The growth of Penarth Cricket Club was perfectly demonstrated in the last week, with success at under-13 level for both boys and girls underlining the strides the club has made in recent years.

The boys had already secured the southern regional title in the Welsh Cup and headed off to Ynystawe for the national finals, while girls’ cricket took over the Athletic Field as Penarth hosted, and won, the county U13 softball championship for the first time.

The girls welcomed opponents from around Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan for an entertaining day of cricket, culminating in a winner-take-all encounter against their Llandaff counterparts.

Penarth narrowly edged out their opponents to spark scenes of joy, as the club collected its first title in girls’ cricket.

All visiting teams – Llandaff, Vale, Pentyrch and Cowbridge – contributed to a fine advert for the growth of the girls’ game.

In Ynystawe, the four regional boys’ winners from around the nation descended for a great day of cricket.

St Fagans defeated Bronwydd convincingly in the first semi-final to await the winners of the tie between Penarth and Mold.

Josh Greyling gave Penarth a perfect start, reaching 30 not out from just 17 balls before retiring, while Rhys Muxworthy and Gabe Gardiner-Davies provided some useful runs in the middle order as Penarth posted a useful, but not decisive, 117.

Muxworthy (3-8) quickly derailed the Mold reply with three wickets in his first eight balls, and with Owen Lewis, Evan Weeks and James Llewellyn (3-6) all getting in on the act, Mold were dismissed for just 58 to set up a local derby in the final.

On a sweltering afternoon, Penarth were unfortunate to lose the toss and have to field, meaning back-to-back sessions under the hot sun.

However, their efforts with the ball were excellent as a St Fagans line-up boasting several internationals reached 139-3.

Muxworthy was again the pick of the bowlers with Michael RameshKumar also among the wickets, while Rhys Pollit and Ffredi Easterby both made 30 not out for the Stags.

Greyling once again got Penarth off to a flying start with a savage 33 not out off 20 balls before retiring.

And Penarth were well on track before Adam Sherwood produced the over of his life, taking four wickets in four balls to reduce the Bears to 45-4.

Weeks, with 29, and RameshKumar, with 23, made a spirited job of sparking a revival for Penarth, and Rhys Lewis made a rapid 13, but they couldn’t quite recover from Sherwood’s heroics and St Fagans ran out worthy winners by 19 runs in a fantastic advert for cricket in Wales.

Elsewhere, the week also brought to a close the club’s annual All Stars and Dynamos programmes for younger cricketers starting their journeys in the game.

Some 273 children of mainly primary school age have taken part this year, making Penarth the second largest in the UK for this age group, and the Friday evening sessions have become a highlight for children and parents alike.

The future is looking bright for Penarth.