Willow Cuts 204

Southampton 205-4

League leaders Southampton Rangers consolidated their position atop the Premier Division standings courtesy of a comfortable six-wicket win over Willow Cuts at Southampton Oval yesterday.

Skipper Janeiro Tucker grabbed six wickets for 44 runs off nine overs while veteran batsman Ricky Brangman cracked an unbeaten 86 and Keith Wainwright a painstaking 65 to steer Rangers to their sixth consecutive win of the season.

Brangman and Wainwright featured in a 134-run fourth-wicket stand that took the home team to the brink of victory after they had lost their first two wickets for 20 runs.

Wainwright played a typically patient innings, preferring to pick his shots, while Brangman was in an aggressive mood as punished anything short of a length with a series of immaculate drives on the front foot.

Brangman stroked five fours and five sixes off 79 balls while Wainwright, who later pulled up with a strain and required the assistance of a runner, pierced the gaps for nine fours and a six during yet another marathon knock.

Stevie Lightbourne stroked four fours during a brief innings of 18 before he was trapped leg before by Cuts' teenage seamer Terrence Corday.

Corday led his team's bowling with three wickets for 36 off ten overs including two maidens while Terrence Parsons had one for 28 from five overs.

No other Cuts bowler was able to reap success despite the visitors calling on eight bowlers to try to get the job done.

Earlier, Tucker and spinner Olin Jones took matters into their own hands after opening pair Gary Williams and Gary Crofton failed to make the initial breakthrough, though the latter bowled a tidy eight-over spell which included four maidens before he limped off the pitch injured.

Cuts openers Dexter Basden (49) and Sheroy Fubler (7) added 53 runs for the first wicket before Fubler flicked one off his pads to Jones fielding at fine leg off Tucker. Basden and Reggie Tucker then put on a further 48 runs for the second wicket as the visitors continued to frustrate Rangers' attack.

But Jones brought Tucker's 35 ball knock to an abrupt halt when he clean bowled the diminutive player. Tucker stroked six fours and a six while Basden was next wicket to fall at 111 in similar fashion to Jones, just one run short of his half-century. The veteran cracked four fours and three sixes off 89 balls.

Basden's younger sibling and skipper, Richard, then picked up where he had left off by also scoring 49 runs off 53 balls which contained six fours and a six before Janeiro Tucker combined with cousin Kwame Tucker to have the gifted left handed batsman caught behind.

Basden and Michael Corday (15) added 45 runs for the fourth wicket while young Bergon Spencer blasted a quickfire 21 lower down the order to ensure his team surpassed the 200 mark.

However, much couldn't be said for the remainder of his team who all buckled under the weight of Tucker and Jones who eventually polished off Cuts' tail.

Spinner Jones finished with two for 44 from ten overs and player/coach Clevie Wade had two for 39.