Championship within reach (From Free Press Series)

Championship within reach

MONMOUTH Cricket Club moved to within touching distance of retaining the Flint & Cook Marches League Division 1 crown with an emphatic 114-run home success over bottom club Canon Frome on Saturday.

Fine batting performances from the prolific David Teague (46) and skipper Paul Swingwood (46) helped table-topping Monmouth to post a competitive 227 at the Sports Ground.

After the interval, Swingwood (3-9 from nine overs) and Teague (3-25 from 10) then shone with the ball and the relegation-threatened visitors were skittled out for just 113 in the 38th over.

And, with second-placed Goodrich suffering a heavy defeat against Wormelow, it means that a victory at Llandrindod Wells this Saturday should give Monmouth the title.

Monmouth should be confident, having won 11 of their 12 league matches played this season and securing four 'doubles' in the process.

A second-wicket stand of 62 between opening batsman Dave Croudace (36) and Teague gave reigning-champions Monmouth a solid platform on which to build.

Man-of-the-match Teague cracked nine boundaries in his 44-ball innings and was the third wicket to fall, with the scoreboard showing 100 in the 21st over.

Dan Head made 33 and Wayne Etheridge weighed in with 18, and the scene was set for captain Swingwood who struck four boundaries in his breezy 40-ball knock.

Monmouth lost a flurry of late wickets as they attempted to accelerate the scoring rate in the closing overs, and were eventually dismissed off the last ball of the innings.

The pick of the Herefordshire outfit's attack was J Lawson who bagged 4-51 from eight overs, while A Duddell claimed 4-80 from 14 overs.

Any hopes that Canon Frome had of pulling off the shock result of the season, were immediately hit when Swingwood picked up two wickets with just four runs on the scoreboard.

Monmouth, sponsored by Misbah Tandoori Restaurant, did not look back from that promising position and swiftly reduced the struggling Herefordshire visitors to 37-4 and then 84-8.

Rogers (28), Mence (21) and Richards (20 not out) all made decent contributions for Canon Frome but their efforts were far too little to worry Monmouth's bowlers.

While Swingwood and Teague shared the bowling honours, Tom Baker (1-39), Ed Barlow (1-10) and Aled Jones (1-23) also chipped in with wickets.

Wicketkeeper Jonathan Davies claimed a stumping, while seven of the visitors' batsmen were clean bowled as Monmouth roared to another victory.

The match balls were sponsored by Specsavers Monmouth and DS Smith Tri-Wall Ltd.