Sea Breeze Oval (Southampton Rangers won toss): Bailey’s Bay beat Southampton Rangers by 143 runs.

Bailey’s Bay sent out a clear, early message that they intend to be serious title contenders after thrashing Southampton Rangers, the Premier Division champions, in their opening 50-overs match yesterday.

Bay posted a formidable 245 for five in a match that was reduced to 43 overs-a-side after a 12.30pm start, and then dismissed Rangers for just 102.

“Rangers are a top team but I thought we played a very good game today,” said Rodney Trott, the Bay captain, who top-scored with 71.

“For the last couple of years our batting has been letting us down, and today we put in a very good batting performance and I was happy about that.

“Overall it was a good team performance, the bowlers bowled well and the batters batted extremely well.”

Victory was sweet for a Bay side who were dominated by Rangers last season, including winning by seven wickets at Sea Breeze Oval in the league last June.

But now things may be changing as Bay are still not at full strength, still missing bowlers Kyle Hodsoll, Lateef Trott and batsman Tre Manders.

“We’re just trying to take one game at a time and hopefully we can come out with a couple of trophies,” Trott said.

“We have Belco Cup next weekend so our next step is trying to beat Cleveland on Saturday to get into the finals.”

On a wicket still slightly damp after Saturday’s heavy rain, Janeiro Tucker, the Rangers captain, did not hesitate to send the home team in to bat.

The visiting side had a good start, too, removing Brandon Trott in only the second over before a second wicket stand of 104 in the next 25 overs between Terryn Fray, who scored 39, and Rodney Trott began to tilt the match in Bay’s favour.

Trott retired hurt at 138 for two after hitting seven fours and a six, leaving the middle order to carry them past the 200 mark as 74 runs came in the last five overs.

Malachi Jones hit a quick-fire 32 not out, with three sixes and a four, while Derrick Brangman, another former Rangers player, scored 25, Stephen Outerbridge 24, and Azende Furbert 20, as the Rangers bowlers had little success, no one taking more than one wicket.

The tactic to use spinner Hasan Durham late in the innings backfired as he went for 50 runs in only five overs, while Alex Dore, another left-arm bowler, conceded 20 in his three overs.

Vernon Eve, the slow left-arm bowler, was the most economical of the six Rangers bowlers, finishing with one for 31 from his nine overs.

Rangers had an even worse start to their innings, and by the eighth over they were already four wickets down with only nine runs on the board.

By then they were already well on their way to their first loss of the season after the dismissal of Janeiro Tucker for four, trapped leg-before by Zeko Burgess.

Burgess, playing his first match of the season, earlier removed Kwame Tucker with a rising delivery that got an edge and gave Sinclair Smith, the Bay wicketkeeper, his first catch of the season.

Alex Dore, who survived a first-ball leg-before appeal by Malachi Jones, was the first wicket to fall when Jones removed him in his next over.

Curtis Jackson, the other opener, went off injured after the third over, though the fall of two more wickets, dismissing Ricardo Brangman and Kwame Tucker, in the fifth and sixth overs quickly brought him back to the crease at five for three.

Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals as Rangers also struggled for runs, posting just 21 for seven after ten overs, and then 40 for seven after 20.

At 67 for nine they were facing a humiliating loss before a last wicket stand of 35 between Durham and Ryan Belboda enabled them to reach 100.

Durham finished top scorer on 24 while Kevin Tucker, batting at no 9, scored 19, Jackson 16 and Belboda ten not out.

Seam bowlers Burgess and Nyrobi Carmichael took two wickets apiece for 25 and 18, while Jones finished with two for 14 from eight overs. Brangman gave up just 21 runs in his nine overs, taking the wicket of Rohaan Simons.