Southampton Oval (Warwick won toss): Warwick beat Southampton Rangers by two wickets.

On the strength of a determined team effort Warwick extended Southampton Rangers’ losing streak to three consecutive games with a two-wicket victory at Southampton Oval in their Athene T20 League Premier Division affair.

Omari DeShields emerged as the all-conquering hero, his knock of 20, including a six off Rangers’ medium pacer Charles Trott’s third ball of the final over sending the Warwick camp into delirious celebration.

“I just saw the ball and knew I had to let it go, because we needed the runs,” said DeShields, who crashed the winning runs over the square-leg boundary fence. “ We needed for me to hit to win the game and that’s what I did.”

Asked if the result was any more special due to it coming against his club’s arch rivals, DeShields showed little favour.

“It would be special against any team, a win’s a win,” added DeSheilds after expertly shepherded the tail, controlling much of the strike and harbouring no fear of the opposing attack.

A little more nervous in the situation was 14-year-old Luke Horan, who was passed over when ready to come in at No 9 in favour of Jodi Maroni, who lasted two balls and scored no runs, leaving captain Cory Burgess no choice but to send Horan.

But the Warwick Academy student showed nerves of steel, as he played the perfect foil to DeShields, while fending off all the late pressure thrust upon him.

“I wasn’t upset when they sent Maroni in before me, because he can hit bigger than me and once I got in I was just trying to get Omari on strike with every ball I faced,” said Horan. “My focus was to take quick singles and get a run each ball, which was what we needed.”

Earlier Malachi Jones had top scored against his former side, with 27 at the opening position.

Rangers threatened to the end, with a determined Dion Stovell causing problems with his variety of breaks, cutters and arm balls, claiming three for 20, while Tayo Smith took a similar amount of wickets with his medium pace, but neither could do enough.

The end certainly was not one which Rangers might have bargained for, having consistently been regarded ahead of Warwick.

After losing their last two matches and falling out of contention for the Athene T20 Premier Division title, Warwick may have appeared to some as the perfect remedy to a poor run.

“This was really satisfying and I’m just thankful to the team, our coach and the management for the support and courage they showed today,” said captain, Cory Burgess. “I’m thankful to the youth [DeShields and Horan] who brought it home today and we have to give special praise to them.

“Those two showed a lot of fight and commitment at the end. We couldn’t asked for any better.”

The home side’s loss was not for a lack of effort from a suddenly in-form Dalin Richardson – demonstrating the talent that once gave reason for his selection as Under-19 Bermuda captain – who stood as the immoveable object, throughout Rangers’ innings.

His bat quiet for much of the season and his leadership largely subdued in the presence of veteran, senior players, Richardson followed up the near half-century scored on Saturday in a losing cause, with an mature 50 today.

Rather than simply seek to overpower the bowling with muscle, Richardson mixed in heaping portions of finesse, showing off a repertoire of offside cuts, productive forward prods into gaps and even a few leg-side glances for good measure, with his 50 coming with a leg- side flick for two.

Richardson accumulated his runs more via his ability to run between the wickets, rather than in the rapidity of boundaries, his tally including a mere two fours and a single six.

Ultimately Richardson fell with three balls left, while attempting to lift Luke Fulton over the long-on boundary, but not making the full connection, and having the ball fall into the welcome grasp of Cory Burgess, running in from deep.

Other than the captain, only Dion Stovell managed double figures, with 11.

Fulton and Cory Burgess enjoyed good days in the field, the former returning figures of three for 19, while the latter ended with three wickets at a cost of 26 runs. Malachi Jones and Jodi Maroni each took one wicket.

Southampton

D Stovell c Butterfield b Fulton 11

K Wilson c DeShields b Jones 2

*D Richardson c Burgess b Fulton 50

C Trott c Jones b Burgess 5

K Tucker b Maroni 9

+G Simons b Fulton 8

T Smith b Burgess 1

M Jacobs run out 0

S Raynor lbw b Burgess 1

V Eve not out 4

Extras (b-5, lb-3, w-20) 28

Total: (9 wkts; 19.3 overs) 119

Fall of wickets: 1-9; 2-15, 3-38, 4-61, 5-88, 6-108, 7-111, 8-113, 9-119.

M Bean did not bat.

Bowling: Fulton 4-0-22-0 3.3-0-19-3; Jones 4-0-25-1; Burgess 4-1-26-3; Horan 4-0-22-0: Maroni 4-0-29-1.

Warwick

M Jones c Stovell b Richardson 27

J Butterfield lbw b Stovell 0

K Swan c and b Richardson 11

*C Burgess c Jacobs b Richardson 9

A Ible c Wilson b Eve 6

K Butterfield run out 9

+O DeShields not out 20

J Maroni b Stovell 0

L Horan not out 8

Extras (b-2, lb-2, w-20) 24

Total: (8wkts; 19.3 overs) 122

Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-37, 3-56, 4-58, 5-76, 6-79, 7-94, 8-94.

J Joel and L Fulton did not bat

Bowling: Stovell 4-0-20-3; Trott 3.3-0-25-0; Smith 4-0-25-0; Richardson; Eve 4-0-25-1.

Umpires: S Caines, A Cumberbatch

ATHENE T20 PREMIER DIVISION

PW L T NR Pts NRR

St George’s 7 7 0 0 0 70 3.889

Bailey’s Bay7 6 1 0 0 60 0.934

W Stars 8 4 4 0 0 40 0.808

Somerset 844 0 0 40 -0.637

South’ton 8 350 0 30 -0.747

Warwick 826 0 0 20 -1.541

Cleveland 8 1 7 0 0 10 -1.662