Lord’s (Bailey’s Bay won toss) Bailey’s Bay beat St David’s by 80 runs

Bailey’s Bay ended a four-year wait to reclaim the prized Eastern Counties Cup when they dethroned holders St David’s in a thrilling final on Saturday.

Dozens of Bay supporters invaded the field when Rodney Trott bowled last man Cejay Outerbridge to wrap up victory about 45 minutes before the scheduled finish, the off spinner taking six wickets for 44 runs from 16.1 overs.

Bay’s declaration on 218 for seven wickets after batting 57 of their allotted 65 overs paid off as St David’s lost two wickets in the four overs just before tea to set the stage for an exciting final session.

The score went from ten for two at tea, taken slightly early after batter Chris Douglas injured his left calf while sweeping Trott for four, to 18 for four soon after the resumption.

Douglas was eventually sixth out on 101 after hitting a top score of 44 from 80 balls with six fours. He and No 6 batter, Macai Simmons, who made 42 off 39 balls with six fours and a six, rebuilt the innings with a fifth-wicket stand of 69.

However, that proved to be the last of the St David’s resistance as Trott switched to the bank end and continued taking wickets as Bay held some important catches, including a brilliant diving effort in the covers by captain Terryn Fray to dismiss Douglas.

“I always thought we had a good chance,” Fray said amid the celebrations afterwards.

“We took our club team plus Tre Manders. Rodney plays for St George’s but he’s our player.

“We stuck by our guns, believed in our guys and we knew that if we batted well that we were always going to be in with a good chance because we have the bowlers to do the job.

“It was not just about sticking to our guns, sticking to our processes and doing the right things.”

Coolidge Durham then took two catches at long-off and long-on in the space of 14 minutes to dismiss captain Justin Pitcher for 12 and colt Sa-Qui Robinson for 14, leaving Bay needing two wickets for victory.

Trott wrapped it up by trapping George O’Brien leg-before and then bowling Outerbridge as five of the wickets came in his second spell.

Colt Macquille Walker supported with three for 32 from seven overs.

“For some reason that end was turning a little bit more, it definitely was a good move,” Trott said of the move to switch ends. “I have a different relationship when it comes to Bay. I’ve been training with Bay the last four weeks and just got back on the island yesterday.

“When it comes to county it’s a family thing and what’s best for the community.”

Trott said the six-wicket haul was one of his best bowling spells in the counties.

“Last time I got six wickets was in my second year in Eastern Counties down here,” he added. “This is definitely my best performance!”

Earlier, Manders led the Bay batting with 114 not out after coming in at No 5 with Bay in some trouble at 43 for three.

It was Manders’s third century in the space of seven days after two hundreds the previous weekend in the Western Counties final for Southampton Rangers and in the Athene T20 League for club side Western Stars.

He faced 118 balls and hit seven fours and six sixes, as an unbeaten stand of 76 with Kyle Hodsoll (nine) for the eighth wicket enabled Bay to make their declaration soon after Manders reached his hundred, which earned him the man-of-the-match award.

“It feels good, I didn’t think it would actually go like this,” Manders said. “Obviously I wanted to get the century, but the team also won and that’s the main thing.

“When the odds were against us, we fought back hard and came out victorious. “It was a good all-round performance, we came out on the field and fought hard and now we’re victorious.

Eastern Counties is really close to Cup Match, maybe better in some moments!”

Veteran Stephen Outerbridge scored 35 in a fifth-wicket stand of 74 with Manders in taking the score from 62 to 136.

Durham (22) and Jarryd Richardson (29) led Bay’s first recovery with a second-wicket partnership of 43 after Rodney Trott was dismissed on the last ball of the opening over of the match from Cejay Outerbridge.

Outerbridge led the St David’s bowling with three for 36 while Chris Douglas claimed three of the first four wickets to have Bay reeling at 62 for four before lunch.

Douglas was voted the Man of the Series after a knock of 94 against Flatts in the first round and figures of two for 21 against Cleveland in the second round, while Trott was voted the Spinner of the Series for his six wickets in the final.

Bay will begin the defence of their title next year at Sea Breeze Oval against St David’s.

Flatts will play in the second round and Cleveland will contest the final.

St David’s fans cheered when St David’s came out of the draw first, but captain Justin Pitcher was only thinking about the performance that cost them the title.

He admitted the team lacked discipline at times.

“Determination and drive to do it can beat a game on its own,” he said at the post-match presentation. “Well done to Tre.

“I hope this just puts more fire in our belly because we guys basically lost the game ourselves, they didn’t outright beat us. “We’ll come back next year stronger. Cheers to Bay!”