BARRY Wanderers 2nd XI played host to Bridgend 4ths last Saturday in a Division 3 Welsh Conference contest at Hayes Point.

Friday's heavy rain produced a 'soft' track for the game but nevertheless, it was well prepared as per usual by Gerry Richards and Rob Tucker.

Wanderers skipper Chris Barnes won the toss and after some thought, decided to bat with confidence riding high of late. Barnes and Brian Gist set about giving Wanderers a good start, Barnes in particular, getting the scoreboard moving healthily against the opening attack of Bridgend stalwart Howard Ling and Skipper Paul Minchinton.

The score moved on to 65 when for the second week in a row, Barnes fell one short of his 50 (jug avoidance), out caught behind by 13-year-old Owain Davis off the first ball of Keri Brett's spell. In came Wanderers new boy Dean Thomas who proceeded to stroke the bowling around with some ease, a very different player to the hard hitting Barnes.

Gist was bowled by Brett for a patient 18 which brought the evergreen Elwyn Toozer to the crease, and he was promptly dropped on 0 at mid-on.

An excellent partnership of 52 runs between Thomas and Toozer in good time ended with Toozer being caught off the bowling of Brett for 23.

Rob Tucker was pushed up the order ahead of Luke Denning to push the scoring along at a vital time of the innings which indeed proved to be the case as once again Thomas and Tucker 'got on with it!'

Thomas continued in his fluent way but Tucker bludgeoned the ball to the boundary at will scoring 44 from 34 balls until he was stumped in the last over.

By this time, Dean Thomas had scored his first 50 for Barry Wanderers eventually holing-out to mid-on off the bowling of Yazeer. Wanderers finally ending their innings with a creditable 204 for 7 after their 45 overs.

Skipper Barnes then took the unusual step of throwing the new ball to a bemused Elwyn Toozer who promptly had 14 runs taken off his first over by the dangerous Andy Thalayasingham. Toozer had the last laugh, trapping him lbw in the third over for 17.

Another Bridgend servant Andy Marvel was tying up one end while hard hitting batsmen came in at the other, Yazeer being trapped lbw by Dave Morgan for 14 and at this point, Bridgend making a real fist of it.

Barnes introduced a double bowling change with Mike Ashton and Andy Furnham coming on with their mixture bowling to take the pace off the ball, making the Bridgend batsmen work harder to get the ball away.

Furnham took a smart return catch to remove Bunston for 18, but still at 82 for 3 after 20 overs, Bridgend were very much in the hunt.

This all changed quickly as Ashton had both Moruzzi and Davis caught and Furnham bowled the stubborn Marvel for a brave 24.

Apart from the hobbling Rhys Thomas with his one-legged 16, the resistance had faltered and it was left to the recalled Toozer to mop-up along with Rob Tucker's one ball demolition to end Bridgend's innings on 123 all out giving Wanderers the win by 81 runs. Elwyn Toozer finished with 3-36, Ashton 2-18 off his 10 overs and Andy Furnham 3-32. Well done lads

TOURING GAME

Barry Wanderers Cricket Club entertained Walsall Health Authority in a very regular annual touring match between the two clubs at Hayes Point last Thursday.

Walsall skipper Tim Oliver won the toss on a bright summer's day and invited Wanderers to bat first.

Gareth King and Brian Gist opened for the home side and were pegged back by some quality opening bowling from Walsall, so much so that King was bowled early on for 8. It was slow going for the Wanderers batsmen but thanks to good old fashioned extras, they were moving along steadily.

A change of bowling brought the slower pace of the skipper's brother into the attack in Andy Oliver, who restricted Wanderers batsmen to pushed singles for a good while until Paul George found another gear with a few lusty blows to the boundary.

Brian Gist was removed for a battling 22 out lbw for the umpteenth time not happy with the decision, and also Paul George was bowled for 16 at the other end soon after. Stuart Jones came in next and, joined later by Rob Tucker, increased the run rate.

Jones was bowled round his legs for a fluent 18 by the accurate Oliver. Andy Fenton joined Tucker to push the scoring along as the innings was reaching the 'business' end.

Tucker was then bowled going for it for 26 which brought Wanderers skipper Chris Barnes to the crease to join Fenton.

Both batsmen then produced some fierce and inventive end-of-innings hitting for an unbroken 7th wicket stand of 58. Wanderers finished their 45 over innings on 209 for 6 with Fenton 36no and Barnes undefeated on 31.

At the tea interval, and with the two clubs very well known to each other, there was a touching speech and presentation by Walsall Health Authority, to the Wanderers President Mike Ashton, of a trophy to be played for in future games as a memory to Wanderers long standing stalwart Gerry Richards' wife Linda, who sadly passed earlier this year.

As the lads from Walsall knew from countless trips here, Linda prepared their tea and drank with them after the game.

The Walsall opening batsmen began cautiously with John Williams and Mike Ashton opening the bowling with a varied attack of medium and slow pace, Walsall opener Gorton now getting used to the pace and driving though extra cover with ease.

However, wickets were now falling regularly at the other end. Only Hall (14), Day (14) and Stephens (10) managed to stay with Gorton at various stages of the innings as the Wanderers total was now looking quite distant.

Indeed, Williams bowled a beautiful spell of seam bowling finishing his 7 over spell with 1-5.

Andy Fenton was then introduced into the attack eventually bowling the stubborn Gorton for 31, bringing Walsall skipper Phil Oliver to the crease.

Gareth King and Fenton were keeping the runs down easily when Wanderers skipper Barnes introduced Stuart Jones to mop up the tail with the dark clouds moving in over the channel.

Then with Jones's fourth ball, and off a good length, the ball reared up and smashed Walsall skipper Tim Oliver in the face, fracturing his jaw and displacing some teeth in a sickening blow.

As a contest, and with Walsall unable to win at this stage, together with Oliver's misfortune, the match degenerated with the rain falling and bad light, so the game was abandoned with Walsall reaching 82 for 7 in 30.3 overs.

Fenton finished with 2-32 and Tucker 2-2 bowling late on.

In other games the 1st XI were humbled at Bridgend losing by 7 wickets and the midweek XI still can’t get going with a disappointing hammering at Pentyrch.