St David’s remain unstoppable
The title race in the Logic Premier Division is effectively down to two teams, barring a second half slump by St David’s, after the league leaders and defending champions made it six wins on the trot yesterday.
St David’s handed Southampton Rangers their third loss in six league matches, leaving them already seemingly out of contention considering the ease with which St David’s have picked up wins in the half of the campaign.
Dismissed for only 154 in 48.2 overs after being put in to bat, Rangers struggled to get an early breakthrough after several confident lbw appeals were turned down.
The breakthrough did come via an lbw when McLaren Lowe departed for 19 in the thirteenth over after an opening stand of 55 with captain OJ Pitcher.
St David’s were scoring at four runs an over early on before the spin of Derrick Brangman and Vernon Eve scored up the scoring just enough to give Rangers some hope of pulling off a victory that would enable them to close the gap on second placed Willow Cuts who were idle yesterday.
Pitcher’s departure on 76 for two after a well-played innings containing three fours and two sixes, his top edge from a sweep against Brangman going to Eve at square leg.
Brangman and Eve, the left-arm spinners, pegged St David’s at 91 for four and then 112-5 before an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 45 between George O’Brien and Delyone Borden made certain of another comfortable victory.
O’Brien hit a four and two sixes in his 29 not out while Borden had three fours and the match-winning six in his knock of 23.
Eve led the Rangers bowling with three for 42, while Brangman had figures of two for 29.
Earlier, Rangers struggled against some tight St David’s bowling as Janeiro Tucker, the Rangers captain, led the batting with 29 while opener Brangman and Shannon Rayner scored 20 apiece.
Rangers were 79 for five after 27 overs but recovered to 107 after Kwame Tucker and Rayner added 28 for the sixth wicket before they slumped again to 119 for eight as they struggled to score at more than three runs an over.
Justin Pitcher led the St David’s bowling with three for 36.
Southampton Oval (toss won by St David’s): St David’s beat Southampton by five wickets.
Southampton
G Simons run out 4
D Brangman lbw b Pitcher 20
A Dore c Crockwell b J Pitcher 19
D Stovell c Hollis b J Pitcher 1
*J Tucker st Crockwell b Borden 29
†Kw Tucker b Cannonier 8
S Rayner b Hollis 20
R Simons c Crockwell b O’Brien 14
R Belboda c and b Hollis 2
V Eve not out 7
Kev Tucker b O’Brien 19
Extras (b 1, lb 1, w 9)11
Total (48.2 overs) 154
Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-29, 3-35, 4-77, 5-79, 6-107, 7-115, 8-119, 9-128.
Bowling: G O’Brien 8.2-1-21-2; R Pitcher 7-2-22-0; J Pitcher 10-1-36-3; D Hollis 10-1-32-2; D Borden 10-1-30-2; A Cannonier 3-0-11-1.
St David’s
M Lowe lbw b Brangman 19
*O Pitcher c Eve b Brangman 45
†F Crockwell b Eve 24
J Pitcher st Kw Tucker b Eve 4
R Todd lbw b Eve 0
G O’Brien not out 29
D Borden not out 23
Extras lb 8, w 5) 13
Total (five wkts, 36.2 overs) 157
A Cannonier, R Pitcher, d Hollis and K Fox did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-55 ,2-76, 3-84, 4-91, 5-112.
Bowling: Kev Tucker 6-0-18-0; R Belboda 4-1-21-0; D Brangman 10-1-29-2; J Tucker 4-0-18-0; V Eve 8-0-42-2; d Stovell 4.2-0-21-0.
Umpires: R Dill and S Douglas.
