Willow Cuts are setting the early pace in the One First Division promotion race after recording their third straight victory with a 68-run victory over Devonshire Recreation Club at Somerset Cricket Club on Sunday.

Opener Kwasi James scored 100 after sharing in an opening stand of 97 with captain Kamal Bashir as Cuts posted 270 for nine in their 50 overs. They then restricted Devonshire Recreation Club to 202 for nine.

Bashir added 36 before he was trapped leg before by Drewonde Bascome before good knocks in the middle order by Chakote Wainwright (33) and Joseph Basden (43) took them past 250.

They had a minor slump after that with the last three wickets going down for just one run.

Denar Johnson led the Devonshire Rec bowling with three for 65 from ten overs while Bascome and L’Bevan Carr took two for 49 and two for 35 respectively.

Devonshire Rec had a solid start in their run chase with Tarik Jennings and Shakhai Trott putting on 61 for the first wicket. Trott departed for 28 before Jennings watched three other partners go cheaply as they slumped to 87 for four.

Jennings finished high man in the innings with 80 before he was bowled by Joseph Basden while Shaquille Trott added 24 in the middle order and Cory Tucker-Smith 18 in the tail end.

Basden claimed three wickets for ten runs from just 3.3 overs while James and Faheem Swan both took two wickets each.

Western Stars made it two wins out of two when they bounced back from their Central Counties loss to Tuff Dogs to defeat Somerset Bridge by six wickets at White Hill Field.

Bridge posted 107 in 34.3 overs with Donnie Charles and Jason Smith the joint top scorers with 19. Justin Robinson, Dante Wellman and Rohan Davis all took three wickets for Stars.

Stars replied with 111 for four in 20.1 overs after Khiry Furbert and Jayden Manders put on 82 for the first wicket. Furbert scored 58 and Manders 30 as Cory Burgess led the Bridge bowling with two for 18 from five overs.

Cuts play Somerset and Warwick this weekend while Stars face PHC on Saturday and Somerset on Sunday.