Newport CC retained the Monmouthshire Building Society Under 15 Youth Cricket Shield in the Finals Day held at the Croesyceiliog CC ground, in a repeat of last year’s final against Croesyceiliog CC. And hence completed the League and Cup ‘Double’ for 2013.  

Newport won the toss and asked Croesyceiliog to bat, a decision soon justified with off spinner Sam Hope-Bell taking a wicket in the first over.  Bowling an excellent line and length, he went on to concede just five runs in his four overs, as Croesyceiliog were restricted to 28-1 off 8 overs. Will Davey and Mat Kefalas had put on 29 before Davey was caught by Robbie Clarke off the bowling of Sion Edwards, and from then on the Newport bowlers tightened their grip on the game.  Ffion Wynne then took a wicket in a fine spell of bowling, which cost just twelve runs in four overs. With Edwards bowling Kefalas for 19 and Rob Williams taking a neat stumping off the bowling of Ryan Ward, Croesyceiliog were reeling at 36 for 4 in the tenth over.  However, Jamie Norman, with 15, and Lewis Edwards, 22, almost doubled this score before both were clean bowled by Scott Thornton. In fact, off spin bowler, Thornton was involved in the last four wickets to fall. He started with a run out and then took three wickets in his last over, two clean bowled and one with the aid of a Huw Morris catch. Croesyceiliog were finally bowled out in the nineteenth over for 81, with Thornton finishing with figures of 4-18.

This total didn’t seem to be enough and so it proved.  Rob Williams and Scott Thornton put on 31 for the first wicket before Williams was caught on the boundary edge, by Kefalas off the bowling of Adam Laasna for 16.  Darnell Taylor-Wood then joined Thornton and batted sensibly to  reach the target in the eighteenth over without the loss of another wicket.  Thornton finished on 38 not out and Taylor-Wood 13 not out.

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The Player of the Match was adjudged to be Scott Thornton for his all-round contribution with bat and ball.  This was the second successive year he had won this honour.

The win highlighted an excellent year for the Newport U15 team, who earlier in the season had completed an unbeaten League Programme, hence winning the League and Cup ‘Double’

Team

Scott Thornton (Capt.), Darnell Taylor-Wood, Rob Williams, Ryan Ward, Huw Morris, Sam Hope-Bell, Robbie Clarke, Ffion Wynne, Achi Kamraj, Sion Edwards, Ben Rose