Lord’s (Southampton Rangers won toss): Southampton Rangers (10pts) beat Bailey’s Bay by 77 runs

Southampton Rangers got their Twenty20 Premier Division title charge back on track with a comfortable victory over Bailey’s Bay yesterday.

Having slipped to their first defeat of the season against title rivals St David’s last weekend, Rangers produced the perfect response, setting up an all but inevitable victory with a devastating display with the bat.

Electing to bat, the league leaders set a daunting total of 208 for seven, with Tre Manders (65) and Janeiro Tucker (57 not out) leading the way. To add further woe to Bay, a further six penalty runs was added to total for a slow over rate, making the revised total for victory 215.

In reality a successful chase down of the target always appeared inconceivable and so it ultimately proved despite the defiant best efforts of opener Coolidge Durham (61).

To their credit, Bay batted out until the nineteenth over, reaching 137 despite only Cameron Jeffers (36) and captain Terryn Fray (15) the only other batsmen to reach double figures.

“This was a must win game for us,” said Tucker, whose knock of 57 not out came off of 29 balls including five sixes.

“Especially after last week, which was really bad. We didn’t do anything positive in the St David’s game so to come back and get everything right is a real positive.

“If you score 200 in a Twenty20 match you’re pretty much batting the opposition out of the game and that’s what we did.”

A sizeable total looked in doubt early on for Rangers as captain Malachi Jones (0) was caught off the bowling of Sancho Jackson with just the fourth delivery.

Dion Stovell (19) and Manders set about steadying the innings before the former was clean bowled by Zeko Burgess in the seventh over with the total at 59. Allan Douglas Jr (11) came and went in the space of less than two overs but Charles Trott (28) added a valuable contribution before being bowled by Durham with the score at 115 for four after 12.2 overs.

That brought Tucker to the crease and by the time Manders finally fell during the sixteenth over, the total had surpassed 150. Tucker persevered, seeing out the innings alongside the likes of Nijiyah Raynor (4), Jaloni Albuoy (1) and Lamont Brangman 4 (not out) as Rangers surpassed the 200-mark for the first time this season.

Much like Rangers, Bay’s innings got off to a disastrous start in reply as opener Zeko Burgess (2) was bowled by Nirobi Jones without seeing out the first over.

Things went from bad to worse as Jarryd Richardson (1) departed just an over later with the total on just five.

Fray joined Durham at the crease with the pair recovering the innings, taking the total to 58 before the former was caught off the bowling of Brangman.

Jeffers entered the fray and added some much needed resistance, however once Durham also fell victim to Brangman in the twelfth over with the score four short of 100, any hopes of an already unlikely victory quickly vanished.

Jeffers continued chipping away at the target, however with Dayon Swan (3), Jordan Burgess (1), Lazai Outerbridge (0) and Kazhi Sealey (2) all falling victim to Tucker in the space of four overs without making much of a contribution, his efforts were ultimately in vain.

Jahre Blakeney (2) and Sancho Jackson (0) both and went cheaply as Bay were bowled out for 137 with an over still remaining. Tucker finished with an impressive four wicket haul, giving up nine runs in a three over spell, while Brangman and Raynor both finished with two wickets apiece.

Southampton Rangers

D Stovell b Z Burgess 19

*M Jones c J Richardson b S Jackson 0

T Manders run out (Z Burgess) 65

A Douglas b C Jeffers 11

C Trott b C Durham 28

J Tucker not out 57

N Raynor b J Burgess 4

† J Albuoy b S Jackson 1

L Brangman not out 4

Extras: (w 4, nb 2, b 8, lb 5, pen 6) 25

Total (7 wkts; 20 overs) 214

N Mills, T Smith did not bat

Fall of Wickets: 7-1, 59-2, 75-3, 115-4, 153-5, 177-6, 178-7

Bowling: S Jackson 4-0-50-2; J Burgess 4-0-34-1; Z Burgess 4-0-33-1; J Blakeney 4-0-29-0; C Jeffers 2-0-28-1; C Durham 2-0-21-1;

Bailey’s Bay

Z Burgess b N Mills 2

C Durham c A Douglas b L Brangman 61

J Richardson c A Douglas b T Smith 1

*T Fray c M Jones b L Brangman 15

C Jeffers not out 36

D Swan b J Tucker 3

J Burgess lbw b J Tucker 1

L Outerbridge c M Jones b J Tucker 0

K Sealey b J Tucker 2

J Blakeney c T Smith b Raynor 2

S Jackson c T Manders b N Raynor 0

Extras (w 9, nb 1, b 1, lb 3) 14

Total (10 wkts; 19 overs) 137

Jahzico White, Jatorre Burgess did not bat

Fall of Wickets: 2-1, 5-2, 58-3, 96-4, 115-5, 122-6, 122-7, 133-8, 136-9, 137-10

Bowling: N Mills 3-0-16-1; T Smith 4-0-26-1; C Trott 3-0-32-0; L Brangman 2-0-24-2; M Jones 3-0-23-0; J Tucker 3-0-9-4; N Raynor 1-0-3-2;