Bailey's Bay 242-6

St. David's 196-6

St. David's successfully retained the Eastern Counties crown with a draw in what was indeed a drawn out affair against arch-rivals Bailey's Bay at Lord's on Saturday.

Bay did their part, posting a tantalising target of 242 for six, based largely on a vintage century by guest player and former skipper, Charlie Marshall.

The champions, after an opening flurry, struggled in reply, and in the end found themselves fighting to save the match and hold onto the trophy, as the match petered out.

"Bailey's Bay were very tough opponents today, they really put us in a hole, whereby we basically had to save the game at the end of it," said St. David's player/coach/captain Clay Smith afterwards. "With one or two more wickets, for instance, if Charlie would have held the chance I gave, they would have had a really good chance of winning it.

"They had us with our backs against the wall and we really had to fight to pull out a draw."

Smith came in at number five to partner Chris Foggo with the total 80 for three, representing the last truly recognised batsman.

Smith and Foggo resolutely rebuilt the innings, putting on 63 for the fourth wicket with Foggo the dominant partner in registering a ravishing 93, the opener plundering Bay's attack for on a wicket of true bounce.

The teenager finally fell to a fine over-the-shoulder catch by Bermuda Under-19 squad team-mate Stephen Outerbridge at 143.

Bay's position was further strengthened by the subsequent dismissals of Sammy Robinson (13) and the dangerous Lionel Cann (six), but were made to rue the dropping of Smith before the batsman had reached double figures, as he and Delyone Borden put the shutters up, managing to hold out until bad light was offered at 7.30 p.m. Smith wound up unbeaten on 37, while Borden remained on two.

Anthony Braithwaite took three for 58 to lead Bay's attack, but found little support. David Lovell, Noel Gibbons and Dennis Pilgrim shared three wickets between them, but more was needed.

"We missed a couple of valuable catches in the middle of the day," said stand-in skipper Irving Romaine in reflection. "We dropped Clay, and that was a big catch to miss.

"I mean, we caught Sammy two balls later, but I'd rather have left Sammy at the wicket and take Clay any time.

"Also our bowling wasn't up to par. Braithwaite's a bowler that can bowl good one time, but you never know what to expect. We took a chance in putting him in the team and it failed, and that hurt us today. We needed him to come up big today and he came up short."

Smith, meanwhile, heaped great praise on his younger members, particularly Foggo and Borden, who certainly rescued the Islanders on this day.

"Chris Foggo played one of the best innings I've seen in a long time.

"The boy has arrived," said Smith. "He and Delyone Borden, who came in at a critical stage and was able to withstand the pressure, both have risen to great heights at early ages and St. David's can expect a lot of great things from these youngsters."

Foggo was expectedly proud of his own performance, but was more happy that the team had persevered in the face of adversity.

"I'm proud of myself for the knock, but moreso I'm proud of my team," said Foggo. "It's not easy to defend every year, and we're doing it with youngsters, so it makes it all the more remarkable.

"It was the youngsters who came in late and saved the game when we lost wickets, that along with my early knock you have to look at, so you have to give praise to the youth and to our skipper Clay Smith.

"I try to bat the same every time I bat and not change, so when a bad ball comes I look to put it away no matter what position I may be in, because it needs to be put away.

"I was looking to get off the mark in terms of my first hundred. I got 90, and I'm looking to get there again in my next innings and go all the way."

Earlier in the day Charlie Marshall proved a savoury main course at the massive banquet with an exquisite knock of 122, combining all the virtues of batsmanship.

Patience and persistence combined with dead set aggression and purpose saw Marshall produce one of the finest knocks in competition history, in what is the career twilight of the one of the all-time local greats.

Coming in with the score at 38 for two, Marshall set about exorcising any notions the champions may have had of an early day, per Flatts during the last round, dispensing with anything loose while building an innings of true class.

After losing first partner Dennis Trott for 21, with the total 55, Marshall found a more than willing ally in the form Bermuda Under-19 team captain Stephen Outerbridge (43), as they added 121 for the fourth wicket.

Marshall was finally sixth out at 242, a victim of paceman Dale Fox, who ended witth figures of five for 55.

Romaine promptly declared, offering St. David's all the incentive to chase victory, a challenge initially accepted, but ultimately abandoned in favour of safety.

"The total that I declared at gave him a chance to win the game," said Romaine. "If he wanted to win the game he could have done that easily.

"He obviously went after the draw, and then he took the bad light.

"I gave him a teasing total so he could do whatever he wanted."

Cleveland stand as the thi rd and final challengers, but will have to wait two weeks before for their opportunity.