GARNONS rounded off a memorable weekend by clinching a GB Liners Marches League double with an 83-run knockout cup win over Talgarth at Eastnor.

But although the Welshmen had to be content with runners-up spot in the cup, they still had plenty to celebrate after clinching promotion to the top flight by winning the Division Two title the previous day.

“That’s not a bad weekend for us,” said Garnons skipper James Debenham. “We’re really pleased although we’ve probably done it the hard way in the league.

“We lost away at Hay a couple of weeks ago but then went to Crickhowell and won and clinched it with a win over Weobley.

“The loss at Hay was a bit unexpected - we’re used to batting on a batsman’s paradise at Garnons and we’re not that good on damp pitches.

“Today was one of those games where we needed to post a total and defend it. “There was a bit of debate whether we should chase as we have been better at chasing this season but if Guy Pearson Gregory gets in and bats a decent number of overs then you know that you’re going to post a reasonable total.

“We thought that 225 was a decent total, it was keeping a bit low out there and it wasn’t easy to accelerate so I was happy with that.

“And if you take early wickets then you have always got a chance.”

Pearson-Gregory’s fine innings at the start of the game set the tone for Garnons.

The wicketkeeper-batsman made 90 from 103 balls with nine fours and a six, sharing an opening stand of 74 with Tom Price (38) and then a further 85 for the the third wicket with Debenham (37).

This came after a rare failure by Alan Jones who was caught by Talgarth skipper Lee Pugh off Carl Lewis for a duck.

Simon Withers (26 not out) and David Newton (13no) gave the innings a final flourish before Garnons ended on 225-6 from their 40 overs.

Luke Bowen (2-63) and Mark Waldeck (2-33) were the principal wicket-takers although Huw Griffiths, who conceded just 19 runs from eight overs, kept the run-rate under control early on.

Talgarth’s hoped-for good response never materialised with Kevin Miller falling to an athletic caught-and-bowled by Herefordshire over-50s all-rounder Jones, who finished with a commendable 1-2 from eight overs.

But the next dismissal took ‘athletic’ on to a different plane with a spectacular catch by Newton to dismiss Daniel Skyrme (14) from the bowling of James Bolton (2-31).

Newton, whose day-job is as a film stunt-man, took off horizontally from his position at extra-cover to snaffle a flying catch with both feet off the ground.

He almost matched the effort a couple of overs later but was just unable to hold on to the ball.

The Garnons fielding was of a uniformly high-standard with another key moment coming with the run-out of Pugh by Simon Withers.

The Talgarth skipper had announced his arrival with a well-timed back-foot punch for four through the covers, raising hopes that a run-chase may yet materialise.

But after facing just one more ball, he was unable to beat Withers’ smart pick-up and throw from backward point.

A fine leg-side catch by Pearson Gregory off Bolton to dismiss Bowen further cemented Garnons’ position and with Stuart Griffiths (3-39) running through the middle-order, the Division One champions appeared on the brink of victory.

Griffiths, however, delayed the inevitable with some mighty blows, landing one six on the roof of the old pavilion as he progressed to 49 which, in company with his earlier bowling effort, earned him the man-of-the-match award.

When he holed out at long-off to Kris Jones off Withers (2-19) it effectively signalled the end of the resistance with the final blow struck, appropriately, by Garnons’ most successful bowler this season, Rob Pritchard (1-27) who bowled Waldeck (12) to conclude the innings on 142.

Despite his side’s double win, Debenham is still looking for more trophies when 2014 arrives.

“Next season we’ll be looking for more of the same,” he said. “But perhaps with better availability of players, although everyone says that. “We are hoping we can keep most of this group together.

“We lost big players in Andy Brace and Jonny Andrews at the start of this season and I’m hoping that it will be more settled next year and bring some of these younger players through.

“We have no junior section, which has been well documented but we have some younger players in.

“Today we had quite a few of the younger players in and there were some that we haven’t picked so it’s looking good for the future.

“Alan Jones will probably tell me he’s going to keep going for another 20 years but we’ll have to see about that,” he joked.