PHC Field (Willow Cuts won toss): Southampton Rangers beat Willow Cuts by 36 runs

The Western Counties Cup changed hands for the first time in this year’s series as Southampton Rangers dethroned Willow Cuts at PHC Field on Saturday.

Rangers recovered from a shaky start to pile up 272 for eight and then dismissed Cuts for 236 to win by 36 runs.

Janeiro Tucker, the captain, and Dion Stovell both hammered half-centuries and led a fightback with a century partnership that laid the foundation for the challengers’ total after being inserted in to bat on a good track.

Guest player Stovell also shone with the ball, bagging three wickets along with fellow spinner Hasan Durham, to keep the pressure on the Cuts batsmen.

Ryan Belboda, the Rangers seam bowler, capped his team’s victory by claiming the last wicket of Dexter Basden, the Cuts player-coach, with the fourth ball of his second spell from the northern end.

“Par on this wicket is about 250 and so I knew 272 was extra runs,” Tucker said. “It was a good wicket and 272 was enough runs to defend.

“Willow Cuts always come to play and we knew a partnership was going to come in their innings, so it was just a matter of staying focused and trying to break it.”

The start of this third-round clash was delayed after an early-morning shower resulted in water seeping under one end of the covers.

With the track still moist, it came as no surprise when Dwight Basden, the Cuts captain, inserted Rangers after winning the toss.

It proved to be a good decision, as opening bowler Dean Stephens and first change Kamal Bashir exploited the new ball to reduce Rangers to 30 for three inside nine overs.

Opening bat Kwame Tucker was the first to go, bowled while charging at Bashir, before Stephens trapped fellow opener Curtis Jackson and Ricardo Brangman leg-before in the same over with no addition to the score.

Rangers were further pegged back when Alex Dore was held by Stephens at mid-off off Malachi Jones to leave them reeling at 68 for four in the 23rd over.

At this juncture, the challengers were in desperate need of a significant partnership, and Stovell and Tucker delivered it with some attractive strokeplay and excellent running between the wicket.

The pair added 106 runs for the fifth wicket to put their team back on track before both fell just shy of deserved centuries.

Stovell brought up his fifty in the 32nd over off 61 balls, hitting Sheroy Fubler over the mid-wicket boundary for six.

He then brought up the century partnership with Tucker eight overs later, off 188 balls in 64 minutes, after sweeping Micah Simons to the square-leg boundary for four.

Stovell offered a chance when on 87, but was let off the hook as Stephens lost the ball in the sun at short mid-wicket.

However, the batsman was not as fortunate moments later, when he feathered a catch behind to Ramar Simmons, the wicketkeeper, to fall ten runs shy of a century.

There was a touch of class to Stovell’s dismissal, as the batsman walked after Cuts’ confident appeals were ignored by the umpire.

“That was sportsmanship,” Tucker said. “He knew he hit the ball and walked.

“Dion and I always have good partnerships. We have good communication between the wicket and to bat with him again was good. That’s what changed the shape of the game, the 100-run partnership.”

Stovell’s 90 came in 136 minutes off 102 balls and contained eight boundaries and a six.

Once Stovell departed, the real fireworks began, as Tucker cut loose with some ruthless strokeplay.

He reached his half-century in the 46th over off 68 balls with a six off Bashir that just eluded the hands of Simons at long-off and then thumped two successive sixes off Fubler, who went for 16 runs in the 48th over.

Jones was treated to even harsher punishment in the next over, as Tucker walloped four consecutive sixes and a boundary off the fast bowler, who went for 29 runs in his final over, to bring up the 50-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Durham in 17 minutes off only 20 balls.

Tucker, fresh off a record fifth century in Cup Match, his first in the annual classic at Somerset Cricket Club, plundered 47 runs from just nine deliveries to race to 97, where he eventually fell after Chris Douglas took a comfortable catch in the covers off the bowling of Bashir.

Tucker’s brutal, 77-ball knock included six boundaries and as many sixes.

“We definitely lost the game in the last ten to 15 overs,” Basden said. “Janeiro started opening up and took Malachi for nearly 30 in one over. That was a turning point because we lost the game by about 30 runs.”

Bashir picked up three wickets in his second spell to lead the Cuts attack with four for 43, while Stephens, who bowled his ten overs unchanged, seized two for 15.

Cuts got off to a wobbly start of their own in their reply.

Belboda made the breakthrough in the third over when he had Ryan Sheppard brilliantly caught at long-off by Dore with the score on 24.

Cuts lost their second wicket with no addition to the score when Kevin Tucker, the seam bowler, trapped Fubler, promoted up the order, in front.

Teenage opener Soloman Burrows and Dwight Basden carried the score along to 50 before the former was caught at point by Jason Wade off the bowling of Stovell.

A promising partnership between Basden and Douglas then ended when the Cuts captain was bowled playing back.

That reduced Cuts to 83 for four, which became 125 for five when wicketkeeper Simmons, who was dropped by Kevin Tucker at mid-on earlier in his innings, was adjudged leg-before in the 28th over.

Douglas flirted with danger when he was put down behind by wicketkeeper Brangman when on 42.

However, the elegant left-hander would not be denied his half-century, which he reached in the 37th over off 73 balls in 104 minutes, with a boundary at long-on off Vernon Eve, who was carted for 21 runs in the same over.

After watching wickets tumble at regular intervals at the other end, Douglas found a steady partner in Jones. The pair added 45 runs for the sixth wicket to move the score to 170 before Jones was bowled sweeping.

Stephens came in and blasted two sixes in a four-ball cameo before he was caught by Stovell at square leg off Durham.

As long as Douglas was in, Cuts stood a chance of defending the cup.

But his prized scalp was finally snared when he ran himself out at the non-striker’s end attempting a run that was never on.

“The run-out really cost us,” Basden said. “The batsman called for a run that wasn’t there, which put us in disarray at a vital stage of the game.”

Douglas gathered 67 from 86 balls and hit seven boundaries.

With the threat of Douglas back in the pavilion, Stovell and Belboda mopped up the tail in quick succession, as Cuts folded in the 47th over.

Stovell, the off spinner, took three for 27, left-arm slow bowler Durham three for 38 and Belboda two for 27.

Rangers will face Somerset Bridge in the final on August 20.

SCORECARD

Southampton Rangers

Kwame Tucker b Bashir 9

C Jackson lbw Stephens 15

A Dore c Stephens b Jones 14

†R Brangman lbw Stephens 0

D Stovell c Simmons b Douglas 90

*J Tucker c Douglas b Bashir 97

J Wade b Bashir 16

H Durham lbw Bashir 15

Kevin Tucker not out 0

Extras (b 3, lb 6, w 7) 16

Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 272

R Belboda and V Eve did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-30, 3-30, 4-68, 5-174, 6-213, 7-268, 8-272.

Bowling: Stephens 10-1-15-2; Simons 6-0-40-0; Bashir 10-1-43-4; Jones 10-2-58-1; Fubler 9-0-62-0; Douglas 5-0-31-1.

Willow Cuts

R Sheppard c Dore b Belboda 8

S Burrows c Wade b Stovell 20

S Fubler lbw K Tucker 0

*Dwight Basden b Stovell 34

C Douglas run out 67

†R Simmons lbw Durham 13

M Jones b Durham 26

D Stephens c Stovell b Durham 14

Dexter Basden b Belboda 14

M Simons lbw Stovell 12

K Bashir not out 1

Extras (b 6, lb 3, w 18) 27

Total (46.4 overs) 236

Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-24, 3-50, 4-83, 5-125, 6-170, 7-193, 8-212, 9-236.

Bowling: Kevin Tucker 6-1-31-1; Belboda 4.4-0-27-2; J Tucker 9-0-43-0; Stovell 10-0-27-3; Durham 10-0-38-3; Eve 7-0-60-0.

Umpires: E Carrington and J McKirdy.