PONTYMISTER made a superb start in Division One of the Thomas, Carroll Welsh Club Cricket Conference with a 164-run demolition of Pontnewynydd in a match which included a hat trick with the first three balls of the home side’s innings.

Pontymister went in first and scored 227-8 with T Arum making 48 and P Varun 45, while Owen Price took 3-38 off 10 overs for Pontnewynydd and Joe Matthews 2-40 off 10.

Only Price (19) made any impression with the bat when Pontnewynydd went in and they collapsed to 63 all out. Santos took 4-22 and began the collapse with a hat trick with the first three balls of his opening over to get Pontnewynydd 0-3 off 0.3 overs. Varun got 3-13 in support.

Cardiff just failed to get the total of 229 all out set by Hopkinstown, while Cefn Forest were turned over by visitors Whitchurch Heath.

Raman Sharma became one of the first centurions of the new season with a superb 101 when Heath batted first. Opener Pete Bryon got a well- crafted 69 and Richard De Mel a rapid 40 as Heath reached 250-6. Dean Butler took 5-55 for Forest.

Gareth Evans did his best to defy the Heath attack with a brave 32 but Jon Delf took 5-11, Nikel Gupta 3-22 and Tom Salmon 2-12 to get them all out for 61.

The matches at Abercynon and Pentwyn were cancelled, as was the Division Two game between Abertillery and Llantwit Major Cavaliers.

Andrew Spencer took 5-32 for Llanarth to help get Cross Keys all out for 220, and then 16-year-old Will Glenn made a brilliant 99 before getting caught on the boundary, but Mark Baxter saw the visitors home by eight wickets with an unbeaten 87.

Dinas Powys were too good for Christchurch and Newport III won narrowly at Bridgend against Great Western.

The Railwaymen had first crack and were dismissed for 127. Geraint Davies made 29 and Clive Rees 26, while Zaheer Azir took 3-31 for Newport III.

David Nowell scored 20 early in the Newport III innings but it looked all over until number nine batsman Azir came to the crease and he blasted a magnificent 61 not out to get Newport III home by one wicket.

Kevin Hibbert took 5-22 off 10 overs for Great Western and Craig Locke 4-18 off 10.

A dramatic finish at St Fagans III saw the home side snatch victory off the final delivery of a great game.

Tom Harris made 65 not out as Abercarn totalled 206-5 with Gareth Wallwork taking 3-30 for the Saints.

Mark Lewis made 62 for St Fagans III and 14-year-old Gareth Lennon 50, but it was Toby Demellow (70 n.o) who got them home by six wickets with a four coming off the last ball.

Caerphilly & Bedwas were bowled out for 141 by visitors Radyr III in Division Four.

Matthew Davies scored 52 and Shane Weston 34, while Scott Clode took 3-16 for Radyr III, Anthony Lewis 2-18 and Jack Davies 2-20.

Radyr III got the runs thanks to Tom O’Donovan (41), Tom Skirrow (32) and Huw Williams (24) with Graham Nuthall taking 5-40 off nine overs for Caerphilly & Bedwas.

St Peters rocked to 184 all out against Undy & Magor in Division One of the Alliance, with Gareth Jones making 49 and Joe Boyle 36.

Peter Smith took 5-39 for Undy & Magor and Jonathan Humphreys 4-39.

The ever-reliable John Hobbs (84 n.o) and Lyn Cadwallader (48 n.o) then came together in an unbroken third-wicket stand which took Undy & Magor to an eight-wicket win.

In Division Two, Tom Darling made 33 not out in the Blackwood III innings of 105 all out and then took 6-15 off 8.4 overs to get Newbridge III all out for just 40.