Like Neil, I too cannot say enough about the pride I felt at leading out a Blackwood side in the Premier League, the fact that both the 1st and 2nd Team are both now Premier League teams is a tremendous tribute to everyone who has put in so much hard work into the club both on the field and as importantly off it, a shame that not everybody who put in the work is here to see it...

Anyway, back to the game......

It started off in the way many games have gone under my reign - I lost the toss after Gordon Volke correctly called tails and invited us to bat.

We opened up with Cletus and Tom Darling who were both back in the pavilion with the score yet to get to double figures - welcome to the Premier League boys!!

Young Callum Herring, new recruit from Tredegar and CJ steadied the ship before Harda played down the wrong line and was bowled with the score on 35.

Wodwi briefly joined CJ before retiring hurt with a twisted knee, he was then replaced by Little Felix and some fine hitting from both players took the score onto 120 before Felix came dancing down the track and got stumped for 20. The skipper wasted no time or balls and calmly played a long hop to mid-wicket, much to the derision of fellow players and members of the crowd and young Geoff Ford who called it the worst shot he had ever seen in his life (high praise indeed coming from Geoff who has played some pretty poor shots himself!!)

Nick Hurley soon followed and when CJ went with the score on 155 for a superb 93 it looked like we wouldn't get to 175 and 3 batting points. However, like last season the tale wagged superbly with Bobby Matthews, Fordy and a one-legged Rodders all assisting Dusty White (37 (not out) in getting us up to maximum batting points before Rodders was out in the 46th over for a gutsy 19 with the score on 226.

A superb start to the season from Carol Knott followed before Sudbrook's reply got under way, chasing 227 off 53 overs to win

Sudbrook had reached 12 before debutant Callum bowled a superb inducker and Greg Shaw was on his way for 3. One run later and the skipper took a smart chance at slip off Dusty White who bowled a superb opening spell and was unlucky only to come away with one wicket.

Jamie Shaw joined the other opener and they proceeded to 55 before the opener had his stumps smashed by Bobby who bowled an excellent fiery spell of 10 overs and like Dusty was unlucky not to get more than the one wicket.

At this point the second Blackwood injury occurred as Tom Darling diving on the boundary to try and save a run collided with the fence and promptly dislocated his shoulder. Fortunately Gumpy was able to come on and join Joe Woodland who was subbing for the previously injured Rhodri Evans. Surely this was the end of it but no as Adam Lusardi dislocated his finger behind the stumps after taking a leg side ball from Bobby, landed awkwardly and out popped his pinky (no pun intended!!) My thanks at this point to Ken Woodland who promptly popped it back into its socket and Adam bravely soldiered on.

Geoff 'The Vicar of Dibley Dobley' Ford at the other end bowled a stingy 10 overs and was unlucky to come away wicketless.

After Geoff's 10 overs the skipper decided to give Callum and Dusty another go and Callum removed Watkins LBW for 40 and quickly followed that up with their number 6 going for a duck with another inducker.

At this point Sudbrook were 151-5 and it was all to play for. Richard Lund remained not out through this and appeared to be in with a great chance of denying Blackwood a positive resulty.

Lund and Tom Gibbins moved the score on to 199 when Lund chipped the ball to an empty gully. It looked like the ball would drop safely when the skipper appeared from nowhere and took a superb one handed diving catch to dismiss him for a fine 66 and Sudbrook were 199-6, wanting 28 to win off just under 5 overs with 4 wickets to fall.

Two runs later Cletus ran out Gibbins and it was all up in the air and anyone's game. Gumpy then ran out Norton and surely the game was Blackwood's. When the skipper bowled Clements, Blackwood had one Nick Hurley over to take the last Sudbrook wicket and Sudbrook required 13 runs to win.

The game ended in a winning draw for Blackwood and we achieved 17 points in our first game in the Premier Division and that's something to really be proud of. Thanks to everybody for their efforts and bring on what will be another tough game at St Fagans, next week

MOTM - CJ, closely followed by Dusty White

TFC - would have been the skipper had it not been for the match turning catch, so none awarded this week

injury update

Little Felix - out for a month (cracked bone in his finger
Tom Darling - out for three weeks (dislocated shoulder)
Rhodri Evans - twisted knee ligament (OK for next week - pending fitness test!!)