Police 119-6 Southampton Rangers' defence of the Premier League crown got off to an inauspicious start as they were handed a comprehensive four wicket defeat by home side Police yesterday.

Failures by their front-line batsmen doomed any chance of setting a respectable total and in the end Police cruised home.

Stock bowlers Michael Jackman and Richard Austin did most off the damage on a grassy pitch, this after paceman Kenny Phillips removed openers Keith Wainwright (one) and Kwame Tucker (11) with just 34 runs on the board.

Jackman took three-for-12, including David Stoneham (17), Olin Jones (11) and Clevie Wade (two), while Austin accounted for the scalps of newly installed skipper, Janeiro Tucker, who top-scored with 18, Ian Armstrong (five) and Ryan Belboda (eight).

Freston Hurdle and Dwayne Leverock finished with one-for-23 and one-for-six respectively.

Andrew Rollins and Terry Thomas opened Police's reply and looked like building a solid innings before they were undone by indecisive running between the wickets and Thomas was caught short, stumped by Kwame Tucker for 11 following and accurate return by Armstrong at third man.

Rollins (nine) soon followed, inexcusably skying a full-toss from Janeiro Tucker to Sidney Simmons.

The innings stabilised with Stevie Lightbourne joining David Greenidge as the pair put on 32 for the third wicket. Greenidge received a `life' when Clevie Wade failed to hold on to a sharp chance at short mid-on with Olin Jones the bowler. However, Wade made up for that, aiding in the dismissal of Lightbourne (eight) during the next over, taking a low catch as the batsman drove tentatively at left-arm spinner David Saltus.

Greenidge, who blasted two sixes and two fours in his 27-ball stay similarly fell to Saltus for 28, leaving Police on 67 for four.

But former captain Ferdinand Thorne came in to stabilise matters with a brisk 28 that included three fours and two sixes before he fell to Simmons.

And after new recruit Michael Donawa endured a four ball duck, Leverock (13 not out) and Hurdle (12 not out) completed the win.

Southampton similarly suffered defeat in their season opener a year ago, before going unbeaten the rest of the season and winning the league.

Warwick 141 St. George's 144-4 St. George's predictably destroyed Warwick in a largely one-sided affair at Southampton Oval.

Eugene (Calabash) Foggo, deputising as captain in the absence of Herbie Bascome, mesmerised the home team bats with four wickets and followed with an unbeaten knock of 27 to lead from the front.

Attack bowlers Del Tyrell and Ryan Steede aided their stand-in skipper with two wickets apiece.

Quinton Ming top scored for the home side with 32, hitting three fours and a six along the way, while Keion Butterfield contributed 31 and Perry Scott 23.

However, the remainder were woefully lacking in technique and approach, especially when it came to the wiles of Foggo's left-arm spinners.

Steede, batting at number five, led the east enders' charge with 33 not out while opener Dexter Smith tallied 29, including six boundaries.

Reginald Pitcher was expensive with his two wickets costing 40 runs from just six overs, while Jason Williams and Hoyt Zuill took one apiece.

Flatts 158 Somerset 162-4 Somerset's Wendell White sounded an early warning with a fine all around performance that keyed the west enders to a six wicket triumph over visiting Flatts Victoria.

White first tore the heart out of Flatts' middle order with a devastating spell of medium pace, seizing five wickets for eight runs and then returned with the bat, lashing 52 runs -- 42 coming from boundaries -- to get his club off to a solid start to the new season.

Flatts never looked like providing a sizeable target once captain Gershon Gibbons departed for 34, and despite a fighting 37 from Dale Benjamin, could not bat out the allotted 50 overs, falling 44.

In reply Somerset's openers Tony Cheeseman (29) and Craig Brangman (20) put on a half-century stand. Their departure and that of Cordell Gilbert (four) paved the way for further heroics from skipper White, who showed complete disdain for the Flatts attack.

Kijuan Franks, Troy Dean and Gibbons each claimed a wicket apiece in a futile effort.

Social Club 116 St. David's 119-1 Social Club paid the price for appearing with an eight-man squad at Lord's, as St. David's crushed them by nine wickets.

Phillip Pitcher smashed an unbeaten half century and Landro Minors ended 31 not out, as the home team made short work of their opposition.

Earlier the St. David's bowlers shared in the destruction of Social Club's batting, with Aaron Burchall taking two for eight. O.J. Pitcher, Del Hollis and Glenn Blakeney got one apiece.

Carl Furbert top-scored for Social Club with 34, followed by captain Anthony Tucker (19).

Devonshire Rec 167-9 Willow Cuts 168-7 Devonshire Rec's youth brigade put up a tough fight, but in the end found the experience of Willow Cuts too tough a nut to crack as they fell to a three wicket defeat.

Anthony Amory hit a half century to key Devonshire's run chase, with Tori Henry assisting with an unbeaten 22 and Ricardo Brangman notching 16.

A balanced bowling performance by Cuts witnessed Charles Swan, Richard Basden, Kevin Fubler and Steven Mendes each record two wicket hauls, as Devonshire batted out the 50 overs.

Cuts were alarmed by the early loss of Dwayne Basden with four runs on the board, however Mendes (17) and captain Dexter Basden (34) steadied the ship with a 44 run second wicket stand.

Basden and new recruit David Jones (38) contributed 70 for the third wicket before Basden fell to a lbw decision in favour of Rudolph Smith.

Henry ended with two-for-33 and Randolph Smith two-for-10 for Rec.

Bailey's Bay 364-6 PHC 84 Half centuries by Jermaine Warner, Stephen Outerbridge, Charlie Marshall and Corey Hill gave Bay a crushing 280-run victory over PHC in their opening game at Sea Breeze Oval yesterday.

Opener Warner top-scored with 86, while skipper Marshall hammered 76. Teenage number three batsman Outerbridge scored 65, as did Hill whose unbeaten innings rounded off the Bay innings in style.

The PHC bowlers were not the only victims of Bay's big hitting in their enormous total of 364 for six from 50 overs. Bay middle order batsman Irving Romaine was forced to retire hurt after being hit in the face while standing at the non-striker's end by a ball struck fiercely by Marshall.

Facing an almost impossible task, PHC got off to a disastrous start losing opener Williams without a run on the board.

Only Pace, who hit 29, and Smith, who scored 19, reached double figures as their innings of 84 ended after just 20.3 overs.

Corey Hill was the most successful bowler for Bay, taking four for 33 from 10 overs.