Western Stars maintained their hold on second place with a 41-run victory at Somerset Cricket Club on Sunday after Willow Cuts blew a good chance for victory and subsequently their slim chance of a Camel Cup place.

Champions Stars maintained a mathematical chance of overhauling St. George's but the current league leaders, who beat PHC on Sunday, only need one victory from remaining matches against Police and winless Warwick to wrap it up.

Cuts did well to keep the visitors to 169 but wasted a good start, which saw Dexter Basden and Dwayne Basden put on 51 for the first wicket. The pair departed in successive overs, Dwayne for nine and Dexter for 40 as spinners Arnold Manders and Wayne Richardson got the breakthrough.

Cuts lost another wicket in the 50s and two more in the 70s as Stars quickly had them in deep trouble at 79 for five. A valuable sixth-wicket stand of 40 between Richard Basden (31) and Rodney Fubler (15) took Cuts past the 100 mark before the Stars spinners, this time Hasan Durham and Andre Manders, struck to finish off the tail.

Richardson and Durham claimed three for 24 and three for nine respectively while brothers Arnold and Andre Manders claimed two wickets each for 30 and three runs respectively. Another Manders, wicket-keeper Anthony, had three stumpings.

Earlier, Arnold rescued Stars from deep trouble at 17 for three and then 54 for six with a top knock of 65 before being seventh out when the score was 115. Captain Gary Brangman scored 26 not out in the tail-end while Anthony Manders hit 16 and last man Dwayne Steede 12 as he and his captain put on 25 for the 10th wicket.

Five Cuts bowlers claimed two wickets; Rodney Fubler (two for 17), Vance Gilbert (two for 24), Dexter Basden (two for 27), Joseph Matthews (two for 32) and Trevor Dickinson (two for 19).

Warwick 72 Social Club 73-5 Social Club celebrated their first victory of the season and in so doing lifted themselves off the bottom of the tables with their five-wicket triumph over Warwick at St. John's field.

The teams went into the game firmly entrenched at the bottom of the tables, Social Club holding down last place with 12 straight defeats and Warwick second from the bottom with a victory from 12 outings.

The troubles of the two teams were evident from the start when Warwick showed up with just nine players and Social Club with 10. And it was no surprise when this battle between the lowly teams was concluded by 4.30p.m.

Social Club emerged from the game with honours, thanks to a fine all-round performance by Cecil Tucker who scored 19 not out and snatched two wickets for 13 runs.

Social Club's bowling attack though was spearheaded by Earlston Wolffe who had three for 11 off 6.1 overs and two maidens. Cal Grimes also had a fine spell with two wickets for 18 off five overs.

The spirited bowling attack had Warwick struggling early at 20 for four before Frank Morgan and skipper Hoyt Zuill put on 37 for the fifth wicket. Morgan was top bat with 24 while Zuill hit 12.

Opening batsman Grimes led Social Club's reply with 21 runs, adding 27 with Tucker for the third wicket. Although five wickets fell, Social Club were able to reach victory without much sweat. Johnny Nusum tried to deny them with two for 14 off six overs.

Cleveland 262-8 Police 80 Cleveland kept alive their hopes of a first Camel Cup appearance next season when they hammered Police by 182 runs at Sea Breeze Oval to remain in fourth place.

However, Police, past league champions, will struggle to finish in the top half of the standings as their eighth loss in 13 matches leaves them four points adrift of eighth-placed Willow Cuts in 10th place.

Police had some early success on the field when they removed openers Wayne Smith and Peter Philpott in the fourth and 10th overs with just 45 runs on the board.

Good contributions after that from the likes of Grant Smith, Allan Douglas and Curtis Jackson laid the foundation for Cleveland's big total as Smith hit six fours and a six in his 42, Douglas scored 58, including four sixes and three fours and Curtis Jackson 43. He hit three fours and two sixes.

Captain Dennis Archer was the top bowler for Police with three for 32. After a bad start in which they lost their first two wickets for 20 runs, Police recovered to 57 for three before another slump saw them in deep trouble at 59 for five.

Ronald Greenidge and Michael Jackman edged the score along to 75 before Philpott and Del Hollis finished them off with some penetrative spin bowling as the last three wickets fell for just one run. Last man Kenny Bourne did not bat because of an injury.

Dwayne Leverock was high man for Police with 22 while Ferdinand Thorne with 16 and Greenidge 14 were the other batsmen in double figures.

Hollis, who took two wickets in his first over, finished with five for 11 from 5.2 overs while Philpott took his two wickets in his final over to finish with two for 23 from nine.

St. David's 94 Bailey's Bay 95-1 Ricky Hill produced his best all-round performance of the season to make it two impressive wins over St. David's in eight days, as the visitors went back to Lord's on Sunday and comfortably won by nine wickets.

Hill, the fourth bowler used by the new Eastern Counties champions, grabbed five wickets for 33 runs from nine overs of medium pace as the home team were skidded out for just 94 in 29.4 overs.

St. David's were 50 for two when Hill got his first wicket -- that of James Pace for 16. Before long the score slumped to 74 for seven with Hill having three of the wickets.

He then assured there would be no tail-end resistance by removing the most stubborn of the St. David's batsmen, number three Oliver Pitcher for a top score of 28, in making it 89 for eight.

Pitcher had come to the wicket at 12.36 p.m. and finally departed at 2.12 p.m.

when Hill trapped him lbw. Opener Allen Richardson, with 14, was the only other St. David's batsman in double figures.

Supporting Hill with wickets were openers Clarkie Trott with two for 23 from six overs and Noel Gibbons with two for 17 from 8.4. Jermaine Outerbridge took one for 18.

Hill also led from the front with the bat, stroking five fours and two sixes in his 55 not out. Hill and captain Chris Smith (24) put on 70 for the first wicket before Hill also dominated the scoring in the 25 runs he and Charlie Marshall put on for the second wicket when he reached the half-century mark.

Marshall did not to get off the mark.

PHC 115 St. George's 117-1 St. George's took another step toward an inevitable league championship with a nine-wicket victory over PHC at White Hill field.

PHC hurt their own cause by showing up with only 10 players, but then battled bravely against vast odds.

Skipper Kevin Dill top-scored with 32, which included a six and a four, before he chased down the wicket at spinner David Adams and was easily stumped.

St. George's thought Dill's dismissal at 82 for eight would lead to early relief from the sun but last pair Lyle Millett and Neil Anglin combined to frustrate them.

The two added 33 before Millett (21) skied Eugene Foggo to acting captain Graham Fox at cover. Anglin finished on 13 not out. The others to reach double figures were Antoine Greene and Ty Williams, both with 14.

Adams was the best bowler for St. George's with five for 33 from 10 overs.

Foggo took two for 28 from 9.5 overs.

St. George's only batting lapse came when Dexter Smith was caught at slip off Anglin for 29 with the score 41.

Troy Hall scored 32 not out and Clay Smith made 40 not out as the east-enders completed the victory in the 33rd over.

Devonshire Rec. 245 Somerset CC 90 A nine-man Somerset team were decisively beaten at Devonshire Rec. field with captain Albert Steede slamming 78 and spinner Bruce Perinchief taking five wickets for 19.

The two spearheaded the home team to a 155-run victory with Steede striking six fours and two sixes in his 125 minutes at the crease in which he faced 116 balls. The victory kept Devonshire thick in the race for a place in the Camel Cup competition.

Lloyd Morrison followed Steede's knock with a brisk 55 (five fours and two sixes) while Erskine Smith scored 18 and Mark Ray 12. Steede and Ray put on 46 for the second wicket, joining up after opener Donald Norford (8) was out with 29 runs to the total.

Charles Swan and skipper Perry Maybury each took two for 25 for the visitors while Kevin Saunders and Dwight Basden also grabbed two. Basden conceded 33 runs from four overs while Saunders gave up 51 runs off just five overs.

Somerset were dismissed in 30 overs with only their first three batsmen offering any resistance.

Openers Dwight Basden ((11) and Vance Brown (33) put on 29 runs and after Kevin Saunders contributed 13 and helped to take the score to 45, there was little in the way of contribition from any other batsman.

Perinchief did the damage to the meagre batting line-up by turning in one of his best bowling performances of the season during a spell of eight overs which included one maiden. Anthony Amory had two for 12 off five overs with one maiden.

Southampton 227 Flatts 141 Southampton kept alive their hopes of a spot in next year's Camel Cup with an emphatic 86-run victory over lowly Flatts, who appeared to be just going through the motions.

Skipper Ricky Brangman and opening batsman Keith Wainwright were the chief architects of the destruction. The pair engaged in a 90-run third-wicket partnership that laid the foundation for the home side's total.

Wainwright hit six fours in his 47, while Brangman hammered a feeble Flatts attack for 81 runs, including three sixes and five fours.

Others with significant contributions were Darren Burchall (27) and Kwame Tucker (23), helping Rangers to 227.

Four bowlers claimed two wickets apiece for Flatts, with Derek Wright two for 35, Brandon Woolridge two for 38, Gerald Sims two for 56 and Andrew Richardson two for 23. Floyd Smith got the other wicket.

Troy Bean turned up in time to bat for Flatts, having not been there to help his team on the field, and ended up as his team's second highest score with 23 behind Troy Dean's 28.

Flatts' chances were effectively scuttled by the medium-pace of Michael Brangman, who seized four wickets at a cost of 27 runs after being the fifth bowler used.

Meanwhile, Garry Williams weighed in with two for 40 and Clevie Wade had two for 45.

Somerset Bridge won by default over Hamilton Parish in a match scheduled for Wellington Oval.