PHC (206-8) beat Southampton Rangers (204) by two wickets

Southampton Rangers have only lost two games this season. And both have been ones that mattered, and both at the hands of PHC.

Having taken Rangers' Belco Cup crown at the beginning of the season, PHC were at it again on Saturday, dethroning Rangers as Western County champions.

This time though there were to be no late nerves, no inspired performance from Janeiro Tucker to threaten an improbable comeback. Not this time.

This time it was Jason Anderson's turn to be the hero, and if he didn't win the game single-handedly, he certainly did more than his fair share of the lifting.

The PHC opener carried his bat with an unbeaten 77 and while he rode his luck at times being dropped twice, first by Ryan Belboda off his own bowling in the tenth over, and then again by Shannon Rayner when he was on 24, his continued presence meant PHC were always in charge of their run chase.

"It was pretty hot out there," said Anderson. "Rangers bowled well in periods and I just tried to stick in. I knew that a couple of quick wickets had fallen, and I knew that I was key to stay in, so I tried my best, and it ended up going my way.

"In terms of Rangers being undefeated this season, and being the fierce competitors they are, this win is pretty high up there for me."

In a perfectly-paced innings, Anderson took 101 balls to reach his 50, which came in the 34 over, and his partnerships of 46 with Kyle Lightbourne (21) for the sixth wicket, and 49 with Clevie Wade (32) for the seventh wicket, took the game away from Rangers when the home side looked like they might have a chance to get back into it.

At 100 for five in the 23 over, the match was in the balance, and in the end it was Rangers' low total that let them down. With PHC needing just four runs an over, every boundary cut like a knife, and on a small ground like Southampton Oval, it doesn't take much to score one.

Rangers' fielding also left a lot to be desired and they weren't helped in the closing stages by having the ball head in the direction of the more aged members of the side who have trouble running nowadays, much less bending down to stop the ball.

That Rangers only scored 204 in the 39.5 overs they were at the crease is something of a mystery, especially when openers Dion Stovell and Curtis Jackson were racing along at more than 10 runs an over at the start.

The pair put on 67 for the first wicket, including smashing youngster Kama Leverock for 30 from his two overs, and Rangers would have had their eyes on reaching 300 at that stage.

Jackson though took one swipe too many at Kevin Tucker and was caught by Ricardo Brangman at third man, and then the wheels came off for Rangers. Dean Stephens ripped the heart out of the middle order, claiming the wickets of Kwane Tucker (0), Andrew Raynor (0), and the prized scalp of Janeiro Tucker (1), all in the space of two overs.

Janeiro Tucker's dismisal was all down to an incredible piece of fielding from Kyle Lightbourne, who dived low to his right to take a great catch at first slip, and from 67 for none, Rangers had crumbled to 80 for four.

Only Stovell put together an innings of substance, and when he was out for 78 to leave Rangers on 126 for six, the home side were struggling to reach 200. That they even reached that milestone was due in no small part to PHC's wayward display with the ball.

Lightbourne's side conceded 45 extras in total, 33 of which were wides, and the PHC skipper bowled five himself in one over to take his opponents to 201. Still Rangers were nine down by that stage, and their innings as good as over.

Defending such a low score was always likely to be difficult for Rangers, but they might have managed it had catches stuck and some luck gone their way. In contrast to Rangers' explosive start, PHC were more tortoise than hare, and had crawled to 46 for three from 11 overs.

If Belboda hadn't dropped Anderson the over before Brangman became the third man out, who knows what might of happened.

That drop, the second that followed, and a couple of big shouts for lbw that were turned down only enraged Rangers further.

In an increasingly fractious affair both teams crossed the line in terms of behaviour on more than one occasion. And they might just end up being thankful that the umpires only report to the Western Counties Board in this instance, and not the Bermuda Cricket Board. If it had been a Premier Division match several would have been looking at long spells on the sidelines.

Stovell did his best to turn that anger into wickets, and he claimed two, those of Leverock and Stephens, but the home side just couldn't press home their advantage.

Wickets continued to fall but they were too costly, and even when Hassan Durham was the eighth man to go with the score on 196, PHC were still cruising.

It fell to last man Kevin Tucker to seal the win, crashing Dwayne Leverock away for four past square leg, with eleven deliveries remaining.

Que wild celebrations among the PHC players, desolation on the faces of the Rangers players. Belco Cup, Western Counties, it doesn't matter, PHC have got Rangers' number.