Sea Breeze Oval (Bailey’s Bay won toss): Bailey’s Bay beat Warwick by 95 runs.

Terryn Fray struck a half century and Kyle Hodsoll claimed four wickets as Bailey’s Bay got their Premier Division 50 Overs campaign off to the perfect start.

Fray produced a captain’s innings as he thumped three fours and a six in a patient knock of 52 to lay the foundation for his team’s total of 184.

Seamer Hodsoll then claimed four for 34 as Warwick fell well shy of their target, and Fray was happy with the victory despite feeling it was not one of his team’s better performances.

“I think it was definitely an early-season performance,” he said. “I think the wicket tested us early as the ball moved around quite a bit, but a few of us got stuck in and reassessed what we felt was a good total, and we fell just shy of what we was going for.”

Despite being dismissed for fewer than 200 runs, Fray was confident he and his team-mates could defend their total, especially on a wicket favouring the bowlers.

“We just felt if the wicket played like how it played for us that it was more than enough, and in the end it was,” he added.

“It played a little better in the second half, but it was some good fielding and tight bowling, which I thought was all right for the first match.”

Fray’s knock in trying conditions was timely as it steadied the ship after Bay were reduced to 64 for four in the seventeenth over.

“It’s nice to get off the mark with a half century,” he said. “The conditions reminded me of playing in the UK the way it was seaming around, somewhere that I did enjoy playing when I was school.

“I just took it as a challenge and started to bat time rather than the overs and I realised once you got in it got a little easier, and then the bowlers started to make some mistakes.”

Fray gave a difficult chance in the covers in the 40s before going on to reach his half century off 83 balls in the 29th over when nudging a single off Malachi Jones in the covers.

The experienced batsman’s 90-ball innings ended after he was caught by wicketkeeper Omari DeShields off the bowling of Jones, but by then the damage had already been done with a vital 69 added for the fifth wicket with wicketkeeper Shakeal Outerbridge (5).

Bay then received further useful contributions from Rodney Trott (22) and Hodsoll (19) lower down the order before losing their final wicket in the 43rd over.

Top-order batsman Azende Furbert (26) was the remaining Bay batsman in double figures, while Warwick leaked 46 extras, including 33 wides.

Opening bowler Luke Fulton led Warwick’s attack with four for 18, Jones took three for 33 and fellow all rounder Kwasi James picked up two for 32.

Warwick got their chase off to the worst possible start as they lost their first four wickets for 43 inside the power play.

Jordan Burgess made the initial breakthrough before new-ball partner Hodsoll trapped Jones for a golden ducking after he played across the line. Hodsoll then had Warwick captain Cory Burgess and Sergio Raynor both grabbed in the covers and Akeem Ible pinned in front leg before.

“I knew from batting first that if I hit the right areas the ball was going to move around the pitch, so basically I just bowled stump to stump,” Hodsoll said.

“The ball was swinging and also cutting once you got it to hit the seam, so the main thing was to get it on the wicket, let it hit the seam and let the wicket assist you. It was definitely a bowler’s wicket.”

James topped Warwick’s batting with 16, with captain Burgess (15) and Luke Horan (13) the only others offering resistance as wickets tumbled throughout the innings at regular intervals.

Off spinner Sharye Tavares, who claimed three for six off just 2.5 overs, and Burgess, who took two for 23, also enjoyed successful outings with the ball for Bay.

“Obviously it was not the result we were looking for,” Warwick captain Burgess said.

“It was definitely a positive to bowl out a team that came second last year but batting-wise we let ourselves down.”