Brecon hosted Creigiau CC on a sunny Saturday, with the home team fielding one of their strongest elevens in recent memory, writes Dan Gee.

After overcoming a serious knee injury, it was a welcome return to action for Greg Webber, who got Brecon off to a positive start, only to be caught sharply by Gareth Powell.

Rhys Pritchard and James Davenport forged a stand of 50, but momentum was to swing back to the visitors as Pritchard poorly executed an ambitious shot. Wickets fell quickly, and if it wasn’t for a rebuild from Richard Lovering and Andy MacDonald, things could have been much worse. Lovering’s 21 combined with the experienced wicketkeeper, who carved out an unbeaten 57 and dragged Brecon to 187.

The visitors were never really in trouble from there. Sam Williams punctuated his first game of the season by bagging a wicket with a delivery that took the top off. Rhys Pritchard served a wicket-taking rip-snorter in an otherwise sub-par bowling display. He was not alone in underperforming, and wayward bowling elsewhere led to 26 wides and a seven-wicket victory for Cregiau. Ben Taylor remained unbeaten on an impressive 92.

Meanwhile, Brecon’s 2nd XI travelled to the idyllic Southerndown home of Great Western Railway CC. Dan Whitcomb took an early wicket, and some smart work by Josh Pritchard led to a run-out. The home team eked their way to 67/2 at drinks but put the foot down from there.

The runs flowed from the bat of the happy-to-wander Amit Dixit, supported by a controlled Sandeep Shokeen, and despite a menagerie of bowlers being used, Great Western Railway CC made it to 213 - a getable but challenging score.

Wales Over 70s regular Gwyn Price was the victim of a questionable umpiring decision, and Dan Whitcomb lost his wicket through an unfortunate run-out. The impressive Hamil Saud combined with John Kenchington, scoring 30 and 26 respectively. But apart from a smash-bang contribution of 26 from Henry Alp Williams and an innovative 23 from Huw, Brecon fell to 158, with Dan Gee stranded and unable to bring the team home. It was a 55-run loss, with a long trip back on the A470 followed

And finally, for the third Sunday in a row, Brecon played host. This time, welcoming Premier side Usk CC in the T20 Macey Cup.

The visitors were largely contained, reaching 70/1 after 10 overs. Former Brecon player Matt Williams was caught and bowled athletically by the sprightly-for-his-age John Kenchington. It was also welcome to see Ben Kenchington returning to action after recovering from a life-threatening illness, bowling four overs and taking a wicket in the process. There were also wickets for Rayhan Uddin and Kieran Marmion, while Edmund Bevan bowled an over. Usk managed 162 and, in doing so, set an above-par score for the surface.

Hamil Saud came and went for one, Tom McLean fell first ball, and the top order collapsed in a heap. At 25/5, things looked bleak, but with some support from Matt Haslam, who stuck around for 13, James Mitchell scored a fantastic 67 - a heroic lone hand, but still not enough to pull off a giant killing.

Brecon’s 128 proved to be a decent return against a superior side, but it simply was not enough.