St Peter's (105-7) beat Panteg III (104) by three wickets. Llanrumney, 9 May 2009
-- Scorecard
Tony Lewis, so often the batting linchpin in last season's promotion charge, steered an edgy St Peter's to victory against a youthful Panteg III.
A straightforward victory had looked a certainty after a typically miserly bowling performance had restricted a one-dimensional Panteg side to 104.
Wickets were shared around a bowling attack that was helped by a pitch that bounced erratically in the opening ten overs before losing all pace. Panteg had briefly threatened to post a decent total but, once their number three was bowled off his pads by JC, they barely got the ball off the square in the second half of their innings.
Bomber, Paul and JC all bowled tight lines, Gareth and James cleared up towards the end and Sheriff's googly already finds its way into the running for champagne moment of the season.
Ugly Hoiks
In reply, the openers made a rapid start against unthreatening bowling before Clancey lost his off-stump after the first of several ugly hoiks. Stuart drove with the airy vagueness of a man who hasn't played cricket for two years and lost his off-peg before Joe and Andy moved smoothly to 60-2. But, following the drinks break, Joe was enticed into an ill-considered sweep and was caught behind square.
From then, wickets tumbled, including a first-ball dismissal for Paul, ever-present during pre-season nets and, if we're being generous, clearly still expecting a pitch of true bounce and adequate pace.
With seven wickets down and 25 runs still needed, the odds were suddenly in Panteg's favour until Gareth Jones sensibly held up one end while Louie kept his head, kept the strike and smashed a couple of boundaries to douse Panteg's resistance.
Circus Act
A victory, then, but one ear-marked by early season rustiness. There was also a great deal of pantomime, not least JC's delivery stride acrobatics, Joe taking one for the team and Bomber's late (surely not) arrival to the crease when the sudden rush of wickets left the batting order in tatters.
