Dinas 1sts welcomed Monkswood to Bryn y Don with the home side already relegated and the visitors needing a win to keep their promotion hopes alive.

Opting to bat first on an extremely hot day, Dinas found the ball doing a bit in the early overs.

The score was only 43/2 in the 19th over when Curtis Wingren joined Kyle Hughes at the crease.

They added a 3rd wicket partnership of 116 before Hughes was out caught for 42.

Wingren continued to hit the ball cleanly, reaching a well deserved century to finish on 124 not out and helping Dinas to 230/5 off their 45 overs.

Dinas might have hoped that Monkswood would toil after a long session in the field but it was quite the reverse.

Prolific opener Mike Jones blasted his way to 50 in 10 overs, and the scoring rate never dipped below 5 an over.

Reuben Michell, Alex Vowles and Sam Marlow took a wicket each, aided by a catch by Hughes and 2 by wicket keeper Gordon Hannah.

However Monkswood always looked in control, winning by 7 wickets with a rapid fifty for Mike Watkins.

Dinas Powys Second XI packed their buckets and spades for a Bank Holiday weekend at Barry Island - only sunbathing on the beach gave way to an all important promotion tussle on a surprisingly green wicket.

Having won the toss, hosts Barry Athletic chose to bat - a decision that didn't bother the travelling Villagers too much.

And bowling first looked to have worked to Dinas' advantage when the home side were reduced to 54-4 in the 15th over.

A fine run out by James Hiscocks, running in at mid-on, set the tone for a tight start to the Barry innings, as Olly Coughtrey, Lewis Clarke and young Olly Hurley picked up deserved wickets.

But the Villagers' fielding became increasingly erratic and shoulders started to drop as Barry's middle order found their feet.

A quick-fire 106 run partnership threatened to take the game away from Dinas, as some lusty hitting and positive running between the wickets derailed the away side's progress.

An impressive spell from Hiscocks (8-2-34-2) prevented any further damage, having sent both dangermen back to the hutch in quick succession.

Andy Hurley, brought on by the skipper as two set batsmen were making hay, bowled extremely tidily in the latter overs (7-1-34-1) and together with Hiscocks clawed the innings back when 220 had looked on the cards.

Barry eventually closed on 183-7 off their 40 overs which, on a scorching summer's day, looked about par.

In response, a batting line-up to rival any the Second XI have fielded against this season flattered to deceive as wickets fell at regular intervals.

Unfortunately for the visitors, the dismissal of Alun Harris in the first over of the innings set the tone for a worrying top order collapse, which left Dinas reeling at 43-5 in the 13th over.

There are more games lost than won from that scoreline, but the Villagers' lower order fought hard to keep Dinas in with a chance of an unlikely victory.

A watchful partnership of 56 between Clarke and skipper Gareth Evans (26) took the visitors to 100, but the untimely dismissal of the latter swung the game firmly in Barry's favour.

Hiscocks (21) and Clarke added a further 39, but by the time both had succumbed looking to press on, the end was nigh.

Clarke (49) finally fell one short of his half-century, as Coughtrey added the 9 needed to win Dinas an extra bonus point.

Dinas were bowled out for 161 in the last over of the innings, to hand Barry victory by just 22 runs.

The result leaves the Seconds in fourth place with one game to go. But with promotion no longer in their hands, the Villagers will need to beat Penarth Thirds at home and hope for Barry Athletic to do them a favour away at Ton Pentre.

The 3rds made the long trip to Monmouth looking for their 4th win of the campaign, and lying in the relegation spots in Division 9.

It's been a tough year at times for the 3rds with the club on occasions struggling to get 11 bodies on the field, but to their credit the club has managed this on all bar one occasion.

Winning the toss skipper Gareth Storey elected to bat and the Villagers reached 124-8 in their 40 overs, with Craig Palmer top scoring with a solid 34, supported by skipper Storey with 31 and young Will player with 17 at the top of the order.

It was always going to be tough defending that against a strong Monmouth side, and so it proved as the hosts reached their target of 125 for the loss of just two wickets in the 29th over, one a run out attributed to Cliff Depass, and the the other a stumping by Andy Hurley of Simon Wilton's wily spin.

Lying 8th in Division 9, in the relegation spot, it will take a monumental effort against 2nd placed Creigiau and other results to go their way if there is any hope of avoiding the drop.

Next Saturday's matches: (Final round of league matches for 2019)

• 1's away to Barry Athletic
• 2's home (Bryn y Don) to Penarth 3's (1pm)
• 3's home (Common) to Creigiau (1pm)