Flatts 161

St.David's 162-2

Off spinner Delyone Borden spun his way to an impressive four-wicket haul and Chris Foggo cracked a second straight Eastern Counties half-century to guide champions St.David's to an emphatic eight-wicket win over Flatts at Lords on Saturday.

Borden, who will represent Bermuda against Canada today at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club in King City, Toronto, snatched four for 54 off a marathon 20.3 overs as Flatts were restricted to a modest total on a good batting strip.

Foggo then led the champions' run chase by stroking a fiesty 51 off 59 balls in 69 minutes. The right-handed opener smashed five fours and two sixes and along with Chris Douglas (32) added 73 runs for the first wicket to send the hosts well on their way to victory.

Both batsmen eventually fell in the space of 13 runs as veteran all-rounder Derek Wright (two for 11) made the long-awaited breakthrough.

But despite Wright's intervention St.David's marched on with watchful pair Landro Minors (46) and Fiqre Crockwell (29) carrying their team safely to victory courtesy of an unbroken 76 run third wicket stand.

Typically, left-hander Minors started cautiously before cutting loose once the ship had been steadied by pouncing on anything short or wide of the mark. Minors' runs arrived off 52 balls in 86 minutes and he hit a six and five fours, including the game winning boundary off promising off spinner, and part-time wicketkeeper Regino Smith in the 31st over.

Crockwell, who enjoyed another fine outing behind the stumps, had five fours off 42 balls in 74. The PHC wicketkeeper-batsman has now gloved six catches behind and executed a stumping in two Eastern Counties appearances this summer.

In truth, it was always going to be difficult for Flatts to defend such a shallow total and their task became all the more daunting once Wright hobbled off with a shoulder injury and spin king Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock was resigned to sitting in the pavilion after failing to make inroads with the ball.

However, where the veteran left-arm spinner fell short in the bowling department he more than compensated with the bat, adding a colossal 130 runs in an eighth-wicket partnership with skipper Kijuan Franks (86) that breathed much needed life into Flatts' innings after they had slipped to a pathetic 29 for seven.

Pacer George O'Brien Jr (one for 28) made the initial breakthrough when opener Regino Smith (0) gave a soft catch to OJ Pitcher, who moved to his left to make a grab at short leg.

Thereafter wickets tumbled at regular intervals as seamers Arthur Pitcher Jr (two for five) and Justin Pitcher (two for eight) and the steady Borden tightened the noose to leave Flatts staring straight down the barrel of an embarrassingly paltry total.

But thanks to a timely century stand between Franks - who made St.David's pay for putting him down in the deep shortly after reaching a maiden Eastern Counties half-century - and a circumspect Leverock, Flatts not only dragged themselves out of serious trouble, but threatened to take full control of proceedings as their tail wagged while the champions began to run out of bowling options and ideas toiling on a docile pitch. "I didn't expect them (Flatts) to get one hundred runs. But they fought back with Leverock and skipper Franks putting on a good partnership.

"I thought Franks was a bit lucky to be dropped, but that's cricket sometimes," commented Islanders coach George Cannonier.

"I think we would've preferred to have dismissed them once we had them on the run.

"But it seemed as though we sort of eased up and in the end that worked in Flatts' favour before Delyone made the breakthrough."

Franks dominated the stand, belting 12 fours and two sixes off 107 balls in 152 minutes but in the end fell 14 runs shy of what would have been a deserved century albeit having living in a charmed life.

Franks' luck eventually ran out as he was caught behind by Crockwell off the bowling of Borden and his dismissal ignited yet another slide as Flatts' last three wickets tumbled for the addition of two runs, leaving Leverock - who faced 160 balls in 107 minutes and accumulated all his runs scampering between the stumps- stranded on 36.

Flatts' skipper Franks later described his battling innings as the best knock of the season.

"I just took thing ball-by-ball. I was unfortunate not to go on and get a century but that was certainly my best knock of the season and hopefully I can carry on from here," he said.

Franks attributed his team's top order collapse to what he termed as a "jumpy" wicket.

"It was a jumpy wicket out there and I really can't blame my batsmen.

"I think the wicket had a lot to do with our demise," he argued.

"It was just one particular end (southern) where the ball pitched at a good length jumped in your chest. As a batsman it's really hard to bat on something like that."

St.David's will now meet challengers Cleveland County, fresh off a successful tour of England, at Lords in the August 30 final.