Clay Smith continued in his rich vein of form as league leaders St. George's chalked up their ninth straight win at Devonshire Rec. field yesterday.

Smith was out minutes before the end of the end, but his fifth half-century of the season was largely responsible for the east-enders emerging victorious after an uncertain start.

St. George's lost their first two wickets for 19 runs but Smith and skipper Graham Fox (30) started the recovery by putting on 41, then Dean Minors (32 not out) added 69 with the Island's top run-getter to put the issue beyond doubt.

Smith struck eight fours and two sixes in his knock of 61 while Minors, who ended the match with a monstrous six, also had four fours.

Troy Bean claimed two for 42 for Flatts, who were beaten for the first time at their adopted home field. Maxwell Lawrence was Flatts' top bowler with one for 33 from 10 overs.

Two partnerships made Flatts competitive for a spell as opener Andrew Richardson and Troy Bean added 30 for the fifth wicket and late-arriving skipper Rodney Woolridge and Gerald Sims put on 43 for the ninth wicket.

Woolridge, who batted at number seven, made 39 before he was last out, having hit two sixes and four fours.

Troy Bean struck a lusty 20 while Richardson and Sims both made 14. David Adams claimed five for 42 from 10 overs, Greg Foggo two for 23 and Kenny Phillips two for 29.

Somerset 120 St. David's 124-3 Somerset never recovered from a slow start in which 27 runs came in the first 12 overs, and in the end their 120 from 43.1 overs never posed much of a problem for St. David's at Lord's.

Roger Hunt tried to quicken the run rate with five fours in his 33 after Dwight Basden had scored 23 of the first 27 runs in a slow opening stand with Cordell Gilbert.

Winston Reid, Perry Maybury, James Swan and youngster Omar Amory all went cheaply before Toriano Davis tried to improve them from 80 for seven with a stubborn 15 not out.

St. David's restricted the west-enders to 99 for nine before Davis and Charles Swan (10) added 21 for the 10th wicket to post the 100.

Sammy Robinson, just back from youth team duty in Denmark, claimed three for 27 from nine overs while Allen Richardson took three for 14 in seven overs.

Somerset kept themselves in the match with the early wickets of Reginald Pitcher and Oliver Pitcher in the second and sixth overs with just two runs on the board. And after Lionel Cann departed for 12 when the score was 20, it was left to Shea Pitcher (51) and Richardson (44) to put on 104 for the fourth wicket to complete the victory.

St. David's were led by Herbie Bascome in the absence of the injured James Pace.

Social Club 144 Hamilton Parish 148-4 Michael Burgess claimed four for 21 from eight overs and then Irving Burgess stroked 56 and Quinn Outerbridge 42 to lead Hamilton Parish to a comfortable six-wicket win over Social Club at Wellington Oval.

Burgess, the sixth bowler used by Parish, caused problems to the Social Club batsmen with his off-breaks as the visitors failed to capitalise on a good start, which saw Thomas Brangman (32) and Caldon Grimes (34) put on 72 for the second wicket in 20 overs after they lost their first wicket in the third over.

Wickets fell regularly after Brangman and Grimes departed in the space of three runs and only Earlston Wolffe with 17 and tail-ender Dwayne Adams with 11 not out offered any resistance.

Supporting Burgess in the bowling was opener Chris Caisey with three for 13 from 10 overs.

Parish also lost their first wicket cheaply, when Michael Burgess departed on 21. But a second-wicket stand of 86 between Outerbridge and Irving Burgess paved the way before captain Dennis Trott with 27 not out completed the triumph. Thomas Brangman was the top bowler for Social Club with two for 24.