Barry Wanderers defy the bad weather

Despite the surrounding area suffering torrential downpours, very little rain had landed on the Wanderers ground and the wicket was surprisingly hard and dry.

The start, however, was delayed for 40 minutes when, typically, the heavens opened just as the Wanderers (who were fielding first after claiming the toss) marched out on to the field.

When play got under way, the wicket offered a bit of life to the opening attack of Hassett and Beckett. Despite this, some slightly uncharacteristic waywardness from the pacemen allowed Mountain Ash to score at a good initial rate.

However, as the runs flowed, wickets started to fall, with Beckett making the initial breakthrough in his third over. This proved the problem for the visitors; they just were not able to build partnerships, particularly once the change-bowlers came on with the score at 36-2 off 11.

Evan Davies picked up from where he had left off last week, claiming 2-19 off 7 overs before injury forced him off. The star performer with the ball for the Wanderers was Davies’ partner in crime, Neil Blundell, who put the brakes on Mountain Ash’s innings by bowling straight through his 10 overs and claiming 4-29.

The batsmen had no answer to his variation of pace and array of cutters and if only there had been better catching from his fielders, he would have claimed his maiden Wanderers 5 wicket haul.

Once Blundell had finished his spell and Hughes had claimed his first Wanderers wicket, Mountain Ash found themselves 114-9 off 34 overs. Beckett and Hassett then returned, thundering in, desperate to claim the final wicket and claim maximum bowling points.

They threw all they had at the number 10 and 11, but Davies (13*) and skipper Williams (35*) held out and guided their side beautifully to 153-9 off 45 overs, a useful score on a tricky pitch.

All pressure was on Ed Sherriff and the returning Gareth Lanagan, as they went out to chase down this potentially testing target. However, they made light work of the difficult conditions (the heavens opened briefly at the start of the innings before the sun broke through for the remainder of the afternoon) and they smashed their way to an opening stand of 147.

Both men played some sumptuous strokes and the Mountain Ash bowlers had no answer as first Lanagan, then Sherriff, both helped themselves to 50s. Lanagan was disappointed that he was unable to see it through to the end when he departed for 60, bowled by Williams.

However Sherriff and Hughes took Wanderers to their target with 9 wickets remaining, in the 24th over, ensuring their team maintained their highly impressive start to the season, claiming their third win in as many games.

Wanderers travel to Lisvane this Saturday bidding to maintain their 100% winning start to the season.

The Sofa Sofa Barry Wanderers Man of the Match was Ed Sherriff for his cultured 75 not out.

Barry Wanderers 155-1 (24.3ovs) bt Mountain Ash, 153-9 (45ovs) by 9 wickets.

The previous Saturday the Wanderers made the pleasant journey east to face Monkswood and after losing the toss and being put in to bat, skipper Jamie Keir along with Ed Sherriff made a watchful start to the away team’s innings, putting on 38 for the first wicket off 11 overs.

Keir was soon bowled for 18 by Bleazard, and Sherriff quickly followed, controversially out lbw for 14. The Wanderers middle-order again faltered with spin proving their undoing with young spinner Watkins causing havoc and helping himself to 4-20 off his 10 overs.

Blundell, George and Tucker were all put under pressure by the young man and eventually succumbed to his flight and guile, with Mark Ellis offering the only resistance for 17.

Wanderers were teetering on the edge, struggling on 78-6 after 30 overs. However, the lower-middle order and the tail rallied. James Hassett scored a bright and breezy 23 until over-confidence got the better of him and he was bowled.

Many of the visitors' hopes were pinned on him and when last man Beckett strode out to the crease with 6 overs remaining, Wanderers were still only on 116-9.

However both he and Pathak showed great application and fighting spirit to first of all guide Wanderers to 125 to claim another batting point, but then push them on to 147-9 off the full allocation of 45.

The home side were put under pressure from the off, with some hostile bowling from Beckett and some tight-controlled deliveries from Hassett who bowled a nagging line outside off-stump, offering the openers little to score off. He got his rewards when he had Brock caught behind for 11.

Beckett removed the 2nd opener Roberts when a nasty bouncer was top-edged to Hassett at deep fine-leg, and he took a great catch .The Hassett-Keir combination struck again when skipper Jones went without scoring and Wanderers had their hosts struggling; Hassett proving good value by picking up 2-13 off 7.

The wickets kept coming once the change-bowling came on, Blundell helping himself to a caught and bowled, just-rewards for an excellent spell where he only went for 13 off 8. However, the man who really took the game away from Monkswood was Evan Davies, playing his first game of the season.

After a rusty start, the jetsetter bowled some unplayable deliveries, his out-swingers at good pace causing the home side’s batsmen no end of trouble. The keeper and slip-cordon benefited from this wonderful spell, assisted by a good, bouncy track and edges flew through to them with regularity and they were gratefully snaffled up by George, Hassett and the keeper Keir, who would go on to claim 5 catches in the innings.

Despite resistance from Malson (27) and Trumper (16) wickets continued to fall at the wrong times for Monkswood, and after last-man Davies had Probert caught down the leg-side by Keir, Monkswood were all out for 114. Davies finished up with 5-20 off 8.4 overs and the Wanderers First XI claimed their first 'two wins on the bounce' since 2007.

The Barry Wanderers Sofa Sofa Man of the Match was Evan Davies.