PHC 173

Willow Cuts 174-6

Willow Cuts may have little to shout about in the Premier League this season but they are hollering hard in the Western Counties competition.

Richard Basden and company continued their impressive run in the latter tournament on Saturday with a third successive victory that has catapulted them into the August 23 final against Warwick.

The champions maintained their unbeaten streak with a four-wicket win against hapless PHC at White Hill Field. Opting to bat first, PHC were dismissed on the penultimate ball of their 50 overs for 173 to which Cuts replied with 174 for six in 46.2 overs.

Cuts' success was truly an all-round team effort. Charles Swan and guest players, Jacobi Robinson and Wendell White, combined to skittle out PHC before White, skipper Basden and Michael Corday produced some middle-order heroics with the bat.

Two partnerships - 60 between Corday and White for the fourth wicket and 45 between Corday and Basden for the fifth wicket - anchored Cuts' innings after a bad start saw them on 20 for three. However, when Corday fell for 34 to make the score 128 for five there was still some hope in the PHC camp.

That increased with the quick departure of Bergon Spencer Jr - out to a fantastic sliding catch by 16-year-old Taurean Manders at mid-on - but ice-cool Robinson partnered his captain in an unbroken 37 to see Cuts to safety.

Interestingly, the winning run came compliments of a wide by PHC guest player Hasan Durham.

Basden was left not out 45 (two fours) while Robinson made an unbeaten 11. Earlier, White contributed 43 (four fours).

Shoron Hunt was the pick of PHC's bowling attack taking two for 29 from nine overs while Neil Anglin, Andre Manders, Arthur Richards and Durham took one wicket each.

When PHC took first knock, Andre Manders led the batting with 53 (two fours, one six) while Gerald Simons and Durham chipped in with 34 and 27 respectively. Robinson snapped up four wickets for 28 runs in 9.5 overs while Swan took three for 27 off ten overs and White two for 42 off nine overs. Basden also bowled a tidy ten overs, taking one for 22.

"We're glad we got a chance to play but we didn't have enough runs - that always leads to our demise. But we defended what we had well," said PHC captain Cal Waldron, alluding to the fact that rain had denied his team a chance to play in the competition for the past two years.

Basden, whose team are perilously close to joining PHC in relegation from the Premier League, was understandably jubilant that results are going their way in the Counties race.

"Persistence pays off. It was not really a big target and we batted well to get it. As long as you keep batting the runs will come. Michael (Corday) and Wendell (White) batted well."

The captain praised his guest players in particular, saying Robinson "bowled excellently" and that he (Robinson) and White "are big-day players".