Some explosive batting by number seven batsman Roger Blades enabled Police to reach a daunting winning target and defeat visiting Bailey's Bay by two wickets in this exciting Premier Division match at Police field yesterday.

Blades proved to be the saviour for Police by slamming a quick 38 not out at a crucial period and his no-nonsense approach helped his team home with an over to spare. He finished it off in dramatic fashion by hammering Bay's opening bowler Clarkie Trott, who was earlier called for throwing by umpire Alex Virgil, for a six to the long-on boundary.

Victory was reached off the last ball off Trott's 10th and final over. When it came Blades had pounded four sixes and two fours and featured in a vital eighth-wicket stand of 30 with Wayne Clarke (six).

However, Police earlier had even more sensational batting performances coming after Bay's Glenn Smith and skipper Chris Smith had shown their liking for the batting strip with good knocks. The former was the game's top scorer with 78 while the skipper followed with 62.

For Police though Tyrone Smith inspired their fightback with a fine 76, slamming seven sixes and four fours during a stay that lasted just 65 minutes, while opener Ferdinand Thorne struck 49. Smith and skipper Dennis Archer (28) put on 72 for the third wicket, taking the score from 91 for two to 163 when Smith was dismissed.

By then though Police were still in a solid position to challenge Bay and with contributions to follow from Dwayne Leverock (19), Donovan Livingston (19) and Blades, Police managed to scrape home and triumph.

Bay's bowling attack, which struggled last week with Clarkie Trott and Dennis Pilgrim called for throwing by McDonald Swan and Mansfield Smith, toiled for their wickets. Terry Burgess had two for 54 while Charlie Marshall took two for 36.

Glenn Smith earlier dished out punishment to the Police attack with a flourishing knock of 78 that lasted for 90 minutes. He struck seven fours and four sixes.

Skipper Chris Smith had 11 fours in his innings of 62 while Cal Dill was not out with 34, Ricky Hill made 30 and Devrae Hollis 20. Dill and Glenn Smith put on 105 during a seventh-wicket stand.

Tyrone Smith had a fine all-round day by earlier taking three wickets for 35 off l0 overs.

Somerset Bridge 103 St. George's 104-3 Clay Smith followed a fine spell of off-spin bowling with an unbeaten half-century as St. George's went to the top of the Premier Division with a seven-wicket win at White Hill field.

Smith, the fifth bowler used, claimed three for 24 from 10 overs as Bridge collapsed from 47 for one.

Openers Tony Cheeseman and O'Neil Virgil put on 32 after Bridge won the toss and elected to bat. Cheeseman had looked sound but the pair's running between the wicket was always dodgy and it was no surprise when he was run out for 13.

Virgil fell for 14 with the score 47, caught at first slip off Ricky Hodsoll, and David Jones was bowled by Hodsoll for two in his next over.

From there the combination of Smith, Eugene Foggo and then Greg Foggo at the end in his second spell that accounted for the wickets.

Eugene Foggo took one for 16 with a run out also coming while he bowled, and Greg Foggo claimed two for 16 from 5.1 overs.

Bridge's chances of pulling off an upset rested with Jones who extracted much movement with his off-spin.

He had the east-enders in a spot of bother at 37 for two after dismissing Eugene Foggo (two) and Dexter Smith (18), then Sidney Simmons tempted Graham Fox (five) into holing out to long-off to make the score 52 for three.

Hodsoll played a fine supporting role to Clay Smith, the pair encountering little difficulty, especially after Jones (two for 28) had completed his 10-over spell.

Smith hit nine fours in his unbeaten innings of 52.

Hamilton Parish 196 Willow Cuts 155 Wellington Oval is turning out to be an unhappy hunting ground for fourth-placed Willow Cuts after this shock 41-run loss to fourth-from-bottom Hamilton Parish.

Cuts, who lost on this same ground to Bailey's Bay in the Camel Cup semifinals last month, lost the chance to stay two points behind the leaders when Parish picked up on their second win of the season.

Parish had to wait to celebrate when a last-wicket stand of 59 -- Willow Cuts' biggest -- between Joseph Matthews and Vance Gilbert not only put some respectability in their reply but also kept them in the hunt for victory against some slack bowling.

Parish's top three bowlers, Chris Caisey, Cal Burgess and Corey Hill had bowled out their allotted 10 overs, leaving captain Dennis Trott to look to Brian Morris, Quebbie DeShields and Curtis Lee, back for a second spell, to snatch the last wicket.

In the end Lee got the wicket of Matthews when Phillip Burgess took a comfortable catch on the long-off boundary to remove Matthews for a stubborn 37 and seal the win. Gilbert finished 22 not out, the pair having taken the score from 96.

High man for Cuts was Gladwin Edness with 41, which included six boundaries but there was little else in the way of support from the front line batsmen as off-spinner Burgess led the Parish bowling with three for 23 and Caisey, Lee and Hill finished with two wickets apiece.

Edness and Matthews also led the Willow Cuts bowling with Edness taking four for 34 from 9.4 overs of medium-pace while Matthews claimed three for 41 off 10 overs.

Richard Basden, leading Cuts in the absence of his brother Dexter, won the toss and sent the home team in to bat. It was not long before he started to regret that decision as Millard Bean (19) and Cal Burgess (24) put on 44 for the first wicket.

Matthews, who got Bean, followed up with the wickets of Dennis Trott (13) and Phillip Burgess (27) to slow Parish down to 98 for four. But a 72-run fifth-wicket stand between Hill (32) and Irving Burgess (41) frustrated Cuts again before the last six wickets fell for just 26 runs.

WATCH IT -- Terry Burgess has Ferdinand Thorne on the defensive here yesterday, but the tables were later turned when Roger Blades blasted Police to a thrilling victory.