Southampton Rangers easily advanced to the second round of the Western Counties after four players hit half-centuries in a run-filled innings against Somerset Bridge at Southampton Oval on Saturday.

Winning the toss, Rangers smashed 333 from their 50 overs with opener Shannon Rayner leading the way with 88. Bridge were then dismissed for 122 in 25.1 overs as Rangers completed a 211-run win.

Rayner put on 72 for the first wicket with Gerald Simons, who added 32. After James Celestine departed 12 runs later, bowled by Donnie Charles for two, Rayner shared in another big stand when he and captain Dion Stovell added 80 for the third wicket before Raynor departed on 164 for three.

The runs kept coming as the Bridge fielders toiled in the heat, with Stovell and Ricardo Brangman putting on 98 for the fourth wicket before Brangman was bowled by Noel Woods for 54.

With 300 in their sights, Rangers kept smashing boundaries with new batsman Janeiro Tucker, who came in the 46th over, blasting a whirlwind 54 from just 23 balls.

The former captain hit seven sixes and two fours as he brought up the 300 in the 49th over after dominating a stand of 64 with Stovell for the fifth wicket. Stovell finish on 67 not out.

Clarence Trott, the last bowler used by Bridge, had a nightmare one over, going for 33 runs as Tucker hit him for three sixes and two fours in an over that lasted 13 deliveries after Trott bowled five no-balls and two wides. Rangers scored 115 runs in the last ten overs.

Bridge never threatened to mount a serious run chase and were dismissed with half their overs still remaining as schoolboy Torleair Caines, batting at No 7, was their high man with 36 from 31 balls.

The 17-year-old hit three sixes off one over from Kwame Tucker to give the crowd some late entertainment. However, Caines’s contentious dismissal did not go down well with his team-mates or some of the spectators, after bowler Stovell ran him out in his delivery stride when the batsman stepped out of his crease. The youngster had been giving Stovell some chatter at the non-striker’s end while Stovell was bowling,

Captain Shawn Riley scored 16 and Scott Tucker and Donnie Charles 14 apiece for the challengers. Spinner Vernon Eve, who opened the attack with Kevin Tucker, led the Rangers bowling with five for 34 from 8.1 overs, wrapping up the win with the final wicket of Jason Smith. Stovell was the only other wicket-taker, claiming three for ten from four overs.

Rangers will play Warwick Workmen’s Club in the next round on Saturday.