SOUTHAMPTON Rangers player-coach Janeiro Tucker celebrated a second straight man-of-the-match award in the Belco Cup after leading his team to a record fourth straight victory in the competition last weekend at Lord's.

The two-run victory over St. George's was the narrowest margin of victory in the competition since St. George's beat Bailey's Bay by 11 runs in the 1988 final. The east enders, supposedly the weakest of the four teams in the competition, came agonisingly close to defying the odds and winning their sixth title after Herbie Bascome and Rudell Pitcher set up a thrilling climax with an eighth wicket stand of 68 to take St. George's from 129 for seven to within 12 runs of the winning target.

With the chance to win the match with ones and twos, Bascome, however, went for one big hit too many and was caught on the square leg boundary by Dion Stovell. At 187 for eight the pressure was now on St. George's as Pitcher was trapped lbw by Keith Wainwright six runs later and Gregg Foggo and Jadé Foggo were left to score the required runs. The pressure proved too much as the east enders fell just short and left their fans stunned into silence.

"They (St. George's fans) were singing that it was over," said Janeiro Tucker who admits the wicket of Bascome was decisive.

"I felt for those guys, they put themselves in the best possible position that they could have put themselves in¿and then to lose it at the end. It (Bascome's shot) did surprise me because we had a guy right out there."

Now instead of having two more overall wins than Rangers, St. George's are sharing five wins with Rangers as the most successful teams in the competition.

"If Herbie had stayed there he would have executed the victory for them," Tucker acknowledged.

"Herbie has the experience but once he got out I told the guys 'we have a chance of getting this game'. We would have had to bring the field in but leave somebody on the boundary to cover the four, but that was all we could have done."

There were several key developments in the game as Rangers posted 198 off 46.2 overs. That they got to that total was down to their dogged determination in the tail end where Ryan Belboda, more known for his bowling, shared in two important late stands which added 46 for the last two wickets.

Rangers were pegged back at 152 for eight after Troy Hall produced a spectacular low diving catch in the covers to hold onto Wainwright's full-blooded drive. Three wickets went down for just two runs during that period but Belboda and wicketkeeper Kerry Tucker frustrated St. George's with a last wicket stand of 27.

Form suggested the target might be too steep for St. George's, even though they chased 184 to beat St. David's by five wickets the day before. After all, this was a St. George's team that only managed 28 against St. David's two weeks earlier.

However, they came into this competition with a new coach in former Cup Match all rounder Noel Gibbons and a new determination to silence their critics.

Rangers were certainly not about to take them lightly. "Any time St. George's play Rangers it is always a good game," said Tucker.

"You can look back to the past ten years when there have always been low scoring games and it's been hard for both teams to get over. Even last year we knocked St. George's down for something like 120 and we got 120-something for nine. I think it's a mental thing that we need to get over. They have some good bowlers, their bowling is their strength."

However, their batting showed signs of coming good in the final when they posted 40 for the first wicket (thanks mainly to some generosity in the extras column). Soon they were 63 for three as captain Oronde Bascome and Ryan Steede both paid the price for loose shots. But a fourth wicket stand of 40 between Troy Hall and Machai Simmons posted the 100 and promised to set up the victory.

Then Janeiro Tucker produced a spectacular piece of fielding to run out Simmons with a direct throw from the covers. A comfortable position of 103 for three quickly became 129 for seven as the key wicket of Hall went for 26. Herbie Bascome brought them from the brink with his top score of 44 but his departure undid all the hard work.

Continued on Page 13