On a 30 degree day in South Wales, Goodrich proved too hot for relegation battlers Glangrwyney CC, extending their winning run to seven games to stay top of the Marches League.

With all three half prepared pitches looking questionable, Goodrich were very surprised when Glangrwyney captain Mike DeVoy won the toss and elected to have a bat. The pitch it turned out, offered very little for the quick bowlers so Goodrich quickly adapted, taking the pace off the ball to stifle the batsmen. O’Brien (12 overs 1-28) and Tookey (9 overs 2-19) kept things tight with the Welsh batsmen refusing to take any chances to accelerate the scoring. Switching to spin, the innings opened up with good catches from Joe Griffiths and Will Barker buying a couple of wickets for Sam Griffiths (10 overs 2-47) and Andrew Brown (10 overs 3-29) which saw the home side limp to 166-8 from their 45 overs.

With the outfield fast, and the lengthy Goodrich batting lineup, this total was never likely to trouble the Marches’ top side. Despite losing Chris Tookey early, Sam Griffiths (32) and Rory Jackson (51) settled the nerves and pressed towards the total before O’Brien (23 not out) and Andy Brown (39 not out) saw the game home at a canter, reaching the target with 13 overs to spare. The HSBC man of the match award was awarded to Glangrwyney batsmen Tim Jones whose 79 not out made a game of the fixture however, special mentions have to go to Rory and Andy Brown who’s all-round efforts in the heat really impressed.

On Saturday Goodrich host second place Kington CC at The Avenue in the most highly anticipated Marches games of recent years. With 2 high class sides gunning for top spot, sunshine forecast and undoubtedly the best view in Herefordshire, we look forward to seeing as many supporters as can make it.