Southampton 276-7, Bailey's Bay 117

In an incident-packed match, Southampton Rangers, sparked by a sterling bowling performance from spinner David Saltus and a crucial 115-run seventh wicket partnership by veterans Clevie Wade and Ricky Brangman, handed Bailey's Bay a 159-run Premier League defeat at Southampton Oval yesterday.

Although Wade and Brangman would lay the foundation for the home team's second league win of the season, in the end it was ace spinner Saltus who stole the show by returning astonishing figures of six for 30 during an afternoon that had no shortage of drama and more casualties than the last World Rugby Classic.

With the home team reeling at 135 for five, Bay's veteran fast bowler Anthony Braithwaite would be the first player of the day to succumb to injury.

Fielding at long-off, Braithwaite attempted to field what appeared to be a routine stop inside the boundary. However, at the last moment the ball took a wicked hop and struck him full in the face. The veteran would leave the field momentarily for treatment and make a return later during the innings.

But worse was to come as Braithwaite was also involved in a head-on collision with Irving Romaine while attempting to catch a skied effort from Wade. Braithwaite continued after receiving yet more treatment while Romaine was taken to hospital before returning later in the day.

Bay pair, skipper Corey Hill and Burt Outerbridge also suffered nasty knocks in the field while Southampton's Ian Armstrong and Rohaan Simons, who was whisked away by ambulance with a suspected dislocated shoulder, continued to keep Rangers' medic Troy Lowe constantly on the run.

Inbetween the drama, Wade and Brangman ensured that their team reached a formidable total in the allotted 50 overs by dispatching the Bay attack around the ground.

Wade hit a solid 60 while Brangman struck an equally fine unbeaten 68.

David Ferreira (23), Armstrong (25) and Stevie Lightbourne (20) also helped Southampton post a big total.

Jermaine Outerbridge was Bay's most successful bowler with four for 29, including four maidens, while skipper Hill demonstrated great character by returning to the field with a heavily bandaged left hand to grab two wickets for 23 runs and then incredibly bat one-handed during his team's innings.

Faced with having to score at a run rate of six per over, Bay got off to a reasonably good start with opening batsmen Jermaine Warner (28) and Ricky Hill (5) putting on a 31-run partnership.

Hill was the first wicket to fall, trapped lbw by Keith Wainwright, while eight runs later Warner's controversial dismissal on a run out prompted a game delay of some 15 minutes while the opposing skippers and officials tried to sort matters out.

Once the dust had settled, Bay never managed to regain their rhythm as Saltus methodically spun his way through their batting order with little or no resistance.

Janeiro Tucker (one for 29) and Ramen Wijewardena (one for six) also contributed to Bay's demise, while Simons executed three brilliant catches at long off before enduring his misfortune.

Western Stars 227-9, Somerset 117

Unbeaten Premier League leaders Western Stars continued their march towards a clean sweep of honours as they rolled over Somerset by 110 runs at Somerset Cricket Field yesterday.

But not for the the first time they relied heavily on in-form batsman and captain Albert Steede to provide the bulk of their runs.

Steede smashed nine fours and one six in an innings of 76 which laid the foundation for Stars' total of 227-9 - a target the home side never appeared likely to reach.

Already through to the final of the Camel Cup and Combined Knockout Cup, Stars were never in any real danger of losing yesterday's match although they would have been better placed had more of their early order batsmen made significant contributions.

Steede's fellow opener Jermaine Posthlewaite hit four fours before falling for 18 and no other player managed to surpass 20 apart from number seven bat Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock who cracked an unbeaten 34 which included two fours and two sixes.

Dwayne Basden returned Somerset's best bowling figures of three for 29 off five overs although he was responsible for only the tail-end. Jacobi Robinson had two for 50 off 10 overs and Wendell White two for 34 off 10.

In reply Somerset saw wickets fall steadily as they struggled against the spin of Leverock and Hasan Durham.

Number nine bat Reid Jones top scored with 20 while opener Tony Cheeseman scored 16 and Curtis Jackson 18. No other players got into double figures.

Leverock snapped up three for 22 off eight overs, Durham two for 15 of 7.4 overs and Saleem Mukudem two for 41 off six overs.