Somerset Cricket Club (Somerset won toss): Somerset beat St George’s by 226 runs

Dion Stovell continued his Cup Match brilliance as he took 12 wickets in the match to guide Somerset to victory over St George’s yesterday.

After scoring centuries in the two previous Cup Matches, it was with the ball that spinner Stovell excelled this year, with seven wickets in the first innings and five in the second as Somerset beat St George’s by 226 runs. His seven for 27 were the tenth-best bowling figures in the history of Cup Match.

Stovell’s exploits came after Somerset opener Kamau Leverock hit a stunning 153 on the opening day to effectively take the game away from St George’s within the first three hours of the Annual Classic.

Resuming on 80 for five in the first innings at the start of day two, St George’s added just 25 runs for their final five wickets, with Stovell taking four of the five to fall, claiming the scalps of Marcus Scotland, Macai Simmons, Kevon Fubler and Luke Fulton, as St George’s were bowled out for just 110, leaving them 235 runs behind.

Choosing not to enforce the follow-on, Somerset started their second innings aggressively, eventually declaring on 172 for eight, with captain Terryn Fray scoring 48.

That left St George’s needing 408 to win but thanks largely to Stovell’s brilliance, they never looked likely to either achieve victory or bat through the afternoon to claim an unlikely draw.

Only four St George’s batters made it into double figures, with No 7 Macai Simmons briefly lending hopes that he could salvage a draw with a fine knock of 80 before being trapped leg-before by Stovell.

With him went St George’s hopes of avoiding defeat, with the wickets of Kevon Fubler and Zeko Burgess falling quickly afterwards to give Fray victory in his first year at the helm.

Stovell finished the second innings with five for 62 in 15 overs, with Derrick Brangman claiming four for 52 and Leverock picking up the remaining wicket.

Fray saluted his red and blue team-mates for helping him ease into captaincy with the the way they approached the game.

“I’m just excited as it’s my first one and hopefully the first of many,” Fray told The Royal Gazette.

“The guys played well and hats off to Dion Stovell and the rest of the team. We stuck to our plans and these guys know what they want to do as cricketers which is what makes them so good, locally and internationally.

“They know their game and as a captain it’s easy sometimes because these guys know what they want to bowl. They have their own plans, we talk once and it’s done after that, it’s that easy.”

On the decision to not enforce the follow-on, the victorious captain stated that they resolved to take to the crease for a second time in order to give the bowlers a break.

“My players were tired and they wanted to rest, so we batted again,’’ he said. “It was hot as hell out there and anyone who thinks any different can come out and field for us next time. They can feel how hot it is and maybe they can decide to go and bat, too.

“We knew what we had to do and that was the best part about it. Had we not won the game, we would have been kicking ourselves because we didn't bowl them out the second time around.

“It was good for us, we got some runs to add to what we already had. I’ve probably batted twice three times in my entire Cup Match career and this is my thirteenth.

“I think it was meant to be, we came out and got the job done with an hour and 30 minutes left of the day’s play. My guys did exceptional and I’m grateful for that.”

Somerset coach Jeff Richardson, who has previously stated this would be his last Cup match, felt St George’s paid the price for making too many adjustments to their side.

“I look at the St George’s team and they made seven changes, but you just cannot do that and expect to have a result,’’ Richardson said.

“It messes up the composition and affects dynamics of the team. We knew that if we put pressure on them from the start, we’d be OK.

“We chose not to make them follow-on because we had a 235-run lead, and we felt that there were some demons on the wicket.

“Dion Stovell was turning the ball square on occasions and they have two very good left-arm spinners.

“It was a decision to just bat them out of the match. We wanted to get to 400 as fast as possible knowing that we would not lose the match.

“If they had to win it, they had to take chances or hang on for six to seven hours trying to get a draw, so everything was working in our favour.”

Simmons, whose 85-run seventh-wicket partnership with the limping Oronde Bascome delayed the Somerset victory, and he was disappointed not come to his team’s rescue with his batting exploits.

“My innings meant nothing because we lost,’’ the former St George’s captain said.

“I don’t really care about personal milestones, as long we lost I’m unhappy. I didn’t finish my job, I don’t play for a draw, I play to win and as long as I was batting I thought we could score 400.

“First of all we let them score too many runs. As a team we should have bowled tighter and held on to our catches to make it a close game. Somerset won but we move on, hopefully I can get a century and push on with St George’s.

“We have a lot of youngsters in our team and they have time to grow and mature. I’m definitely optimistic and excited about the future of St George’s.”