Bailey’s Bay forced a three-way tie for top spot in group B after beating Somerset in a close match at Sea Breeze Oval on Sunday.

Victory for Somerset would have put them through along with defending champions Southampton Rangers, but Bay pulled off a close win to leave the three teams with two wins and a loss from three matches.

Rangers comfortably beat Bay, by seven wickets, and Cleveland, by 118 runs, on Saturday to put themselves in the hunt.

Somerset teenager Jahnai Bean nearly led them to victory with a well-played 66 at the top of the order as Somerset made a game of it after Bay posted 159 for five. Bean, 18 and a pre-season transfer from Somerset Bridge, was finally out on the first ball of the last over bowled by Irving Romaine when he skied a catch to Zeko Burgess at long-on.

Somerset went into that last final over needing 17 for victory but Romaine, the player-coach, kept his nerve to get Bay the victory and keep alive their hopes of qualifying.

Somerset gave them plenty to think about, however, with Bean and Pierre Smith putting on 61 for the first wicket in ten overs before Romaine, with only his second ball, had Smith caught for 36 to break the stand. Smith, another new signing for Somerset, hit five fours.

Bean started to pick up his scoring after Smith departed before he lost another partner, Jordan DeSilva, 18 runs later. The wicketkeeper-batsman then added 48 for the third wicket with Jacobi Robinson that kept Somerset on course for victory.

Bean’s 66 included seven fours and two sixes while Robinson hit two fours and two sixes in his 28 before he was bowled by Lateef Trott in the seventeenth over. Somerset went into the last five overs needing 60 for victory but they fell just short. Romaine led the Bay bowling with two for 14 from three overs.

Earlier, opener Ricky Hoyte and No 3 bat Sinclair Smith laid the foundation for a good total with knocks of 35 and 38 after Hoyte and Tre Manders, who was out for ten, put on 34 for the first wicket.

Hoyte, limping from a leg injury, smashed six fours and a six and Smith two fours and two sixes before Irving Romaine, playing in the absence of Stephen Outerbridge and Malachi Jones, carried his bat for a useful 43 not out late in the innings, hitting four fours and two sixes.

Jordan DeSilva took two for 30 from four overs and Joshua Gilbert two for 13.

Earlier, Bailey’s Bay got their day off to a winning start, handing Cleveland their third loss in the group.

Cleveland could only manage 90 for eight in their 20 overs despite an opening stand of 48 between Treadwell Gibbons, who scored 28, and Jason Anderson, who hit 29.

Wickets fell regularly after the stand was broken with Cleveland quickly slumping to 78 for five as their top-order batsmen all failed to reach double figures against some tight bowling by Bailey’s Bay.

In fact, no other Cleveland batsman reached double figures after the start given by the opening pair. Seam bowler Kyle Hodsoll had a good spell of three for 18 from four overs, while David Lovell claimed two for 18 off three, and Zeko Burgess two for 26 from four.

Lateef Trott gave up just ten runs in his four overs, taking one wicket.

Bay made their run chase difficult, losing six wickets along the way with Tre Manders top scoring with 23 from 22 balls before he was run out by Treadwell Gibbons in his delivery stride as Manders stepped outside his crease.

Justin Talbot claimed two wickets for eight runs for Cleveland who used eight bowlers.

• In Sunday’s other game, Western Stars eased to an 89 run win over PHC at St John’s Field.

Temiko Wilson and Makai Young put on 107 for the first wicket as Western Stars racked up 183 for one in their 20 overs. Wilson finished unbeaten on 64, Young was out for 65, and Brian Hall was not out on 36 at the end of the Stars innings.

PHC’s response never really started, and apart from a cameo performance in the middle order by Charles Trott, whose 28 gave the PHC score some semblance of respectability, Stars were never in danger of losing.

Swayne Campbell picked up four wickets, Seth Campbell two more, and PHC finished their 20 overs on 94 for 9.