Cleveland County player/coach Clay Smith has hailed his team's stunning Premier Division win over Eastern Counties rivals St.David's.

The men from Harris Bay threw cold water on St. David's' Twenty20 victory celebrations at Lords on Sunday when they handed their hosts a two-wicket league loss, scoring the winning runs with just two balls to spare.

St. David's had won the Twenty/20 title less than 24 hours earlier.

And as he's so often done in the past, Smith had a major say in his team's inspiring win, grinding out an unbeaten half-century and sharing in a 143-run, sixth-wicket stand with Carlton (Pluke) Smith who hammered a boundary-filled 79.

Yet rather than blow his own trumpet, Smith lauded his team-mates who executed the game plan with precision.

"For the last two years I have been preaching to my players that they are good enough to compete with any team in Bermuda if they perform as a team," he said. "I preached to them during the off-season that we have a team good enough to compete for the league title if we are willing to work as a team.

"And having won on Sunday I think they finally believe me."

St. David's won the toss and elected to bat but soon found themselves reeling after Cleveland skipper Jason Simons handed the new ball to spinners Dwayne Leverock (two for 29) and his understudy Tamauri Tucker (three for 52).

"Jason and I sat down and came up with a plan to open the bowling with two spinners, and it worked to perfection," Smith added. 'When Chris (Foggo) and Landro (Minors) came out and saw Sluggo (Leverock) opening the bowling you could see in their eyes they were disturbed. And when they saw Tamauri, psychologically it got worse for them because both batsmen like the ball coming on to them."

Cleveland had the Islanders on the ropes at 26 for four but allowed the hosts to escape when the ever dangerous Lionel Cann was dropped early in his innings.

"Had we taken Lionel when he was on two I do not believe they would have seen 100 runs in total," Smith said.

Cann went on to score 69 valuable runs to prop St.David's up to a respectable 243 for nine.

Cleveland, however, were equally as positive in their reply, with veteran opening bat Aaron Adams (31), player/coach Smith and his larger than life namesake inflicting the bulk of the damage with the bat.

"Pluke (Carlton Smith) batted like a Trojan; he is a very experienced player and I must say I was surprised at how clean he hit the ball," Smith said. "With him in the form that he was, it made my job easier.

"It was an amazing knock on his behalf and I must say Aaron (Adams) got us off to a flying start which meant we were able to cruise home."

Smith reckons last weekend's win will have done his players' confidence the world of good and he has now challenged them to maintain high standards.

"This win brings about so much confidence for the boys although realistically it is still very early (in the season)," he said. "Winning brings confidence and I've told my players the more we win the more confidence it will instil.

"I have been down this road before and eventually it gets to a point where you show up to a game thinking who is next because your confidence is sky high. But we must keep our feet on the ground and not get carried away because, as you know, in cricket things can change very fast."

By his own admission Smith struggled at the crease, wielding a bat in his hand for the first time this year.

"I struggled the whole innings and virtually had to grind that innings out," he said. "But I was able to get through it simply by using all my experience.

"Sunday's game was the first time I had held a bat in my hand all year and so my timing and everything was off. But I had a role to play and from experience I just played my role in what was one of the biggest victories of my playing career outside of international cricket, of course."