Wellington Oval (St. David’s won toss; match reduced to 37 overs): St. David’s beat Cleveland by 91 runs (DLS method)

An opening partnership of 144 by openers Okera Bascome and Marcus Scotland set up a huge win for St. David’s over Cleveland County on Sunday.

After St David’s elected to bat, Bascome and Scotland opened the innings for the Islanders and put on 43 before the game was halted temporarily due to a bad patch in the bowler’s landing area at the western end which needed to be treated. Play resumed 90 minutes later with the match reduced to 37 overs per team.

The openers continued where they left off with the boundary walls taking a pounding as Bascome was in destructive mode, clearing the boundary for a six over square leg to bring up his side’s 100th run in only 9.1 overs.

The opening partnership was finally broken when Bascome, who was closing in on his century, flicked a ball to backward square and tried to stretch a single into a double only to be run out despite a desperate diving effort from a direct hit by Kioshi Trott. Bascome fell for 96, off just 46 balls, which included 13 fours and four sixes.

Scotland and Dean Stephens would carry the score over 200 before the latter was caught on the long off boundary for 22.

Scotland continued to anchor the innings to carry the score to 269 before skying one into the waiting hands of Allan Douglas Jr at long on for 87, which included two fours and five sixes.

Justin Pitcher chipped in with a useful 21 as St David’s closed their innings at 285 for five. Douglas, captain Mackih McGowan, Dion Stovell and Treadwell Gibbons Jr all claimed one wicket apiece for 48, 69, 41 and 34 runs respectively.

In reply, Cleveland at first seemed up to the challenge as they opened with Gibbons and the attack-minded Douglas, but after putting on an opening partnership of 50 runs, Douglas would be first out edging one into the gloves of wicketkeeper Ricardo Brangman off the bowling of Isaiah O’Brien after scoring 35.

Gibbons would go shortly after when he top edged to Micah Perozzi, who was fielding at short third man, for 23.

Dion Stovell and Jabari Darrell would carry the score over the 100 mark to give Cleveland some hope with a fourth-wicket partnership worth 38 runs before O’Brien fooled the latter with a change of pace, causing him to pop the ball up to Macai Young.

Veteran Stovell batted stubbornly and was the only remaining batter to offer any resistance before being caught by O’Brien on the square leg boundary off the bowling of Pitcher for a team-high 76, from 62 balls.

Such was the dominance of St. David’s that wicketkeeper Ricardo Brangman bowled the last over and had Keith Whorms stumped by stand-in wicketkeeper Pitcher off the last ball of the game to close the curtains on the Cleveland innings at 195 for eight in their allotted 37 overs.

Pitcher was the best bowler on the day with figures of three for 41 runs, while captain Derrick Brangman and O’Brien claimed two wickets apiece for 32 and 44 runs respectively. Ricardo Brangman claimed one wicket for two runs from his only over.

“This was a good response after the loss last week”, said Derrick Brangman.

“Our openers gave us a solid start with the opening partnership of over 100 runs and we just carried on from there.”