Somerset Cricket Club (Willow Cuts won toss): St David’s beat Willow Cuts by seven wickets

St David’s, the unbeaten league leaders, made short work of Willow Cuts as they picked up win number 11 in the Premier Division in a match that was all over at 2.28pm.

St David’s, 28 points ahead of Bailey’s Bay going into the weekend matches, dismissed Cuts for just 85 in 27.5 overs after George O’Brien, standing in as captain for the injured OJ Pitcher, claimed three for 14 off six overs and Dion Stovell three for 29 from his three overs.

Delyone Borden took two wickets for one run while Justin Pitcher had a good spell at the top of the innings, taking one for 12 off six overs with three maidens.

Dwight Basden, the Cuts captain, top scored for his side with 26 before he was second out in the fifteenth over with 50 on the board. That dismissal, leg-before to Stovell, signalled a collapse for Cuts as St David’s picked up the last eight wickets in just 12.5 overs.

Allan Douglas, returning to the scene of his boundary-filled Cup Match knock of 77 for St George’s in the first innings, had another explosive innings, smashing 42 not out in a unbroken fourth wicket stand of 52 with Dion Stovell, who made 13, as St David’s completed an emphatic victory.

Douglas’s innings was filled with boundaries as 40 of his runs came from seven fours and two sixes, showing no mercy to the Cuts bowlers after coming to the wicket at 34 for three.

Dean Stephens led the Cuts bowling with two for 23 from five overs. Kwasi James, who shared the new ball with Stephens, went for 37 in his four overs, taking one wicket, that of Chris Douglas who was trapped leg-before for four.

In their fight to stay in touch with St David’s, Terryn Fray scored a season-best 131 from 160 balls with 14 fours and a six as Bailey’s Bay posted 246 for seven and then restricted Cleveland to 210 for eight on Saturday.

After losing opening partner Pierre Smith in the third over with only one run on the board, Fray shared in a second wicket stand of 111 with Tre Manders, who made 38, to lay the foundation for Bay.

Isaiah Creighton then removed Manders and Rodney Trott, the Bay captain, with successive balls. Useful knocks of 20 and 22 from Derrick Brangman and Kyle Hodsoll helped Fray reach his century in 209 minutes. His was the last wicket to fall on 242, on the first ball of the final over, when he was caught by Clay Darrell off the bowling of Steven Bremar.

Creighton claimed two for 33 from seven overs and Bremar two for 34.

Cleveland, in their final match before the second round of the Eastern Counties on Saturday, wobbled early, collapsing to 98 for five, before Bremar and Dennis Musson, the Cleveland captain, steadied the ship.

The pair put on 48 for the seventh wicket, before Bremar, who scored 55 from 70 balls, was caught behind by Sinclair Smith off the bowling of Hodsoll.

Musson, who was unbeaten on 39 then put off another 44 runs for the eighth wicket with Jacobi Butterfield, but Cleveland were always behind the run rate.

Derrick Brangman claimed three for 39 in ten overs and Hodsoll two for 37 for Bay.