1ST XI vs Bristol (a)
Bristol 218-7 (Jones 3-48)Cardiff 175 ao (Lambe 57, Cane-Hardy 43)
Cardiff crashed spectacularly to defeat in their first BUSA league match. They will need to bounce straight back against Southampton to remain in contention for a knock out place. Having restricted Bristol to 218 having won the toss Cardiff seemed to be in complete control after a partnership of 109 between Lambe and Cane-Hardy. However having lost both the well set batsman in the space of 3 overs regular wickets continued to fall. As new batsman came the required run rate rose creating a difficult task for the lower middle order that they were unable to meet. Cardiff finished well short of the 219 for victory. In total the last 9 wickets fell for 61 runs with only Gray (18*) offering any resistance. Earlier with the ball the Cardiff bowlers kept control of the Bristol innings with a generally disciplined display. Jack (0-31), supported ably by Stafford (1-46), produced an excellent new ball performance to keep a tight early lid on things. Breese (0-26) continued where Jack left off with a tidy spell. Jones (3-48) at the other end picked up a vital wickets to ensure that Bristol were never able to keep key wickets in hand for the 'death' overs. Gray (2-42) also held up well towards the end of the innings with his leg spinners and Cardiff were fairly pleased to be chasing 219 for victory. Having worked themselves into a fairly routine run chasing situation of about 110 runs at little more than 4 an over the self destruct button was well and truly hit and Cardiff's first team lost their first league match for 3 years.
Gareth Lambe
1ST XI vs St Mary's (h)
St Mary's 190 ao (Stafford 4- )Cardiff 191-8 (Breese 41*, Jack 31*)
In an exact opposite to the chase against Bristol, Cardiff rescued a game that seemed dead and buried showing what an extrordinary game cricket can be. Thanks to an entertaining and thrilling ninth wicket stand of 73 between Jack and Breese the first eleven got home with overs to spare. Earlier in the day after inserting the opposition all the Cardiff bowlers produced good spells in a much improved all round effort than in the only previous league match. Stafford showed good discipline and ended up with four wickets, but the leg spinners Gray and Breese were the pick of the bowlers as the visiting team were restricted well. Jenner did well on debut and Woodroof bowled a very good spell during the death overs. Garnsworthy behind the stumps produced an excellent display and earnt himself four victims including 2 stumpings. The Cardiff reply was steady to start with despite the early loss of the captain, with Muse and Cane-Hardy looking in control. The extras gifted from St Mary's meant that the required rate was being exeeded comfortably. The run out of Cane-Hardy (24) who had looked in excelllent touch led to another middle order failing and left a tough ask of Breese and Jack with 6 an over needed with 15 overs to go and only two wickets left on a slow pitch. A series dazzling strokes, including 2 towering 6's from Breese, left the away side stunned.
Gareth Lambe
1ST X1 vs Reading
Cardiff 252-6 (Ellis 114*, Stafford 56)Reading 169-7
The 1sts welcomed a lacklustre Reading side on Wednesday 12th May, and after a magnificent 114 not out from left-hander John Ellis supported ably by Warren Stafford (56), they totalled 252-6 off their allotted overs. Reading replied very slowly and dragged out their innings, not even attempting to reach their target; it was a dismal batting performance that would have sent even the most ardent cricket fan to sleep. They finished on 169-6 thanks to some surprising bowling changes made by stand-in skipper Lloyd Ebden.
James Woodroof
1ST X1 vs Warwick
Warwick 198-8Cardiff 202-8 (Cane-Hardy 50)
Warwick set a target of 200 for victory, thanks to a bowling attack spearheaded by Academy bowler Luke Sellars. Pick of the bowlers were Jenner (2-42) and Gray (2-38), and the only substantial resistance came from Darren Bates (38). Cardiff knocked off the runs with two overs to spare, after Cane-Hardy (50), Dixon (37) and Paul (34) set the foundations for Luke Sellars to smash two sixes to win the match, and lay their frustrating season to rest.
James Woodroof
2ND X1 vs Exeter (a)
Exeter 222 (Collins 4-42)Cardiff 186 (Ellis 96, Dixon 40)
2ND X1 vs Bournemouth (h)
Gray and Jenner devastate BournemouthCardiff 159 (Paul 42)
Bournemouth 90
Cardiff University Cricket Club 2nds claim a convincing 67 run win.
After losing on the opening BUSA weekend at the hands of Exeter, and submitting to a walkover defeat to Southampton after both umpires failed to show, Cardiff 2nds needed a victory over Bournemouth to avoid a relegation battle. A moist pitch persuaded captain Andy Diggles to bat, believing the pitch would be dead early on, and liven up when Cardiff were to bowl. He opened alongside James Gray, but both departed early on to a mediocre medium pace attack, leaving Steve Paul to act as the stalwart for the innings. He was briefly accompanied by an inadequate middle order and tail who failed to make any sort of lasting impression, and was left marooned on 42 not out. The innings included 7 lbw decisions, some more questionable than others, seeing Cardiff plummet to 159 all out in fewer than 46 overs.
Cardiff needed a tight and productive opening spell from swing bowlers Chris Hopper and Mark Jenner. Jenner took three wickets early on, pinning the Bournemouth middle order onto the back foot with some exquisite swing bowling. He was joined in the attack by medium pacer James Woodroof who grabbed an early wicket and had a chance shelled at slip. Leg-spinner James Gray bowled 8 solid overs, conceding only 10 runs and claiming three victims, two of which were caught and bowled. Neil Mantell and James Collins polished off the tail between them, leaving Bournemouth 67 runs short of their target: 92 all out from 31.2 overs. It was a well-disciplined fielding performance from Cardiff, showing great enthusiasm in keeping Bournemouth under wraps.
James Woodroof
2nd XI vs Bath (a)
Frustrating finale for Cardiff 2ndsCardiff 2nds ended their season in 4th place, following a 45 run defeat at the hands of Bath. After two players failed to appear for the journey, nine-man Cardiff were on the back foot before a ball had even been bowled. An inviting lush green wicket persuaded captain Steve Clarke to bowl after winning the toss. Jenner and Woodroof restricted the opposition to 24-2 off 10 overs. Spinner Ed Jones took a vital caught and bowled in the 20th over, leaping full stretch to dismiss the Bath captain for a promising 24. The support bowlers did their job, restricting Bath to under 4 an over; but Cardiff had a right to feel cheated after having Bath reeling on 105 for 8, but finished on a daunting 198, thanks to an influential 43 from tail-ender Tom Ullathorne. With only nine batsmen on an increasingly lively pitch, Cardiff had their work cut out.
Openers Clarke and Woodroof rode their luck, but the captain fell in the 10th over, making 199 look a remote dream away. Batting became progressively more problematic, thanks to a tight bowling display and a worryingly inconsistent pitch. Bouncers off a length were followed immediately by balls staying low, keeping the bowling attack interested. After the middle order failed to make any sort of lasting impression, Woodroof was joined at the crease by Mark Jenner on 80-4. The pair looked comfortable, pinching singles here and there, but the run rate was creeping up, reaching 8 an over at one point. The target was still reachable but when Jenner was run out to a direct hit, Woodroof was left stranded with the tail. He succumbed shortly after for 56, but with Cardiff trapped on 124-7, the game was dead and buried. A cameo knock from Marshall entertained the onlookers, but nine-man Cardiff were sadly well off the mark.
Bath 2nds: 198 all out (45.5 overs): Ullathorne 43, Lachie 29 not out. Jenner 10-2-31-4, Woodroof 10-4-34-1, Clarke 8-1-42-1, Jones 10-3-36-3, Lakhra 5.5-1-18-1, Marshall 2-0-11-0
Cardiff 2nds: 153 all out (48 overs): Woodroof 56, Jenner 19; Ullathorne 2-16
Cardiff lost by 45 runs.
James Woodroof
