SEA BREEZE OVAL (Western Stars won toss): Cleveland (2pts) beat Western Stars by one run

Cleveland County pulled off a thrilling one-run victory over Western Stars in their opening Twenty20 group match at Sea Breeze Oval on Saturday.

Sent in after Western Stars won the toss, Cleveland posted 106 for seven in their 20 overs before restricting Stars to 105 for seven, after Stars needed 13 runs off Isaiah Creighton’s final over.

Justin Robinson hit a six off the third ball to bring up the Stars hundred, but in the end they finished agonisingly close when Jason Lowe was run out at the bowler’s end after he drove the final ball of the innings straight back to Creighton who removed the bails.

Creighton was Cleveland’s best bowling, taking three wickets for 19 runs. All three batsmen got themselves out, going for big hits back over the young spinner’s head, with Makai Young the first to fall to Creighton.

Tamauri Tucker took a catch on the boundary as Stars were reduced to 73 for three.

Creighton picked up two more wickets in his next over when Brian Hall, the Stars captain, and new signing Dalin Richardson went for big hits and gave Steven Bremar simple catches as Stars slumped to 84 for five after 17 overs.

Dennis Musson returned at the other end and removed Seth Campbell to make it 89 for six, before Justin Robinson, who was unbeaten on 17, and Lowe put on 16 for the seventh wicket to take the game to the last over.

Musson, returning as Cleveland captain this season, had impressive figures of one for nine from four overs with two maidens as Stars fell short by the narrowest of margins.

Although Clay Smith, the Cleveland coach, was happy with the win over brother Wendell’s team, as national coach he was disappointed with the way some batsmen applied themselves.

“Dennis Musson and Isaiah Creighton bowled exceptionally well for us today during a crucial period, but to be quite honest both teams didn’t do themselves any justice batting-wise,” Smith said.

“Both teams got off to decent stars but the middle orders collapsed and that’s why the game was as close as it was today.

“For the first game of the season I was impressed with the quality of the wicket, but it just came down to poor technical batting.

“The wind was exceptionally strong from the ocean side and we just have to be smarter cricketers, work the ball in the gaps rather than always trying to hit the ball over the boundary.

“That’s been hindering us for years and years, but hopefully our cricketers will learn from it and grow.”

Cleveland lost opener Danon Rabain with only six runs on the board, before Adrian Burrows, with 35, and Steven Douglas Jr, with 15, steading things with a second wicket stand of 45 as the 50 came up in ten overs.

Stars slowed them up in the next five overs when only 16 runs came, before Cleveland added 40 more in the final five overs to reach 100.

Musson finished unbeaten on 22, the only other batsmen in double figures as Brian Hall and Richardson took two wickets apiece from their four overs. New signings Khiry Furbert and Ian Armstrong, from PHC and Southampton Rangers respectively, put on 52 for the first wicket as Stars posted 56 in their first ten overs.

They, too, had a middle-order collapse as Cleveland pegged them back to 88 for five by the eighteenth over.

Impressive final overs from Creighton and Musson enabled Cleveland to protect their total, although Stars will wonder how different it would have been if new signing Treadwell Gibbons, watching from the sidelines, had played.