Devonshire Recreation Club (Tuff Dogs won toss): Tuff Dogs beat North Village by seven wickets

Tuff Dogs took a big bite out of North Village in a Central Counties play-off at Devonshire Recreation Club on Saturday, thrashing their Evening League rivals by seven wickets to earn the right to face cup holders Western Stars in the next round.

Tuff Dogs dismissed their opponents for 181 inside of 39 overs after sending them in to bat, and then reached their target with more than 20 overs to spare in a game reduced to 47-overs a side.

“It was a good game, the guys were just looking to have some fun and all in all I think we proved that we can compete,” said Terrance Corday, the Tuff Dogs captain, after his team’s emphatic victory.

Azeem Khan, who changed his last name from Pitcher, led Tuff Dogs’s run chase with an unbeaten 94 that included eight boundaries and five sixes.

The left-handed batsman added 59 runs for the first wicket with Maurice Steede, 54 for the second with Jermaine Warner, and a further 67 with Durnferd Davis, the South African all rounder, that carried Tuff Dogs to the brink of victory.

It was only fitting that Khan, the former Bermuda batsman, stroked the winning runs, sweeping a delivery down fine leg and scampering through for two runs to carry his team safely across the line.

Next top scorer for Tuff Dogs was the 36 runs North Village leaked in extras, including 32 wides.

Davis, who thumped 28 from 36 balls, and Steede, who scored 16 at the top of the order, were the other Tuff Dogs batsman in double figures.

North Village trio Rudy Smith, Arun Kikkeri and Dion Ball Jr took one wicket each.

Earlier, North Village found themselves in early trouble with Trevor Corday inflicting the heaviest damage during a menacing spell with the new ball.

The seam bowler claimed the first four wickets to fall as North Village slipped to 36 for four inside of nine overs.

A timely 85-run fifth wicket partnership between Allen Walker, the captain, and Corey Smith halted the slide and carried North Village past the century mark.

However, the balance of power shifted back in Tuff Dogs’s favour after Smith and Walker fell in the space of seven overs.

Smith departed in the 25th over after offering a simple return catch to Terrance Corday.

The middle order batsman belted 42 from 59 balls that included four boundaries and a six.

Walker’s innings ended in the most unfortunate of circumstances when he hit his wicket facing the seam bowling of Davis. The former Bailey’s Bay batsman made 34 from 76 balls and hit two boundaries.

North Village’s tail wagged slightly before tailender Derwin Adams, who remained unbeaten on 21, finally ran out of partners.

Trevor Corday, who picked up two additional wickets during a second spell with the older ball, led the Tuff Dogs attack with superb figures of six for 30 from nine overs, and received solid support from Davis who took two for 36.

Opener Arun Kikkeri, who scored 15 from as many deliveries, was the only other North Village batsman in double figures.

Like their opponents, Tuff Dogs’s bowlers were also erratic at times, conceding 50 wides in a total of 58 extras during the first innings.

Tuff Dogs will now do battle with cup holders Western Stars in the next round on June 4, with the winners facing Devonshire Recreation Club in the final on June 18.

• Devonshire Rec and St George’s both had comfortable victories over Somerset Bridge in the First Division this weekend.

Devonshire hammered Somerset Bridge by nine wickets at White Hill Field yesterday, a day after St George’s scored a five-wicket victory at Wellington Oval.

Jamie Smith took five wickets for 18 runs off seven overs as Bridge were dismissed for just 51 in 18.5 overs. Lamont Brangman chipped in with three for five from 2.5 overs, while Jodi Maronie and Sean DeGraff took a wicket each as no Bridge batsman reached double figures.

Devonshire Rec then made short work of their run chase as Jamal Simmons top scored with 19 as they replied with 52 for one in 13.2 overs. Dapo Frederick and Freeman Lema both scored 13 for Rec.

On Saturday, Bridge were dismissed for 140 by St George’s who replied with 141 for five with Chris Foggo scoring 56 in the run chase, as they picked up their second win of the season.