Saturday?s inaugural Kenneth (Mickey) Thompson Super Sevens Memorial Tournament proved a roaring success at White Hill Field.

Glorious sunshine, an encouraging turnout and exciting cricket . . . the new tournament had it all.

At the end of the day Western Counties champions Warwick walked away with the $400 winners? purse and the trophy after defeating PHC by 23 runs in the final.

?It was a good day for the Western Counties. You had your coloured clothing and white ball, the fans were there and there was also some exciting cricket,? enthused Warwick stalwart Daniel Morgan.

Morgan is currently managing the team in the absence of Allan Douglas.

In the final, PHC contained the big bats of Warwick for the most part only to let their opponents off the hook in the final two overs. Warwick blasted 62 for one in their allotted six overs while PHC replied with 39 for three.

Hosts Somerset Bridge narrowly defeated Somerset Cricket Club in the consolation final to grab third place honours.

?From our point of view we used the tournament as a training match,? continued Morgan, who stroked 87 runs the following day to spur Warwick to a three-wicket First Division win over Leg Trappers at Southampton Oval.

?We played the way we basically wanted to play . . . get the bat onto the ball, run between the wicket, get a foundation and then let our big hitters hit. And that?s basically what we did.?

Three players Morgan singled out for praise were youngsters Steven Bremar jr, who belted the leather all around the ground with the confidence of a seasoned campaigner, Lamar Caines and veteran Clarkie Trott who received special mention for his prowess with the ball.

?Everyone had a role to play,? the coach added. ?Our bowlers bowled from wicket to wicket, when we were fielding we restricted the boundaries and attacked the ball. You couldn?t have asked more from the players.?

All five Western Counties clubs were represented in the tournament, honouring the late Mickey Thompson who was lost at sea in 1981, while Somerset Cricket Club were extended a special invitation to participate.

Thompson represented Somerset in the annual Cup Match and also enjoyed playing stints at Bridge and Rangers.

Prizes were presented for individual excellence with Somerset scooping up both awards, all-rounder John Woolnough scoring the most runs (98) and team-mate Shane Hollis taking the most wickets (five for 30), narrowly beating out PHC?s Cal Waldron.

Western Counties Cricket Association vice-president Randy Raynor noted: ?It was a success. The cricket was entertaining on the part of the players and the organisation good as far as having a continuous flow of cricket.

?We thought we might encounter a few hiccups . . . but everyone understood the rules and the schedule.?

Raynor added: ?We hope to make the tournament even bigger. This is now an annual event to honour Mickey Thompson.?

On hand to present the awards were Thompson?s wife, Betty and siblings, former Bermuda Football Association executive Kenny Thompson and current WCCA secretary Kim Jackson.