Southampton 196 An excellent all-round performance by Janeiro Tucker wasn't enough to prevent Southampton Rangers slipping to a 48-run defeat against Cleveland at Southampton Oval yesterday.

Tucker dismissed the visitors' three most dangerous batsmen as Cleveland made a challenging 244, their last wicket falling with 2.5 of their 50 overs left.

Then he slammed seven sixes and nine fours as he hit 96 in a stay of 105 minutes in a vain attempt to put his side in with a chance.

Tucker and captain Olin Jones had put the reins on an impressive Cleveland start in which openers Carlton Smith (40) and Curtis Jackson (45) added 92 for the first wicket.

Chesley Wisinghie caught Smith and Jackson was stumped by Kwame Tucker off Jones as Cleveland lost four wickets for three runs.

But Allan Douglas and Aaron Adams set about re-establishing the Cleveland innings, adding 66 in their partnership. Douglas went for 44, but Adams, who hit one six and six fours in a fine 69, stayed with the tail to guide them to 244 before Tucker bowled him to complete figures of 3-39 from his ten overs.

Medium pacer Jones snapped up an equally impressive 4-39.

Keith Wainwright (28) and Kwame Tucker (15) gave Rangers a solid early reply, adding 41 for the first wicket, but after Curtis Jackson had accounted for the first four batsmen with the score reaching 98, only Janeiro Tucker offered any resistance as the last six in the Rangers order were wiped away for a combined effort of ten.

Jason Simons was the executioner, his six overs of medium pace being rewarded with an astonishing return of 6-17 -- four of his victims suffering the indignity of being clean bowled. Jackson's four wickets in his nine over stint cost him 62 runs.

Flatts 188 Willow Cuts 182 Kevin Hurdle produced a tight spell of quick bowling to help Flatts squeeze home by six runs in their opening Premier League game against Willow Cuts at Somerset.

Hurdle grabbed the early wickets of Dexter Basden and Jermaine Warner as Cuts slumped to 15-4 in reply to Flatts' 188 all out.

But more importantly he made scoring difficult, finishing with 2-20 from his alloted ten overs. Gladwin Edness (40) and Shannon Warner (45) put the home side back in with a chance, along with a useful contribution from Ossie Hinds who scored 24 batting at number ten.

However, Troy Dean held three important late catches to add to the early wicket of Dwayne Basden and a crucial half-century which, with efforts from Hervonnie Baker (36) and Gershon Gibbons (34) formed the foundation of Flatts' total.

Michael Burgess and Dwayne Leverock took two wickets apiece to eat away at Cuts' progression, while Kenny Maybury was the most successful bowler for the home team with 4-42 from his ten-over spell.

St. George's 165 Warwick 100 Warwick had a good opportunity to inflict the first major upset of the new season, but their batsmen never came good at Wellington Oval.

After restricting St. George's to 165 in 40 overs, with veteran strike bowler Hoyt Zuill taking three for 29 off 10 overs, Warwick could only manage 100 themselves as Mark Ray, Earl Richardson and Eugene Foggo claimed seven wickets between them.

Foggo was the top bat for St. George's with 31 while opening partner Dexter Smith and tail-ender Richardson each scored 17 and Philip Pitcher 18.

Reginald Pitcher, Ritchie Foggo and Quinton King each took two wickets to support Zuill, Pitcher giving up 16 runs in nine overs, Foggo 29 in nine and King nine in his only over.

Spinner Eugene Foggo was also the pick of the St. George's bowlers, taking three for 21 in 8.2 overs while Richardson claimed two for 13 on his debut and Mark Ray two for 14.