SPORT | Cricket:
After driving through torrential downpours, BarryWanderers arrived at the Hoovers ground in Merthyr to be welcomed by sunshine and a dry outfield.
Sudi won the toss and elected to bat first. A steady start was made by openers Blundell and Sudesh before the latter succumbed, lbw for 13. This brought Abi to the wicket. He and Blundell ran hard and punished any poor deliveries that were on offer until Abi fell to the wily spin of the venerable Vern Hadley, a man whom the opposition fielders called the ‘white Edgar Davids’ due to his eyewear and not due to any physical resemblance to the football superstar.
Kunal arrived at the crease at a key juncture in the innings. Blundell became the main aggressor, whilst Kunal was content to play himself in. Blundell despatched Hadley for numerous boundaries and brought up his hundred to a rapturous patter of applause. Blundell was visibly emotional and embraced his partner Kunal. He continued the onslaught before eventually departing the scene for 127.
Kunal picked up the mantle before being caught by a flying catch in the outfield for a finely-crafted 73. Late runs were plundered by Ed Williams and Patrick Lane to bring the final total to a very healthy 304-4.
The Wanderers fielders were in a buoyant mood on the resumption, with Luke Grant opening the bowling. After being banned from Cocos, Grant had partaken in no alcohol on Friday evening. Cocos’ loss was the Wanderers gain as hebowled with great brio and accounted for three Tredegar batsmen in a combative early spell of pace bowling. His figures of 3-29 were reward for a night of sobriety.
Thereafter, only two Tredegar batsmen posted a double figure score. However, one of those said batsmen produced a destructive century that gave the Tredegar total a note of respectability. Ian Morris put the spin twins Ed Williams and Kunal Mhadgut to the proverbial sword. The spinners wentfor 90 in six overs. For Mhadgut, it was his second half century of the day and Williams was not far behind. It was left to the pace bowlers to account for the Tredegar tail, with Morris finishing stranded on 117. Tredegar were all out for 220, with a winning margin for the Wanderers of 84 runs.
NB
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