Cricket catch-up: Bad weather frustrates on opening day of new season

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Bad weather frustrated most of the borough’s sides on the opening weekend of the 2026 South East Wales Cricket League season.

Newbridge firsts began their Division Two campaign away to Newport Fugitives firsts.

Sent in to bat, the hosts made 219/9, and in reply Newbridge reached 47 for no loss in the first six overs, before the match was abandoned.

Washouts across the division leave the borough side in sixth place.

Blackwood Town firsts’ opener Daniel Wilkinson hit an unbeaten 100 in his side’s Division Three away fixture to Chepstow seconds, where they posted 219/7.

The match was abandoned inside four overs of Chepstow’s innings, leaving them on 14/0.

Machen firsts were all out for 242 away to Ponthir firsts, with opener Deepak Kumar scoring 84, but the match was abandoned before they could take to the field.

The results place Blackwood in second and Machen in fourth.

Crumlin firsts drop down to Division Four this year and began their season away to Dinas Powys firsts, where they restricted their hosts to 185/9 before the match was abandoned.

Pontymister and Crosskeys firsts started the season brightly away to Pentyrch seconds. Sent in to bat first, the borough side scored 317/9 including 97 for opener Dhruv Bhatt, as well as half-centuries for Ali Ajmal and Zulfiqar Ali.

The match was abandoned before Pentyrch could begin their reply. Following the results, Crumlin sit second and Pontmister and Crosskeys are fifth in the division standings.

Captain Harrison Parsons smashed an unbeaten 200 as Abercarn firsts raced to 353/7 at Barry Athletic seconds in Division Seven, but the match was abandoned before the hosts’ innings.

Abercarn sit sixth in the table.

Cefn Fforest and Maesycwmmer firsts move down to Division 11 this season and, in one of the few completed matches across the league, lost at home to Hopkinstown seconds.

Sent in to bat first, the borough side were all out for 84, and could not stop the visitors from reaching their target for the loss of four wickets, leaving them bottom of the table after the opening round of fixtures.