Somerset Bridge 97 Police landed the Champion of Champions title for the first time since 1986 when they beat Somerset Bridge of the Western Counties by 121 runs at St.

David's in yesterday's final.

This match was not nearly as close as Sunday's semi-final when Police dethroned champions Bailey's Bay by just four runs in a thrilling finish.

On both days Police owed their success to sixth wicket partnerships as a stand of 81 between Peter Philpott and Roger Blades on Sunday was followed up by an even bigger one yesterday between Dwayne Leverock and Blades as they again recovered from a bad start.

That stand added 124 and took Police on the brink of their total of 218. After being sent in by Bridge, Police were in early trouble when they lost Donovan Livingston in the fourth over of the match with just 15 on the board. In the 11th, 13th and 16th overs three more wickets went down to some tight bowling to make it 56-4.

Brian Gibbons, introduced in the 11th over, had maiden wickets in his first two overs when he bowled Dennis Archer for 21 and then trapped Ferdinand Thorne for a duck -- his second of the weekend.

Peter Philpott could not produce another innings saving knock as he was fifth out in the 23rd over with 71 on the board.

But middle order resistence did come when Dwayne Leverock, later to be named Man of the Match, and Roger Blades added 124 for the sixth wicket in taking the score to 195 by the 48th over.

Leverock was high man with 70 from five fours and two sixes while Blades, dropped on the long-off boundary by O'Neil Virgil when on one (team total 74-5), made Bridge pay with a dashing 67 which included four fours and four sixes.

Even though Bridge managed to take the last four wickets in the final three overs the damage had already been done as sloppy fielding late in the innings enabled them to score 74 in the last 10 overs.

Perry Maybury, with three of those late wickets, finished with four for 46 from eight overs to lead the bowling for Bridge while Brian Gibbons was rewarded for some tight bowling by claiming two for 25 from 10 unchanged overs.

Bridge also lost an early wicket when Jamie Cann was trapped by Freston Hurdle in the fifth over. More success came in the 12th, 15th and 21st overs and with guest player Jeff Richardson one of them, the odds were already against Bridge fightingback.

Richardson scored just six in his 26 minutes at the crease before being bowled by Blades and when Arnold Manders was caught at long-on by Peter Philpott off Thorne after facing three balls, Police were well in control at 63-5. That soon became 68-6 when David Jones' 90-minute stay ended when he was run out for a top score of 22.

The tail-end was dismissed quickly after that though Gibbons did offer some resistence with 21 in 51 minutes before he was bowled by Leverock to make it 91-9. The end came soon after.

Philpott produced one of his best innings when his 91 enabled Police to beat Bay, 207 to 203-9 in Sunday's semi-final. Philpott and Blades (43) put on 81 for the sixth wicket in taking the score from 36-5 while Freston Hurdle's 16 in the tail-end made sure that the 200 was posted as he and Philpott added 39 for the ninth wicket. Charlie Marshall took the last five wickets on his way to five for 42, coming on in the 30th minute and breaking up the Philpott-Blades partnership in his first over.

Corey Hill made sure of the exciting finish with a dashing 35 late in the Bay innings after their required rate had risen to eight in the final ten overs.

Nine was needed for victory in the final over.

Marshall scored 31, Roger Trott 30 and Irving Romaine (25) but the 43 balls Noel Gibbons needed for his 13 (all singles) slowed up Bay.