NEWPORT won their third cup final of the season to be crowned undisputed T20 champions of south Wales.

The men from Spytty Park had already won the South Wales Premier League T20 and Macey KO against Swansea and Abergavenny respectively.

The last final was a shootout between Gwent winners Newport and Glamorgan & Vale winners Cardiff at Lisvane CC.

In glorious end of season weather, Cardiff elected to bat on winning the toss but were pegged back early on against a tight opening attack. Michael Clayden claimed the first wicket with just 12 on the board after three overs.

Umar Malik and Greg Holmes tried to get on top of the bowlers but runs were proving difficult on a slow turning wicket.

When Holmes (7) was out stumped by Nathan Berry off the bowling of Hasnain Nawaz, Cardiff had slipped to 37-2 off 7.3 overs.

The introduction of Mujahid Ilyas immediately paid dividends as he clean bowled Malik (25) with the Cardiff score on 53-3 off 10.5 overs.

Hughes and Teg Phillips proved to be a stubborn partnership but runs were drying up and Cardiff had scored a measly 79-4 off 16.5 overs when Hughes was out for 14, another stumping by Berry off the bowling of Josh Waughington.

A final flurry of runs and a clatter of wickets, two for leg spinner Charlie Stewart and another for Waughington, saw Cardiff reach a final total of just 97-8 in their allotted 20 overs.

All the Newport bowlers bowled well, Clayden 1-16 (4 overs), Nawaz 1-14 (4 overs), Ilyas 1-17 (4 overs), Stewart 2-17 (3 overs) and Waughington 2-10 (2 overs).

Any hopes of an easy Newport win were dashed when they lost a wicket in the first over.

Waughington joined Morgan Bevans and immediately put the Cardiff bowlers under pressure but, just as runs had been flowing easily for the first time in the match, Newport suffered a double blow.

Bevans was out caught for 13 off 9 balls and Waughington followed for 10 – Newport were 29-3 off 5.2 overs. Osama Subhan claiming two of the wickets to fall.

Ilyas joined Clayden in what was going to be a decisive partnership with the former quick to pounce on any loose balls and the fifty was posted in the tenth over.

However, Clayden was out and Ilyas had to score the bulk of the runs with Cardiff on top for the first time in the game, with spinners, Mills, Phillips and Barry proving difficult to get away.

As the overs ticked by, a flurry of wickets fell and with four overs remaining Newport were on 86-7.

Ilyas was still in and batting well but things turned for the worse for Gwent side when they lost two wickets, including Ilyas for 37 off 38 balls featuring 6 fours.

Newport had slipped to 92-9 with seven balls remaining and the outcome of the match rested in the hands of the last pair of Stewart and Nawaz.

Stewart claimed a single off his first ball, which meant Newport needed five to win off the final over to be bowled by Phillips.

The tension eased slightly as Stewart played a majestic cover drive for four off the first ball to tie the scores.

A dot followed before a scampered single saw Newport home to victory by just one wicket with three balls to spare for their third T20 final win in three weeks.

Osama Subhan was the pick of the Cardiff bowlers claiming 3-19 (4 overs), Mills 2-10 (4 overs) and Barry 2-11 (2 overs) also bowled well.

For Newport it was a hat-trick of T20 wins to end a fantastic 2021 season.