Sea Breeze Oval (Bailey's Bay won toss): Bailey's Bay beat Western Stars by five wickets

Bailey's Bay made light work of Western Stars at the Sea Breeze Oval yesterday to keep their unblemished record intact.

Chasing a modest target of 117 after dismissing the visiting side in less than 40 overs, the Belco Cup champions overcame a slight wobble before crossing the line with plenty of willow and overs to spare.

Stephen Outerbridge, the former Bay captain, led the run chase with a polished knock that held the innings together as Stars put up a fight defending a total that ultimately was not enough.

Outerbridge hammered four fours and a six in a run-a-ball knock of 38 and was at the crease when Malachi Jones dispatched a Makai Young full toss to the square leg boundary for the winning runs to condemn Stars to their second straight league loss of the season.

The left-handed batsman dominated a 32-run fifth-wicket partnership with Azende Furbert that carried Bay to the brink of victory before Furbert feathered a catch behind to Temiko Wilson, the Stars wicketkeeper, in the 25th over to become Young's third victim.

Opener Pierre Smith was next top scorer for Bay with 27 from 35 balls that included two fours while opening partner Terryn Fray gathered 13 from 34 deliveries before playing around a Seth Campbell yorker that crashed into the stumps.

Smith and Fray produced Bay's highest partnership of 37 runs for the first wicket that got the home side's run chase off on the front foot.

Stars picked up three wickets inside five overs to make things interesting.

But that was as good as it got for the fielding team as Outerbridge and Furbert, who gathered ten from 11 deliveries, steadied the ship and all but secured victory.

First change bowler Young led the Stars attack with three for 39.

Earlier, a seismic batting collapse led to Stars being dismissed cheaply after being sent in to bat on an excellent track.

The visiting side slipped from 94 for four to 116 all out in the space of eight overs as Kyle Hodsoll, the Bay seamer, wreaked havoc with the old ball.

Hodsoll claimed three wickets after being brought back into the attack at the start of the 31st over to finish with figures of four for 21.

Teenage seamer Nyhrobi Carmichael claimed three for 23 and Rodney Trott, the Bay captain, took two for ten off six overs.

Stars received useful contributions from their top order before their remaining batsmen completely lost the plot as Bay tightened their grip on the match.

Wilson led the Stars innings with 31, while opener Khiry Furbert nudged 20.

Sinclair Smith, the Bay wicketkeeper, had three stumpings and held a catch off the bowling of Jones.

• Anthony Bascome struck a half-century and Dennis Musson Jr claimed four wickets to guide Cleveland County to their first victory of the season over Willow Cuts at Somerset Cricket Club yesterday.

Bascome thumped four sixes and three fours in a blistering knock of 51 from 58 deliveries batting at No 4 as the visiting side posted 170 all out in 43 overs after electing to bat.

Musson, 20, and Clay Darrell, 19, were the only other Cleveland batsmen in double figures.

Kamal Bashir, Kwasi James and Dean Stephens took two wickets each for Cuts.

In reply, Cuts came up short despite Stephens's aggressive half-century.

Stephens hammered five sixes and eight fours in scoring 72 from 52 balls during Cuts's innings that lasted just 26.4 overs.

Musson was the pick of the Cleveland bowlers, claiming four for 42.