2013 Reports
SURFC v Sketty Church - Lost by 27 runs
Cas 2-7, Bevan 21, Quayle 19*
Another season was completed in the gloom of Ashleigh Road as The Uplands failed to reach their victory target by 37 runs against traditional final game opponents Sketty Church.
In an 18 over a side contest Church set a target of
114 runs with Cas the pick of the bowlers claiming 2-7 from his 3
overs.
In reply Bevan looked in top form smashing the ball to all parts in a
quick fire 21. However as the light quickly faded Uplands lost a string of
wickets with Quayle the only other batsmen to offer any resistance.
Uplands
will be back at HQ next season and will hope to produce a more successful season after recording only 3 wins in 2013.
SURFC v Mumbles Stars - Lost by 3 wkts
Cas 2-10, Bevan 34*, Alban 21*
Under stand-in skipper Holohan, a depleted Uplands side failed to gain revenge in the return fixture against Mumbles Stars. In a reduced 17 over game, Uplands batted first with Kelly promoted to opening alongside Bevan. Sniffer batted soundly before being given out stumped for 14 by umpire Quayle grinning at square leg. Bevan and Alban took the innings on and worked hard against a good Stars attack to reach a total of 83; probably not helped by Reeso’s liberal interpretation of the wide ruling when umpiring his Penllegaer team-mates. Neither batsman was as fluent as he would wish, Bevan finishing on 34 no and Alban 21 no.
The Stars reply kept spectators on their toes, with some big hitting keeping them ahead of the run rate, but regular wickets keeping Uplands in the game. With his mojo back, Dai Cas broke his season’s duck to claim two wickets, both clean bowled. Cas followed up with a fine catch at deep mid-wicket off brother Neil, bowling to his field with regular juicy tempters. Deano also bowled well and was unlucky with two dropped catches. But the Stars made it home comfortably in the end with only a couple of wickets to spare, in what was a good game of cricket
SURFC v Evening Post Match abandoned
Rain brought matters to an early close in what promised to be a thrilling contest between the Uplands and Evening Post. Batting first, the Post started strongly, with former Uplands stalwart and renowned page 3 journalist Chris Peregrine dealing comfortably with Dai Cas, including a textbook square cut for four. But his fellow opener looked the big threat, hitting out hard from the off. Then – with the overseas batsman seemingly in control – the wily veteran Reeso struck. A teasing slower ball took a fine edge, neatly caught by Bevan behind. The Uplands were galvanised and completed a solid bowling and fielding performance to limit the Post to 108 off their allotted 18 overs.
The Uplands reply began with a moment of
confusion. First ball, opener Bevan
appeared to tread on his wicket whilst executing a trademark pull shot. Seemingly unaware and with no appeal, the
batsman ran two before noting the dislodged bail and off stump. Although no stranger to batting controversies,
Bevan’s integrity is unquestionable, despite one observer claiming he saw the
old pro wink at Peregrine fielding at point.
Shortly afterwards the heavens opened causing a hasty retreat to the Newton. Missing a couple of front-line batsmen
[Shorty receiving intensive ice treatment on his fractured thumb in
SURFC v Law Society - Won by 3 wkts
L. Evans 41, Alban 22
Uplands returned to winning ways with a 3 wicket victory over Law Society on a
sun baked Ashleigh Road. The victory however came at a cost with fielding errors
causing 2 injuries. Reeso sustaining a cut to the webbing of his hand that
required 4 stitches whilst Shorty made a mess of a lofted catch and in so doing
caused a double fracture of the thumb.
Uplands fielded first and in keeping
with a recurring theme this season bowled tightly for the first 10 before
conceding over 8 an over in the final 10 to set up a 129 chase.
In reply
Jamie adopted a very positive approach smacking the ball to all parts with the
highlight being an outstanding off drive before he fell for 18. Stu Alban and
Lee Evans then set about the Law Society bowlers with Snakesy bludgeoning the
ball to all parts for a quick fire 41. There was then a welcome return to
Uplands colours for Ian Lewis. not so much for his cricketing ability but more
for his value to the piss taking stakes.
The Uplands innings looked to be faltering
after a clatter of quick wickets. However, Sniffer and Quackers demonstrated a calm positive approach to see
the Ups home with a couple of overs to spare.
Mumbles Stars v SURFC - Lost by 18 runs
Beck 2-29, Alban 36, Short 24
Conceded far too many in the second half of the innings and began the run chase at a snail's pace. Despite a gallant effort from Stu Alban who scored 36, Uplands came up 18 short. Three run outs in the game! No further comment.
SURFC v Bishopston
Short 32, Alban 28, Bevan 23*
Uplands were beaten by Bishopston following a skillful run chase by the
visitors.
Losing the toss Uplands were invited to bat and made a solid start.
Alban and Short registered their second fifty partnership of the season scoring
63 from the first 10 overs. Alban then had a momentary lapse in judgement and
attempted a single to the wicket keeper and failed to make his ground. A small
flurry of wickets followed and stalled the scoring rate before Bevan accelerated
the score to set Bish 118 for victory.
Despite periods of tight bowling and
good back up fielding the run chase was comfortable and in the end the visitors
crossed the finishing line with a full two overs to spare.
SURFC v Badgers - Won by 8 wkts
Alban 58*, M Evans 2-22
Another scratch Badgers team were defeated easily despite borrowing a couple of the Uplands players. Badgers appear to be lurching towards extinction as the lack of a contest actually caused Cas to pay extra subs to skip the game and go surfing instead.
Standout performances from Stuart Alban who carried his bat to score 58 and the welcome return of off-shore all-rounder Mark Evans who collected 2-22
Law Society v SURFC - Lost by 2 runs
Rees 2-12, Short 57
Uplands have often played games of 10, 9 or even 8-a-side but on a warm evening
at Ashleigh Road Uplands and Law Society took part in a 12-a-side contest which
was shaded by the home side as Uplands came up 2 short.
Law Society minus the
prolific Giles accumulated their runs steadily finding gaps in the short
boundary despite the extra fielder. Uplands opened with the Caswell brothers but
there was to be no repeat of Neil's caught and bowled heroics which caused a
minor sibling spat over the Bank holiday weekend.
Pick of the bowlers
was Dean who was held back for the last 2 overs who bowled with zip on a slow,
low wicket. Reeso also put in a good spell taking 2-12.
In reply Uplands maintained a scoring rate of over 5 an over but
a flurry of late wickets coupled with some of the slowest bowling ever
encountered stalled the run chase at a vital time. Requiring 14 from the last
over Lee Evans just failed to deliver falling short by just two runs.
It was
back then to the popular Sketty watering hole, the Vivs where both teams
polished off traditional post cricket meal of sausage and chips as Uplands
reflected on where those 2 runs could have been saved or scored.
Badgers v SURFC - Won by 9 wkts
N Caswell 3-0, Bevan 22*, N. Lewis 20
Uplands secured a comprehensive win against 7-man Badgers at Underhill. Neil Caswell returned outstanding figures of 3-0 off just 5 balls to restrict the hosts to just 60 runs. One can only wonder what damage the "Nail - Ball" bowler would have done had he been given an earlier opportunity by stand-in skipper Nige Jones.
A routine chase saw the Uplands lose just 1 wicket with all 3 of the top order dispatching the Badgers bowlers to all parts of the ground.
Hendrefoilan Hedgehogs v SURFC - Lost by 22 runs
Reeso 1-2, Short 41, Bevan 23, Alban 21*
The first game of the season saw almost 300 runs scored on a beautiful evening
at Murton against Hendrefoilan Hedgehogs.
With regular skipper Becksy
unavailable club stalwart and Sgt Bilko fan Nige Jones stepped up to lead the
team. Winning the toss Nige invited the Hedgehogs to bat and after rubbing their
hands together cracked on with dispatching the ball to all parts of the sunlit
ground. Adopting the tactic of bowling almost everybody Uplands came in for some
tap and were faced with an 8an over chase of of 163.
Experienced openers
Short and Bevan made a reasonable start, taking advantage of quick singles and
the occasional boundary but the required rate was never overtaken and continued
to grow. The middle order also failed to make a significant dent in the run rate
before it was left to hard hitting pair, Cas and Stu Alban to give it the charge
in the final overs. Despite some excellent shots the total proved 22 too many.
2012 Reports
Mumbles Stars v SURFC - won by 5 wkts
L Evans 2-13, N Caswell 2-14, Bevan 25, Alban 42*
Uplands are making their own contribution to this golden summer of sport with another impressive performance to defeat Mumbles Stars at Underhill. Whilst the GB team have so far claimed 25 gold medals Uplands are racking up their own list of victories.
Once again in the field first Uplands managed to control large parts of the Mumbles innings. However, The Stars long haired swinger, known only as Dai, accelerated the innings with some lusty blows. Lee Evans will feel hard done by though as the Uplands medium pacer appeared to have trapped Dai LBW before his knock had got started.
Chasing a challenging total of 115 on slow pitch Uplands lost regular wickets. Bevan looked in his best form of the summer and compiled an aggressive 25 before he was bowled. But it was the batting of Alban once again that guided Uplands home. Showing a good range of shots and impressive running between the wickets he timed the innings superbly. Neil Caswell also had a rare opportunity to showcase his batting talents and hit valuable late runs to seal the victory for Uplands.
Next up, the ever popular visit to Gowerton.
Bishopston v SURFC - won by 5 wkts
Quayle 2-4, Evans 2-33, Short29, Alban 40
Swansea Uplands held their nerve to seal a dramatic victory off the last ball of the game in an excellent contest at Murton.
Short once again invited the opposition to bat and using 6 bowlers the visitors took regular wickets but had difficulty stemming the flow of runs. However, Uplands took control of the scoring rate mid way through the innings following the dismissal of Bishopston captain Townsend who was well caught by Kelly off the bowling of Evans.
Following the loss of the top 3 batsmen Uplands appeared to be well in control of the run chase, with new recruit Stuart Alban in impressive form striking 40 in a partnership of 65 with club veteran Short. Momentum was lost though following a few fallow overs and it left to Lee Evans to wield the willow and bring the contest to a thrilling climax. With light fading Short was bowled with a full toss leaving Quayle and Evans to muster 3 from the final 4 balls. Ultimately it was left to Evs to scramble the winning run off the last ball with Quayle taking one for the team, deflecting Evans’s lusty blow out of the path of the fielder allowing Uplands to reach their victory target and complete the first double of the season.
Badgers v SURFC - won by 8 wkts
Kelly 3-12, N Lewis 43, D Caswell 29
Uplands ran out comfortable winners against The Badgers on a sunlit evening at Underhill. The game was slightly delayed by the lack of stumps and David Caswell’s pre game visit to Joe’s Ice Cream Parlour. However, after winning the toss stand-in skipper Short inserted the opposition and despite adopting the 2 overs per bowler approach managed to restrict the aging Brynmill team to just 96 runs on a good batting strip. Stuart Kelly was the pick of the bowlers retuning impressive figures of 3-12 to stay at the summit of the leading wicket taker column. Stuart Alban also looked a good addition to squad bowling well and looking agile and athletic in the field. In fact he made valiant efforts to take catches at mid-off and slip but unfortunately spilled both, earning him a joint lead in the Dropped Catch League table.
In reply Neil Lewis led the way top scoring with 43 and even generously gave fellow opener Jamie Bevan one of his boundaries. The relaxed looking Lewis narrowly failed to carry his bat holing out with just 6 required. The work had been done though and Uplands coasted home with over a quarter of their allotted overs to spare.
Pennard v SURFC lost by 6 wkts
Bevan 28*, Alban 24, Kelly 3-16
In a rare outing between the downpours, a depleted nine-man Uplands side struggled against a strong Pennard outfit.
Put in to bat, the Uplands were soon staring down the barrel after losing quick early wickets. Opener Bevan and debutant Stuart Alban staged something of a recovery, forming the backbone of the Uplands innings. But runs were always hard to come by against a tight Pennard attack and slow outfield. Uplands laboured to a total of 71, with Alban posting a useful 24 runs and Bevan ‘holding his end up’ for a pedestrian 28 not out.
The Uplands bowlers combined well to make Pennard work hard for their victory. Dai Cas pressurised the openers with a fine spell of just 10 runs off four overs, but without making the breakthrough. Stuart ‘Sniffer’ Kelly then put the cat amongst the pigeons with three wickets off his three overs. But Pennard always had the advantage and eased home with a couple of overs to spare.
Cricket lovers were left wondering what a contest this might have been with another 20 runs on the Uplands scoreboard, and a full side at their disposal.
SURFC v Law Society / Neath CC - lost by 35runs
Wiltshire 34, I Lewis 31 Quayle 24*
Law Society drafted in Keiran Thomas of Neath CC to help them post a impressive total of 154. Dave Caswell recorded excellent figures of 1-13 from his 4 overs troubling the first division batsman with excellent line.
In return Uplands were always up against it and were unable to make a contest of the game despite fine innings from Wiltshire, Quayle and Ian Lewis.
SURFC V Bishopston - Won by 6 wkts
Bevan 40, Short 33, N Lewis 24
SURFC turned in an excellent performance to chase down 135 runs, the biggest successful target total posted for many years.
On a night when 270 runs were scored Dai Caswell returned outstanding figures of 1-5 from his allocation of 4 overs. The rebuilt bowler dressed in 1980’s style rugby shorts and a wife beater vest bowled an impressive spell from The Gower end to establish early control of the game. Alas that was not to last as some impressive middle order batting established a formidable total for the visitors. Despite plenty of advice from former skipper Neil Caswell, Uplands current captain Becksy found it hard to plug the gaps in the field. A task made difficult due to the quality of the batting from Patel and Lazell.
In reply experienced opening pair Short and Bevan ever conscious of the required run rate saw off the opening bowlers to post 53 from 8.
One scare saw an appeal for a gloved catch off Bevan turned down. Without the aid of Hotspot, Hawkeye or Snicko the decision proved inconclusive and so “Honest Jim” batted on to record the teams top score of 40 before long time nemesis Patel did find the edge to dismiss the opener.
Excellent cameo performances from Lewis and Evans accelerated the score further and see Uplands home with 2 overs to spare.
SURFC V Badgers
Short 53, Bevan 22, Beck 2-3, Rees 2-4
After 2 false starts SURFC finally got the 2012 cricket season underway with a comfortable victory over The Badgers at HQ. Captain Beck selected a strong side including 2 Elvis impersonators and inserting Jamie Bevan as wicket keeper to protect his troublesome groin.
Uplands batted first in a contest reduced to 16 overs per side and kept the scoreboard ticking at a decent rate thanks to some quick singles and hard hitting. Short, who prepared for the game by getting his kit down from the loft 1 hour before wickets were pitched, posted a half century against his favourite opposition.
Decent contributions were made by all the batsmen in compiling a challenging total of 115. In reply the bowers quickly fell into their rhythm backed up by excellent catching to take regular wickets and keep the run chase in check. The 5 catches and 2 run-outs did however raise alarms that Uplands may have peaked too early this season. Surely normal service will be resumed when Uplands host Bishopston in their next fixture.
2011 Reports
Sketty Church v SURFC
Bevan 17, L Evans 14
SURFC v Cockett Inn
N Lewis 18, N Caswell 22
Gowerton Vets v SURFC
Short 28*, I Lewis 21, Holohan 23*, M Lewis 2-4
SURFC were well at home in the bright sunshine and outstanding surroundings of Gowerton CC as they put in an excellent performance. In a game which restricted bowlers to just 2 overs and batsmen to 25 runs the visitors put in a solid batting performance after losing the toss and being inserted. All the batsmen made contributions to post a challenging total of 130-4 from the 20 over allocation.
In reply Uplands bowled excellent line and length to restrict the Vets scoring. Whilst wickets were rare, the bowling was tight and the hosts never looked in sight of overhauling the Uplands total.
Badgers v SURFC
Short 42*, Bevan 22, Hughes 21*, L Evans 2-18
Swansea Uplands returned to winning ways with a comfortable 34 run victory against an aging Brynmill Badgers side. Uplands won the toss and despite some negative rumblings about the weather decided to bat. Stand in skipper, Short took advantage of some generous bowling to record a quick fire 42 before he retired. Despite suggesting Bevan do the same, Uplands modern day version of Sir Geoffrey Boycott, stated he was going nowhere. Good contributions were made by all the batsmen with Bevan hitting 22 and Hughes carrying his bat again for 21.
In reply Uplands adopted the Badgers approach of bowling all players, but were still able to restrict the hosts to 105 to run out 34 run winners. Pick of the bowlers Lee Evans with 2-18.
Hendrefoilan v SURFC
Quail 2-22, Rees 2-22, Wiltshire 25
Disappointing performance. Conceded too many runs, lost too many wickets and came up 42 runs short, bowled out with 3 overs to spare.
Craig y Nos v SURFC
I Lewis 50, Short 27, N Lewis 24*, Beck 3-11, L Evans 2-14, Quail 2-9
Swansea Uplands turned in their best performance of the season to ease to a 31 run victory over Craig y Nos at Murton. The patched up team included two debutants, youngster Lloyd Evans and not-so-young Dean Quail. There was also a second appearance for Stuart Kelly who clearly means business after purchasing new whites for the occasion.
Uplands batted first and Short and Ian Lewis put on 86 for the first wicket before the former was caught on the cover boundary for 27. Ian Lewis went on to record his first 50 for two seasons before Neil Lewis and Lee Evans maintained the scoring rate to set a challenging total of 138. The only failure on the scorecard was that of Darren Hughes who has clearly lost some of his pace as he was run out for just 3.
Defending their total Uplands were excellent in all departments, taking run outs, holding catches and bowling impressively. Becksy maintained his place at the top of the wicket taking table with another 3 whilst Lee Evans also picked up 2. Dan Holohan bowled impressively and was rewarded with his first wicket for 3 years. Reward for “Cossies” improving form. Lloyd Evans bowled at a crucial stage and did very well to restrict the scoring rate whilst Dean was denied a possible hat trick on debut when the final batsman was run out.
Job done, sausage and chips and a pint back at the Plough and Harrow. Roll on Hedgehogs!
Law Society v SURFC
Wiltshire 2-25, M Evans 39, Rees 30
Richard Mugford scored the vast majority of the runs for Law Society but his innings could have been cut considerably had he been caught on no fewer than 3 occasions. Particularly expensive was the chance put down by the normally reliable wicket keeper, Darren Hughes. Nerves may well have played a part as it was the former Civil Service player’s first game for 2 years. The final total set by the home team was 115.
The reply was steady with Rees and Mark Evans once again amongst the runs. However just as The Uplands got their noses in front wickets tumbled leaving the middle order to try and hit 6 from the final over. Holohan, who had earlier survived a close LBW shout, was the first to go, before Lee Evans played a straight delivery 2 minutes early and was bowled. That left Wiltshire to try to get the team home. The game came down to a tie with a ball remaining but unfortunately Ryan missed the final delivery and scampering for the winning run, Rees was run out leaving the two sides all square.
SURFC v Goldleaf
Rees 20*, Wiltshire 3-9
Surrey tourists, Goldleaf broke their duck in Wales as they recorded their first victory in The Principality. Invited to bat, Uplands had a steady start but the loss of regular wickets slowed the run rate. Three batsmen were dismissed for 11, getting out after getting a start before a late rally from Reeso, Neil Cas and Hoolohan posted a respectable but clearly below par total of 108.
The Goldleaf reply was positive before 3 wickets from Mumbles spinner Wiltshire and a calamitous run out put the breaks on. However, the hosts were about 20 runs light and Goldleaf got home with no further alarms.
SURFC v Village Inn
Beck 3-22, N Caswell 2- 24, Rees 29
Apologies for the report delay which was due to work commitments, the T20 fixture and the resulting hangover.
Simply Uplands were once again second best against familiar rivals Village Inn as they so often have been since their famous St Helens victory some 5 years ago.
Decimated by injuries, holidays and unavailability Uplands took the field with just 10 with Sharpy and Mark Waygood making their first appearances of the season.
An uncharacteristically expensive spell from Cas allowed The Inn to get off to a flier and despite excellent spells from veteran bowlers Reeso and Nige and a 3 wicket haul from skipper Becksy Inn still registered 142.
Uplands reply was poor. After an opening partnership of 36 between Short and Rees, the home side was bowled out for their lowest total of the season of just 59 to lose by 82 runs.
SURFC v Craig y Nos
M Evans 3-21, D Caswell 2-14, Short 33, Bevan 21*, M Evans 21*
Swansea Uplands maintained their winning form with a comfortable victory against Craig y Nos. However, the win was tarnished by injuries to Leigh Evans and Jamie Bevan which could stretch the squad as they approach the half way point in the season.
Evans, promoted to opening the bowling had completed his first over and was giving chase to a leg glance from the bowling of Beck when his turn of pace resulted him a hamstring tear. Jamie Bevan later suffered a similar fate has he desperately tried to make his ground going for a very sharp single in the second innings. Bevan was in so much pain that he forgot to vent one of his famous tirades of abuse at fellow opening batman Short, who had called for the somewhat reckless run.
The club now await fitness reports before calling on possible replacements, with Nigel Jones, Ryan Wiltshire and Dan Holohan all waiting in the wings for recalls.
To the game and Uplands showed good control with the ball with all the bowlers returning economical figures. Another landmark was the first maiden over of the season from skipper Beck who also produced the catch of the season so far. Ground fielding was excellent with Neil Lewis the pick. The only downside was another three entries in the dropped catch table.
In reply the old firm of Short and Bevan rotated the strike keeping pace with the run rate and then accelerating before the ill advised run resulted in Bevan retiring hurt. Short almost carried his bat but was foolishly out caught before Mark Evans and Ian Lewis saw Uplands over the line with 10 balls to spare.
Pass the deep heat!
SURFC v Bishopston
D Caswell 2-10, Jones 2-22
Duckworth Lewis was once again the man of the match as Uplands recorded this calculated win on a night where heavy showers brought a premature end to the game.
After losing the toss Uplands bowlers, David Caswell, Lee Evans and Paul Beck bowled tightly to restrict Bishopston to 35 from 10 overs. However a rain break saw a change in momentum with some wayward bowling being dispatched to all corners of the ground.
Dan Holohan, playing his first game for two seasons took some fearful clobber. He had mentioned he was set to join Civil Service to resume his Saturday cricket since Ffynone, his previous club folded. However, he may have to think again as they don’t appear to have a fourth team!!
SURFC then set about a challenging run chase of 135 from 18 overs. Unfortunately the rains came again after only 9 balls and Becksy got out his calculator to declare another win for The Uplands.
SURFC v Mumbles Stars
M Evans 51*, Short 38, Rees 25, Beck 3- 30
With hearts and minds now free of the stresses and strains of the Championship play-offs Uplands set their season best total in a closely contested encounter.
Master blaster Mark Evans stuttered to and from Wembley on Monday due mechanical problems on the bus. Tonight however Mark was in overdrive crashing five 6’s in his outstanding knock of 51*.
Simon Rees came into the game on the back of two ducks and was actually dropped on nought this evening. Whilst there is nothing unusual in SURFC history about consecutive blobs, Rees took advantage of Mumbles mistake and blasted quick fire 25. He would have added 3 more to that total as well had he not smashed an on drive into the non-striking batsman Short.
In reply Mumbles struggled against some hostile Cas bowling and lost regular wickets. However, they maintained a good over rate and some expensive bowling coupled with indifferent fielding led to an exciting finish. Requiring 26 from the final 2 overs Mumbles Stars came up just 4 runs short as Bow loving bowler, Reeso closed out the final over to see Uplands home.
SURFC v Pennard – Lost by 15 runs
L Evans 2-34, D Caswell 31*, M Evans 24
With several players preoccupied between overs with talk of travel arrangements and seat position for the upcoming Championship play-off final it was no surprise that Uplands leaked runs in the field. Dave Caswell was the only bowler to exert any control on the run rate as SURFC were set a challenging total of 130.
In reply Uplands accelerated in the middle order to mount a gallant chase but unfortunately fell 15 runs short.
SURFC v Sketty Church – Won by 4 wkts
N Caswell 2-25, Lewis 32, L Evans 33, M Evans 22*
Winning mentality is crucial in all sports and the new Swansea Uplands CC captain Becksy has clearly instilled this quality early in his reign as skipper following an unlikely 4 wicket win in the opening fixture of the 2011 season. The question is where has he found this elusive quality having previously led the clubs first XV?
It was a cold start at HQ but traditional first opponents Sketty Church warmed up for the new season by setting a challenging target of 133 from 18 overs.
Neil Caswell took an early lead in the wicket taking sibling rivalry stakes taking 2, whilst elder brother Dave remained wicketless.
New season it might be but old habits resurfaced with spilled catches by Isosceles propelling him into an early lead in the revamped “Most Dropped Catches 2011 Award”. The deep midwicket fielder was clearly unhappy with his efforts and threw a tantrum following his second spill, the like of which has not been seen since the days of Andy Richards.
In reply Uplands started well despite opener Short almost losing his good looks to a sharp lifting ball which prompted him to call for the helmet. Uplands top order kept pace in the chase before lusty blows from Lewis and the Evans clan saw the home side accelerate and reach their target with 5 balls to spare.
2010 Reports
Gowerton Vets V SURFC – Lost by 1 run
Wiltshire 2-1, Short 25* and L Evans 19
Cricket and the after match buffet were the winners tonight on Uplands first visit to Gowerton CC. The hosts included several players who back in the 80’s had represented the first team at Lords in the final of the famous Village Cricket competition as well Berwyn Price, two time Commonwealth Games gold medallist in 110mts Hurdles.
The Vets won the toss and decided to bat in a contest that restricted bowlers to just 2 overs. Uplands bowled tightly with Ryan Wiltshire returning impressive figures of 2-1. Some fine fielding was on display with run-outs and a spectacular catch from former wicket keeper Andrew Forrester. It was suggested by someone that he was better without the gloves. However, normal service was resumed when he promptly dropped the next ball.
In reply Uplands lost regular wickets but did maintain an over rate of 4 throughout despite some tight line and length bowling. Following Short’s retirement at 25, the agreed score, Uplands launched their assault on the victory target with lusty blows from first Lee Evans and then player of the year candidate, Simon Rees.
In the end it came down to 11 required off 2 overs but the crucial penultimate over resulted in a wicket maiden.
Dave Caswell then almost saw the team home despite testing his new improved eyes in the gathering gloom, but was bowled with 1 ball remaining in the match. This left Becksy with the opportunity to be a hero. Playing up to the role Becksy added to the drama by pretending to forget his gloves. Alas, the mind games failed to work as he missed the final ball and Uplands fell 1 run short of their target.
Disappointments were quickly forgotton as the players dipped into the excellent spread and Cas walked off with the raffle prize, conveniently drawn by brother Neil.
Craig y Nos V SURFC - Won by 29 runs
I Lewis 37, M Lewis 32, Short 24, D Caswell 5-10
Sporting the early signs of a Borat style mustache David Caswell blew away the opposition with a magnificent spell of Crofty paced seam up bowling. His haul of 5 wickets, his best return for many a season, helped to secure a comfortable win against Craig y Nos and remind the older Uplands players of a time he rivaled the pace of Glamorgan’s Aussie all-rounder, Mark Cosgrove.
It has been suggested that all players now grow similar style facial hair in order to further strengthen team spirit in much the same way that the Romanian football team did when they cropped their hair short and dyed it yellow in the USA World Cup. However, one or two players may have to start growing their whiskers now prior to next season.
Earlier in the evening Uplands had been invited to bat and responded with a workmanlike display. With boundaries hard to come by a succession of players looked for quick singles and twos to post a solid score of 125. Ian Lewis was back in the runs letting his bat and not his waist size do the talking. One other highlight was the first ever reverse sweep seen executed by a club player when Ryan Wiltshire performed the stroke off the last ball of the innings.
The Uplands total proved too many for for Craig y Nos as Uplands ran out comfortable winners.
Bishopston v SURFC - Won by 40 runs
Short 25, N Lewis 22, Jones 2-11, Wiltshire 2-10, Rees 2-14
Despite the change in captaincy Uplands maintained their good form successfully defending a total of 110 with plenty of runs to spare.
Batting first for only the second time this season SURFC managed to post a respectable total with some hard hitting from Neil Lewis and a scratchy knock from Short. However, it was the fielding and bowling performance that won the game. Following some tight, hostile bowling by Dave Caswell and an impressive spell by Jones, youngster Wiltshire came on first change and took 2 vital wickets to swing the game Uplands way. Backed up by some sharp catches and excellent ground fielding Bishopston never seriously threatened the target.
The game highlight though saw Becksy take his well earned first wicket of the season taking a fiercely hit return catch. Such was his surprise that he seemed unsure as to how to celebrate before he was congratulated by his team mates. However, Becksy does carry a tune well and is a gifted lyricist, so perhaps he'll sing a song about it.
SURFC v Pennard Lost by 38 runs
SURFC v Craig y Nos - Won by 7 wickets
M Evans 2-19, Short 60*, N Caswell 27*
Perhaps it was the return of club mentor Darren Hughes, or the presence of SURFC number one fan Gordon Caswell, or even the swarms of insects that circled the players heads, but whatever it was, Swansea Uplands CC turned in a fantastic performance to return to winning ways at a sun baked HQ.
Bowling first again all 5 strike bowlers performed accurately and were backed up be some fine fielding, incuding a diving back handed run-out by Short and a cool, running boundary catch by Lee Evans. So well did Dave Caswell, Davies, Rees and the Evans Boys bowl that it was difficult to pick out a stand out bowler.
In reply Uplands wasted no time with Short enjoying a square-cut bonanza as the generous Craig y Nos bowlers fed the despectacled opener his favourite shot. A slight batting wobble was overcome when skipper Neil Caswell joined Short to generously break in Mark Evans' new £100 bat with some lusty blows to reach their target with 4 overs to spare.
Gordon Caswell looked delighted at the end and will no doubt be on the phone today to his good friend, Swans Director Mel Nurse, to recount the highlights of the game.
Pennard next .... "Welcome to Uplands!!"
SURFC v Hendrefoilan Hegehogs - Lost by 48 runs
L Evans 2-9, Rees 53*, M Evans 31*
The game began by observing a minutes silence as a mark of respect for Simon Bodycombe who sadly passed away earlier in the week. Jamie Bevan gave a short tribute to Simon who had served the club in several capacities and had been a stalwart member of the club cricket team for many years, playing alongside several of the current players. He will be sadly missed.
The game started well for Uplands with The Evans boys picking up 3 wickets for just 18 runs in the first 6 overs. However the wheels well and truly came off when due to shortage of bowling options Neil Caswell had to turn to a ninth string attack. There follwed a cascade of runs and prompted one bowler, Simon Short to announce his retirement from bowling. That's news that is sure to disappoint several batsmen on the Thursday cricket circuit.
Chasing 175 to win the club posted avery respectable total of 127 with all the batsmen looking in fine form. In particular Simon Rees and Mark Evans were outstanding, hitting 7 six hits between them with early season candidate for player of the year, Rees also going on to record an unbeaten half century. Alas it was never going to be enough and it marked the end of the honeymoon period for Neil Caswell.
SURFC v Mumbles Stars - Won by 8 wkts
Rees 3-21, Davies 3-13 and 49*
As temperatures continue to rise so does the number of victories SURFC have notched up this season. The players are clearly performing well since the worry that local neighbours, Cardiff City would be enjoying Premiership football next season were extinguished by Blackpool at Wembley some weeks ago.
The Stars started well, rattling up 70 from 13 overs, but thanks to some excellent bowling from Davies and leading wicket taker Simon Rees, The Uplands fought back to restrict the visitors to 106. Ironically, the bowlers only sprang into action following some arrogant wicket keeping by Forrester where he fooled the batsman into thinking he had misfielded the bowling only to pick up, turn quickly and throw down the stumps to run out the scrambling Mumbles opener.
In reply the SURFC openers built slowly and steadily but fell behind the required run rate. However, Davies, Short and then a pumped up Ian Lewis stepped up the pace to hammer the bowling for 45 off the last 5 overs to get home with 2 balls to spare.
The game marked a well earned break for several players, who following the game were disappearing to such exotic locations as Magaluf, Cardiff and Port Eynon for some well earned rest and relaxation.
SUFRC v Law Society - Won by 7 wkts
Jones 2-17, Rees 2-23, Lewis 33*, Evans L 36, Evans M 23*
Not since the last Labour government have Uplands chased down such a high total. But thanks to some aggressive batting by the Pastel Boys, Lee and Mark Evans and a steady knock from Ian Lewis The Uplands made the 126 runs with 10 balls to spare. Mark and Lee Evans clad in pale blue and yellow t-shirts respectively demonstrated some hard hitting after a solid foundation laid down by the old opening firm of Bevan and Short. The chase also had Ian Lewis to thank for his anchor role.
However, the evening got off to a sloppy start when first choice keeper, Forrester was uncharacteristically late. It seemed to set the tone with the bowlers not being backed up by the usual high intensity fielding. Once again it was left to clean living pair Simon Rees and Nige Jones to contribute, claiming another 4 wickets between them. In fact Rees captured the prize wicket when tempting the batsman into the "3 fours and out" trap. As for Jones, not only did he claim another couple of wickets, but his hard work prior to the game resulted in the ground looking fit for first class cricket.
So unbeaten in May. Neil Caswell on course to be the most successful captain in Swansea Uplands history.
SURFC v Bishopston - Won by 38 runs.
D Caswell 38, Lewis 21, D Caswell 2-6, Rees 3-4
On a perfect night for cricket an excellent team performance was too good for Bishopston. New skipper Neil Caswell demonstrated he is ready to step up to the challange of captaincy with the most impressive ratio of marker flags to boundary metres ever seen at HQ.
Dave Caswell, anxious to impress new skipper Neil was the star of the show with a hard hitting 38 backed up with 2-6 with the ball. Uplands posted a sound score of 108 despite a collapse where they lost 5 wickets for 7 runs. Bishopston responded well but wickets were taken at regular intervals preventing any meaningful partnerships and consiquently the Gower side finished up well short of the target score. Special mention must also go to Simon Rees, who continues to be a role model for the younger players with his level of performance and healthy lifestyle. This evening he finished with excellent figures of 3 wickets for 4 runs. Unbeaten with 1 game left in May!
SURFC v Badgers Won by 5 wkts
Rees 3-7, Jones 2-20, L Evans 23*
Chasing a modest total of 65 SURFC survived a collapse, steadied the ship and in the end won comfortably, despite fielding only 9 players. Lee Evans and and club legend Nige Jones saw the team home twith a soild partnership.
2009 Reports
SURFC v Bridgend Town Youth - Won by 6 wkts
Jones 3-16, Miller 54*, Short 25*
The last fixture of the 2009 season will live long in the memory for 3 reasons. Firstly it was a rare chance to play under floodlights. Secondly, a magnificent over of powerful clean hitting was recorded when debutant Stuart Miller struck six sixes off an over. And lastly, for the first time in his long SURFC career Andrew Forrester arrived for the game before the opposition turned up!
The game was played in good spirit with the talented youth players from Mid Glamorgan posting a very creditable total of 128, despite facing some hostile bowling from Davies, Caswell and Miller. However it was club veteran Nigel Jones who claimed the bulk of the wickets with his controlled seamers. Guest player and Gowerton Vets 2008 bowler of the year Phil Withey also performed well alongside spin twin Ryan Wiltshire.
With the lights taking "full effect" Uplands began their reply with a new opening partnership getting the innings off to a solid start. Fireworks followed when Bridgend spinner, Clayton, was dispatched for a maximum from his second over by the powerful Miller. It was unfortunate for the spinner who had caused Uplands many problems in the past with his off spinners when representing Sketty Church. The over shifted the balance of the game and Withey and Short were then able to pace the innings with the same control they often show when batting on the yard in Crwys School.A couple more wickets fell as Withey was undone by a flighted delivery and Davies followed shortly after when holing out to midwicket. That paved the way for the uncle and nephew partnership of Short and Wiltshire to steer the innings home, taking some quick singles and seeing the hosts home with 2 overs to spare.
Village Inn v SURFC 11/8/09 - Lost by 60 runs
Caswell 1-17, Bevan 54*, Short 22, Evans M 19*
A poor bowling and fielding display meant a huge run chase of 168 which was never threatened despite an excellent undefeated 50 by stand in keeper Jamie Bevan.
Following a number of withdrawals due to a combination of injury, holidays and Swans commitments Uplands fielded 10 players in what is traditionally the toughest game of the season. Sharpy filled in making his first appearance for over a year scoring a duck and losing his watch. He's had better nights!
After a good opening spell Uplands bowled too short and were brutally punished by some hard hitting batting. Fielding became ragged and returning captain Short ran out of encouraging things to say.
In a bizarre incident Short leapt in the air like Shamu the famous Killer Whale at Sea World to take a spectacular one handed catch. Thinking he was about to cross the boundary line he threw the ball back in field only to later learn that the groundsman had marked in a supplementary boundary and in fact the catch would have counted!
In reply SURFC lost 3 quick wickets before Bevan and Short steadied the ship. By now the objective being to avoid humiliation rather than win the game. Innings closed on 108 with a well made 54 not out for Bevan which was some 60 runs short.
Mood was lifted back at Village Inn HQ with pizza, chips and news of Paulo Sousa's first win as Swans manager.
Gwalia V SURFC 30/7/09 - Won by 6 wkts
Davies M 3-3, Davies J 1-4, Holohan 1-3, Evans M 14*
BISHOPSTON v SURFC 9/7/09 - Won by 4 wickets
J Davies 3-16, M Evans 24, Short 22, Bevan 21, M Davies 18*
Win number 5 was secured in the last over in Uplands first away game of the season. SURFC restricted Bishopston to 113 from their 20 overs with particularly tight bowling from Caswell, Johnny Davies and Holohan. Opening bowler, Caswell felt hard done by in his third over when captain Short called back Bishopston Opener Robert Short after umpire Tom Short incorrectly gave his son out caught behind.
Wicket Keeper, Andrew Forrester, who once famously hospitalised a senior club official with a wayward throw had an excellent game behind the stumps. Unfortunately it didn't set the tone for all the fielders as Hughes dropped a dolly and then jumped out of the way of two more lofted drives at mid-off.
In response Uplands timed their chase well with a number of batsmen making good contributions. There was a wobble or two, particularly when Short and Holohan ran themselves out. Both players displayed the sort of judgemet that Andy Robinson was guilty of when he decided to join Leeds instead of signing a new contract with The Swans!
Requiring 9 from 7 balls David Caswell diverted attention away from his bowling average by smashing a 6 over mid wicket from Bishopston skipper Alan Butt to swing the game the way of the visitors. With 3 balls to spare Matthew Davies secured the win with a drive through the cover boundary for 4.
SWANSEA UPLANDS v MUMBLES STARS, 25/6/09
Match Abandoned - Lewis M 2-14, Jones 2-27, Lewis 21*, Caswell D 23*
The weather was the ultimate winner here as rain brought play to an early close. With Shorty donning his kaftan in Glastonbury, stand-in skipper Bevan won the toss and invited Mumbles Stars to bat. Good line-and-length stuff from the Uplands bowlers, particularly Caswell (0-10) and Matthew Davies (1-19), made life difficult for the Stars batsmen throughout. Unfortunately the catches didn’t go to hand: Ian Lewis dropped a sitter to leave the crowd speechless, but Nigel Jones – the club fryer – rolled back the years with a scorching over-the-shoulder take. Thanks to some late hitting, the Stars reached a respectable 132 off their 20 overs.
In reply the Uplands again stuttered early on. However at 23 for 3, Dai Cas joined Lewis at the crease and the fight back began. With his new bionic eyes, Cas tore into the Stars bowling, his old ‘Mr Magoo’ tag now just a distant memory. Both batsmen contributed in a fine partnership and the match was poised for a thrilling finish. But at 69 for 3 off 11 overs, the rain had the final say, leaving Caswell stranded on 23 and Lewis 21 not out. Both teams reluctantly departed to the bar, where the legendary Michelin-starred chef produced another sausage and chips masterpiece.
18/6/09 SURFC V Law Society - Won by 7 wkts
Davies 4-6, Holohan 2-12, Jones 2-9, Beck 2-10, Evans L 36*, Short 20*
In one of the best bowling and fielding performances in years SURFC romped to a comfortable win over Law Society in the penultimate home game of the season. After inviting the opposition to bat every bowler performed well in restricting a usually powerful Law Soc batting line up to just 72. Overseas family solicitor, Giles Hayes, who plans his holidays around fixtures with SURFC due to the number of half centuries he has recorded down the years, managed only 14 singles as Holohan, Beck and the ever reliable Jones each chipped in with 2 wickets. The best performance though came from England hopeful Matthew Davies who recorded figures of 4-6 from his 4 overs. In the field, Neil Caswell under the expert tutorage of teaching colleague Chocolates(Directorof Fielding), took an outstanding one handed catch to back up the bowlers efforts.
After an early wobble where Uplands were reeling at 16-3 old head Short and dashing batsman Lee Evans steadied the ship and compiled another 50 partnership to see the hosts home with something to spare. Evans, sporting new boots (I do hope he looks after them!) was back to his best and finished the game with a 6 over mid wicket.
The evening was complete with news of an exciting new Swans manager appointment and the best post match chips of the season.
11/6/09 SURFC V Craig-y-Nos - Lost by 25 runs
Evans M 1-14, Caswell 38, Hughes 17*, Bevan 22
Another high scoring, insect infested evening at the club. Craig-y-Nos were put into bat and and registered 159 in their 20 overs despite some tight bowling from Mark Evans and Johnny Davies, who was making his first appearance of the season. (It's a good bet there was no surf this evening!) The appearance in the "crowd" of club stalwart, Chocolates, in his capacity as Director of Fielding inspired the side with Neil Caswell performing particularly well in the out field.
So the chase was on and SURFC were well up with the rate in the early stages but lost wickets at regular intervals which meant that Craig-y-Nos were always in control. Captain, Short was out cheaply and clearly looked a troubled man after what has been a difficult week for him, following the Martinez betrayal. Lee Evans also looked out of sorts as he was stumped whilst wondering around the wicket, perhaps wondering how his 2 bowling overs were dispatched for 22 runs.
Darren Hughes and David Caswell mounted a recovery and established a record seventh wicket partnership of 65 but the visitors total was always a too distant. Becksy, back in the fold after a serious leg break, wagged the bat but it was to no avail as The Uplands came up 25 short.
4/6/09 SURFC V Hendrefoilan Hedgehogs -Won by 13 runs
Evans L 54, Short 53, Hughes 16*, Rees 1-1
A record innings score of 150 set up a comfortable 13 run win over The Hedgehogs. Fifties from Lee "KP" Evans and Simon Short as well as good contributions from Hoolohan and Hughes (sponsored by PAINT CONCEPT, quality home decoration at affordable prices) set up a formidable total.
In reply Uplands employed 2 over bowler spells, which resulted in some comedy overs and helped the Hedgehogs to some easy runs. Fortunately strike bowler Matthew Davies was held back and proved too difficult to get away ensuring SURFC their second win of the season.
28/5/09 SURFC V Gwalia - Won by 6 wkts
Gwalia 76-6 (18 ovs) SURFC 78-4 (16.4 ovs)
Holohan 1-9, Greenslade 2-18, L Evans 1-9, Short 28*, L Evans 20
SURFC won the toss for the second week in a row and again elected to field first. Excellent opening spells from D Caswell and Holohan restricted Gwalia to just 17-1 from the first 8 overs. However, Gwalia recovered, largely due to a fine knock of 49* from Imran. Despite 3 dropped catches the fielding was good with Lee Evans setting the standards in the deep.
In reply SURFC employed an IPL tactic sending in Evans and Neil Caswell to pinch hit. They gave SURFC a great start, scoring 24 off the first 4 overs. Captain, Short alongside his Wednesday night drinking partner Forrester, then paced the innings well to eventually steer the home side to a 6 wicket win with Mark Evans eventually hogging the bowling to hit the winning runs with 8 balls to spare.
21/5/09 SURFC V Bishopston - Lost by 8 runs
Bishopston 121-6 SURFC 113-6
Davies 1 for 4, M Evans 2 for 23,L Evans 1 for 6, Bevan 42, David Caswell 15
The season finally got underway at home to a stronger than usual Bishopston team on beautiful evening for cricket. The game marked the return of South African qualified all-rounder Nige Jones after a 6 year absence. New captain, Simon Short won his first coin toss of the season and invited the opposition to bat. After an excellent start from opening bowlers Holohan and Davies the wheels started to come off as Bishopston accelerated the scoring. Unfortunate bowler Neil Caswell, whose famous "Nail Ball" of 2004 rocked the cricketing world, bore the brunt of the oppositions aggression. Neil later referred to the spell as "my darkest moment in cricket".
Bishopston nemesis Lee Evans did put the brakes on and was backed up by some very good Uplands fielding but the total of 121 was formidable.
In reply Bevan and Evans made a steady start with Jamie top scoring with a good knock of 42 but SURFC were always slightly behind the clock. The middle order made a late rally with some lusty blows from David Caswell in particular but the Bishopston score proved just a little too big.
