Bailey's Bay saw their title hopes fade yesterday at Sea Breeze Oval when the match was stopped because of bad light with nine overs remaining.

Bay, needing to get one wicket to pick up the win which would have kept them within 10 points of leaders Western Stars with two matches remaining, bowled just nine deliveries at last pair Troy Laws and Mark Trott before Randy Butler and George Francis made a third check of their light meter and offered the batsmen the opportunity to go off at 7.12.

The umpires later said that the light was getting steadily worse with the meter reading between six and seven at the first check and a borderline 4.1 at the second. Bad light is usually offered to the batsmen at four.

Three overs later the meter read just 2.1 and after consultation the offer was made to the batsmen, who readily accepted, sending Bay and their fans into uproar.

With Stars picking up a maximum 16 points from their easy 10-wicket win over Hamilton Parish, Bay slipped to 16 points behind after getting seven points for their draw, inlcuding one batting bonus point and two bowling.

Bay's fortunes changed during their innings, having lost captain Chris Smith on the first ball of the second over from Anthony Amory and then recovering to 91 before Rec. got their second wicket.

Cal Dill, with 53 from seven boundaries in 136 minutes and Charlie Marshall with 43 in 110 minutes, shared in a second-wicket stand of 86 to lead Bay's fightback.

But once Marshall was caught behind off a delivery from Erskine (Choe) Smith, which lifted off a good length, it signalled a middle-order collapse as five wickets fell for 30 runs.

Amongst those who went cheaply were Glenn Smith and Noel Gibbons, with the latter lasting two two balls before being run out. Jermaine Outerbridge offered some resistance with 17 but at 156 for eight at tea, Bay were desperate for some contribution from their tail-enders.

Clarkie Trott and Dennis Pilgrim came through with an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 61, the last 48 coming in just four overs after tea as Mark Trott was hit for 17 and Leon Place for 14 in successive overs.

Trott, with five sixes and two fours, scored 42 while Pilgrim supported with 20 not out. Place was the top bowler for Rec. with three for 49 while Trott took two for 45.

Rec. lost their first three wickets after just nine overs with Lloyd Morrison, Roger Trott and Albert Steede all going cheaply as the score read 33 for three.

And when Place, Erskine Smith and Winston Trott, Jr. also failed to turn things around in the middle order it was left to captain Anthony Amory to slow up Bay's victory push with a stubborn 39 in two hours and five minutes.

Midway through the last 20 overs. Amory was ninth out when he drove at a delivery from Ricky Hodsoll and Jermaine Outerbridge took a smart catch at point.

Clarkie Trott capped a good all-round performance with six for 40 from 13 unchanged overs, four of which were bowled, including Steede who lasted just eight balls. Roger Trott (16) and Anthony Edwards (11) were the only other Rec. batsmen in double figures.

Hamilton Parish 80 Western Stars 81-0 Western Stars strode closer to their first-ever league championship with a comfortable victory over a depleted Hamilton Parish outfit at St. John's field.

Parish showed up with eight men and after losing the toss and being sent in, they were always going to be fighting an uphill battle.

Ricky Hill provided the best fireworks of the day as, after Parish lost their fourth wicket at 24, he boldly challenged the bowling attack of the league leaders.

And for a while he was successful in putting on 39 for the fifth wicket with Wally Manders (nine). But after running down the wicket and smashing two sixes and a four in his 39, Hill was stumped by wicket-keeper Anthony Manders who gambled on going up close for Allan Brangman.

Brangman bore the brunt of Hill's assault and finished with four for 40 from eight overs. Like Brangman, Roger Leverock, in for injured skipper Gary Brangman, bowled unchanged and claimed two for 31 from eight overs.

Stars methodically set about the task of securing victory with openers Dexter Smith and Anthony Foggo knocking off the runs in even time.

Smith, who hit a half-century against Devonshire the day before in the knockout semifinals finished just short this time with 45 not out while Foggo was on 27. Smith hit six fours and Foggo three.

ON DRIVE -- Calvin Dill, during his innings of 53 for Bailey's Bay in yesterday;s draw with DevonshireRec. at Sea Breeze Oval.