AFTER two wash outs Llanarth's Welsh Club Cricket Conference Division 2 season finally got underway with a visit to Tredegar.

Some early season work commitments meant a shuffling of their line-up and a debut opportunity to 14 year old Tom Heath.

In addition, the Trees were able to welcome Eian Johnson and his unique brand of aggression back to the bowling attack.

However late on the Trees still found themselves one short but were able to call upon "The Voice of Rugby", one Eddie Butler, to add some star quality to the team.

Skipper Dennis Heath won the toss and elected to bat on a sunny, but breezy afternoon. With the wicket looking good, perhaps playing a little bit slowly, it was up to Lomax and Baxter to deliver a solid, brisk start to the innings.

This they managed in a steady first ten overs before touching the accelerator slightly so that they took drinks at the halfway, 20 over, stage with the score 99 without loss. 

The hundred was raised and both batsmen reached their 50s as the partnership forged past 150, then 200. The score was 221 before Lomax was palpably lbw to Richards for a well crafted 89 with 10 boundaries.

By this time Baxter was in flying form, reached his ton and eventually played his way to 131 not out from 108 balls with ten fours, five sixes and three lost balls.

Llanarth took tea satisfied with their 264-2 on the board and that it would represent a stiff challenge for Tredegar.

If the home side were going to mount a successful run chase then a lot would rest on the shoulders of Evans, newly returned to the club from Usk CC.

Their hopes were dashed though when Lomax (3-27) trapped him lbw early on and then followed that up with a further brace of wickets in a testing spell.

Tredegar took drinks at 71-4, just moments after Powell (1-37) had grabbed his first scalp of the season.

Llanarth turned the screw tighter in the form of an accurate five over spell from Tom Heath. Showing no nerves his high action garnered away swing from his very first delivery and he was unlucky not to take a wicket in conceding just 15 runs.

The run rate required was now stratospheric and with the game in the bag the Trees set about trying to dig out the remaining wickets to gain more bonus points, which called for the introduction of Butler's (2-6) off-spin.

The rugby legend grabbed a wicket with just his 10th delivery as Lloyd's (59) patient innings was brought to a close when he swept aerially and Lomax completed a fine running catch on the boundary.

New batsman O'Hara then unveiled a technique for leaving the ball in which he stood absolutely statuesque whenever the ball was not on the stumps. An answer as to whether bowling to this batting method was more frustrating than commentating with Brian Moore could not be prized from Butler but he soon did find a straight one to disturb O'Hara's timbers.

Johnson (1-28) then yorked the opposition skipper for a richly deserved wicket but the tail-enders held on resolutely as the innings closed on 129-7 for a Llanarth victory by 135 runs.