Malachi Jones tormented his former club with a fine display that guided Southampton Rangers to a five-wicket win over Bailey’s Bay in a low-scoring Open League match at Sea Breeze Oval yesterday.

The all-rounder, who rejoined Rangers from Bay at the start of the season, claimed two for 39 bowling off spin as the home side were skittled for a paltry 153 in 62.1 overs after electing to bat. He also sent down eight maidens during a 24-over spell.

With victory there for the taking, Jones then featured prominently in the run chase, stroking a brisk half-century and sharing in a century opening partnership with Shannon Rayner, as Rangers replied with 155 for five in 26.3 overs.

“We didn’t have any spinners today so I bowled spin and bowled pretty well,” said Jones, who usually bowls seam.

“When it came to the bat I just looked to knock it around and give Shannon most of the strike being he was the aggressor.”

Rayner led the run chase with 78 from 61 balls, which included seven sixes and five fours. He reached his fifty off 45 balls and along with Jones added 132 runs in a first-wicket stand that all but carried the visiting side across the line.

“This is just the third time that Shannon and I have batted together and it’s always nice to get off to a good start,” Jones added. “We were just looking to get across the line.”

Kearon Trott, the seventh bowler used by Bay, finally made the breakthrough when he trapped both openers leg-before in the space of 11 balls to ignite a slide that saw five wickets fall for 19 runs.

Gerald Simons was stumped by wicketkeeper Sinclair Smith off Trott’s seam bowling, Ricardo Brangman also fell leg-before and Rohaan Simons held at fine leg off of the same bowler.

It was left to Najiyah Raynor to serve the last rites, which the teenager duly obliged by sweeping slow left-arm bowler Derrick Brangman to the square-leg boundary to put an end to Bay’s late fightback.

“It would have been nice to get a ten-wicket victory,” Jones said. “But losing five wickets for 19 runs is all right because there’s no bonus points at stake so it’s nothing to really worry about.”

Trott, back in Bay’s line-up after a lengthy break, claimed all of the visiting side’s wickets to fall for only 12 runs in 3.5 overs.

“I thought Kearon bowled extremely well and got all five wickets,” Rodney Trott, the Bay captain, said.

Earlier, Bay’s decision to bat backfired as they struggled to build partnerships throughout their innings.

The home side lost their first five wickets for 62 runs and never really recovered.

Captain Trott top scored with 49 from 94 balls batting at No 7 while opener Dennico Hollis (25) and middle order bat Coolidge Durham (39) also failed to build on promising starts.

Opening bowler Sheldon Caesar led the Rangers attack with three for 46 while Lamont Brangman took two for 38.

“I thought we were 30 runs short,” Trott said. “Had we got 180 that probably would have been enough for us to win the match.”

The victory was Rangers’s second in as many days having won by default over Somerset Cricket Club, who forfeited the match on Saturday at Southampton Oval because of a player shortage.