Well done Menai Bridge – thoroughly deserved 2022 North Wales League Premier champions

All hail Menai Bridge – the 2022 North Wales Cricket League Premier Division champions.

The Anglesey side have won four titles in the past 10 seasons and were runners-up in the other six – remarkable consistency.

In 2022, the Bridge recorded 21 victories in 22 league outings and finished eight points clear of last season’s table-toppers St Asaph.

Needing just a win of any description to be crowned champions today, Menai defeated Gresford by five wickets (13-2) to land their first title since 2018.

The Wrexham visitors won the toss, decided to bat, and were dismissed for a modest 139 in the maximum 50 overs, having been 77-7 at one stage.

Skipper Matthew Thompson top-scored with 36, while for the hosts, Gethin Roberts took 3-14, Gerallt Roberts 3-16 and Drickus Visagie 2-33.

In reply, Bridge took 40 overs to reach 140-5, Jack Gower making 35, skipper Gethin Roberts 31 no and Robbie Jones 26.
Former captain Jones ended on 794 runs in all competitions, his highest total in a single season with the club going back to 2005. His 717 in the league alone ranks as his third best ever.

Menai Bridge – Premier Division finishes since 2012

2012 – 2nd
2013 – 2nd
2014 – 1st
2015 – 1st
2016 – 2nd
2017 – 2nd
2018 – 1st
2019 – 2nd
2020 – N/A (Covid)
2021 – 2nd
2022 – 1st

St Asaph (15) 304-4 Pwllheli (0) 143-10

To retain their title Saints needed to win big and then hope Menai Bridge failed to do so.

Asaph certainly kept their side of the bargain, but the Bridge’s success over Gresford meant Will Ryan’s team had to settle for runners-up.

Twenty wins out of 22 matches certainly represents a great defence of their title, and they were the only team to beat Menai over the season (the rivals shared a victory apiece against each other), but in the end a 10-run loss to Brymbo in July was probably what cost the Elwy Park outfit back-to-back crowns.

Saints ended the campaign with a 161-run crushing of Pwllheli, who as a result were relegated along with Llay Welfare.

Duncan Midgley finished 84 not out, Matty Ryan made 63, Will Ryan 45 and Jurie Norval 33 no as the hosts amassed 303-4 off the Pwll attack.

In the face of such punishment, Syed Kaleem Aslam returned quite impeccable figures of 2-18 from 10 overs.

The visitors were bowled out for 143, Christopher Taylor 41 and Jason Underwood 27, Jack Griffiths 4-33, Dan Evans 3-38 and Norval 2-13 for the hosts.

Mold (3) 181-9 Mochdre (12) 185-7

Mochdre are staying up after a priceless victory with a ball to spare at Chester Road ensured Matty Humphreys’ side escape relegation.

Put into bat, the hosts were limited to 181-9 off 50 overs, John Crane 49 and Ewan Hill 45, Kyle Brown 2-29, while both Humphreys and Russ Boswell scooped 2-31.

In reply, Mochdre reached 185-7 in 49.5, Sam Davies proving a real hero with 53 not out, sharing a match-winning unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 48 with Dan Miller (17 no).

Batting at seven, it was Sam Davies’ highest score of the season, coming off just 39 balls and including six fours and a six.

Other key knocks came from Mohamed Nirfan Risak (42) and Stewart Williams (25).

Richard Deniz claimed a brilliant 4-19 off 10 for Mold, who also stayed up in their first season back in the Premier.

OTHER MATCHES

Bangor (15) 237-6 (Owen Reilly 95 no, Nadeem Rehman 36, Idrees Ijaz 31, Tom Crewe 2-39)
Llay Welfare (0) 97-10 (Reilly 3-23, Rehman 2-4, Sion Evans 2-8, Saami Welsh 2-12)

Brymbo (12) 262-4 (Seth Agard 99 no, Connor Davies 74, Charlie Collins 2-31)
Northop (3) 218-10 (Matthew Williams 36, James Roberts 33, Davies 2-30, Sam Aplin 2-34, Mohamed Nilam Jayman 2-35, Agard 2-36)

Llandudno (1) 79-10 (Jamie Grimshaw 30, Jack Thornton 26 no, James Hughes 3-8, Stevel Rodney 3-36, Edward Jones 2-16)
Pontblyddyn (14) 81-3 (Ben Mason 29 no, Grimshaw 2-38)