Sea Breeze Oval (Bailey’s Bay won toss): Match abandoned, no result

What was shaping up to be an interesting contest between Bailey’s Bay and Cleveland County was washed out this afternoon, denying the visiting side vital points in their battle to avoid relegation — and Clay Smith a likely century.

Bottom of the Logic Premier Division at the start of the day, the five points that Cleveland will be awarded for a “no result” has only narrowed the gap between themselves and St George’s, whom they play on Sunday in the final league game of the season.

Of the 156 runs that Cleveland managed in the 38 overs of play that was possible, Smith scored 83 of them in an 86-ball innings that included five sixes and eight fours.

No longer the svelte youth that dominated Bermuda cricket for years, and with diminishing pace between the wickets, the one thing that has remained constant is the Cleveland coach’s voracious appetite for runs. Coming to the wicket with his side struggling at 33 for two, Smith put on 60 for the third wicket with Peter Philpott, and was sharing in an unbeaten stand of 59 with Adrian Burrows when play ended.

“I really was enjoying myself,” Smith said. “My knee swelled up a bit, but other than that, it was nice to be back out there for a change. I started by just trying to keep it as simple as possible and backed myself to hit with the wind against the spinners.”

With little to play for except pride, Bay were less than convincing in the field. Of the four Cleveland wickets to fall, all might be said to have been batsmen errors, rather than good wicket-taking balls. Damon Rabain and Peter Philpott were caught on the boundary, and Steven Douglas was trapped leg-before playing across the line to a Kyle Hodsoll ball, and Allan Douglas, the captain, was also leg-before, prodding forward first ball to a straight one from Stephen Outerbridge.

The home team also conceded 26 extras, including nine wides from one Outerbridge over that took Cleveland past the 100-mark.

For Cleveland, everything now rests on the final game of the season, and Smith refused to dwell on what might have been.

“We were in a good position, with the powerplay to come, to put up a competitive total, but we’ll take the five points,” he said. “It’s down to us and St George’s next week.”