done skipper Andy Ford and all who played in the team.

Midweek XI miss out in final

THE on-off summer of cricket for the various Dinas Powys Cricket Club sides saw the Midweek XI challenging Cogan Chiefs in the final of the Vale of Glamorgan midweek knockout cup last Friday evening, a 20-over bash before a partisan gathering on Barry Island.

Both Dinas and the Chiefs experienced exciting semis, the Chiefs knocking out Barry Wanderers and Dinas winning a cracker against the mighty Cardiff. So it was a confident Dinas skipper Gordon Hannah who chose to bat first on a slow, low Island track.

It quickly seemed though that Dinas had spent all their luck and judgement in that epic semi, as wickets fell cheaply and early. At 17-3 the Dinas innings had all but stalled before Asad Rizi began something of a fightback with a silky 28 – including one huge 6 – but he soon went as did the semi-final hero, the beefy bouncer Dani Zamman.

At 65-6 in the 12th over it badly need the tail to wag, but the wickets continued to tumble as Dinas finished on a disappointing 90-8 with only Steven Bussell seeming to read any of the Cogan bowling in the latter stages. Still, 91 to win equates to 4.5 runs an over and with the light fading and plenty of bowling, perhaps Dinas could still win.

Skipper Hannah’s mid-way dressing room message was along the lines of “Anything they can do etc - however the excellent bowling performance of the Chiefs was quickly replicated by their batsmen, as they coasted to a 5 wicket win in the 16th over.

James Hiscocks was the pick of the Dinas bowlers, his double-wicket over giving Gordon Lowe and the rest of the Dinas supporters brief hope, but all credit to Cogan as they skilfully passed the required mark.

Congratulations then to Cogan Chiefs for their deserved cup-final triumph - but well done too to Gordon Hannah and his team for playing some exciting and canny cricket in this competition. Next time lads!

First XI reflect on disappointing performance

DINAS Powys 1st XI's season came to an end of Saturday, and for once the weather didn’t intervene. Having already secured their objective of maintaining league status, Dinas travelled to unbeaten and table-topping Pontymister in relaxed fashion, hoping to just enjoy their afternoon.

Bowling first on a perfect day for cricket, Dinas rattled through the opposition to dismiss them for 125 inside the 45 overs. The highlights were Stephen Bussell’s 3 for 21 and a James Hiscocks 4 for 20, a fine effort by both and hugely encouraging for next season.

Chasing 126 should have been a walk in the park for Dinas, but they were dismissed for 76. Nathan Piddock top scored with 23, and, in keeping with the weather for most of the season, there were 5 ducks.

The performance summed up the season. A fantastic bowling performance, an under par batting performance, and a game Dinas should have won but somehow contrived to lose. Dinas finished the League season having won two and lost six, and of those six, four should have been won comfortably. Based on the evidence of this season the objective for next must be promotion.

Thank you to Head to Head for sponsoring the match ball, and for their continued support of Dinas Powys Cricket Club.