If Oscars were given for cricket, Saturday's Eastern Counties Cup final would have been the name in the envelope.

The script that played out before an enthralled crowd at Sea Breeze had all the makings of a movie epic.

There was the former hometown hero - Charlie Marshall - making a gallant guest appearance and being asked "to come back home" after leading the victory march.

Then, there was opening batsman, Jermaine Warner, who sat out most of the season - suspended and unable to rescue his team as they plummeted to the depths of the League.

Finally, there was that team - down, out and already relegated - that had almost nothing to lose, coming up against the rampant favourites and champions and facing a mighty total - and winning and doing so emphatically.

While they would cause eyebrows to shoot skyward, the mere scores - St. David's 281 all out and Bailey's Bay 283 for five - cannot aptly sum up the magnificence of the latter's upset win and the crescendo of celebration that erupted as vice-captain Dennis Pilgrim smacked Sammy Robinson onto the clubhouse for the winning six.

It was red and white all over and never had the club's colours seemed more appropriate - the hues of Christmas and Valentine's Day. What a gift for Bailey's Bay's faithful legions of fans and what love and adoration for the 11 players who believed when almost no-one else did!

In one of the most remarkable about-turns on a local cricket pitch in recent memory, Bailey's Bay - on the crest of a stunning opening partnership of 165 between Dennis Trott (76) and Jermaine Warner (80) and a savage unbeaten 77 off 37 balls (three fours and eight sixes) by Charlie Marshall - swept past the 281 which St. David's amassed in 69.1 overs.

"I told my openers to bat (until) the two water breaks. If they can last the two water breaks, runs will come and it happened. That set us up and victory was ours. It was impossible for them to stop us," declared Bailey's Bay skipper Irving Romaine.

That it took just 42.2 of the meagre 48 overs which they were allotted to accomplish the mission added to the astonishment and increased admiration of the feat - even St. David's members saluted their opponents and many stayed and partied into the night with those who had taken their crown.

"This is definitely up there as one of the best matches I have ever played in. I won Cup Match as a colt and that was great but this is really close. Today was good for cricket," said St. David's all-rounder Herbie Bascome.

Few Bailey's Bay supporters expected their team to mount a formidable challenge and they stated it openly. Many were heard speculating how soon their boys would fold but, unlike what fans became accustomed to this summer, a fight was on.

Suddenly, the whispers began as spectators dared to contemplate the improbable - maybe, just maybe, this time the outcome would be different; something sweet to the heart. Then, almost in a flash, the prospect of victory was not so unbelievable as the umpires - their arms getting more exercise than in an aerobics work-out - signalled a torrent of boundaries. The first 100 runs came in 19 overs; the 200 in 32 overs and, in four more overs, Bailey's Bay raised 250.

The rapid swelling of spectators, seemingly trebling between the end of St. David's innings and the conclusion of the match at 7.10 p.m., told the tale.

What a tale it will be for those who witnessed it to blissfully recall in years to come!

Scoreboard:

EASTERN COUNTIES FINAL

Saturday

Bailey's Bay v St. David's

Bailey's Bay won by five wickets at Sea Breeze Oval:

St. David's

A.Steede c wkt R.Masters b B.Outerbridge 25

C.Foggo b B.Outerbridge 5

S.Robinson c&b C.Hill 0

O.J. Pitcher c & b D.Pilgrim 54

D.Borden c&b D.Pilgrim 6

C.Smith c wkt R.Masters b D.Pilgrim 55

L.Cann c C.Marshall b D.Pilgrim 50

H.Bascome c D.Pilgrim b C.Marshall 62

G.Foggo b C.Hill 21

K.Fox b B.Outerbridge 1

G.O'Brien Jr not out 0

Extras (1-lb, 1-nb) 2

Total (all out, in 69.1 overs) 281

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-14, 3-34, 4-57, 5-103, 6-157, 7-215, 8-266, 9-281, 10-281.

Bowling: D. Pilgrim 24-6-94-4; B. Outerbridge 8.1-2-31-3; C. Hill 18-5-74-2; C. Marshall 1-0-22-1; R. Trott 9-1-29-0; J. Outerbridge 9-2-30-0.

Bailey's Bay

J.Warner b H.Bascome 80

D.Trott c L.Cann b H.Bascome 76

C.Marshall not out 77

S. Outerbridge c D.Borden b H.Bascome 9

I.Romaine c A.Steede b S.Robinson 0

C.Hill c G.Foggo b S.Robinson 2

D.Pilgrim not out 21

Extras (3-b, 10-lb, 3-w, 3-nb) 19

Total (for five wickets, in 42.2 overs) 283

Did not bat: R. Masters, R. Trott, B. Outerbridge, J. Outerbridge.

Fall of wickets: 1-165, 2-193, 3-249, 4-250, 5-252.

Bowling: H. Bascome 17-0-82-3; S. Robinson 3.2-0-21-2; G. O'Brien 6-0-35-0; G. Foggo 7-1-40-0; K. Fox 5-0-38-0; O.J. Pitcher 2-0-25-0; L. Cann 1-0-14-0; D. Borden 1-0-15-0.

Man-of-the-Match: Charlie Marshall

Umpires: S.Douglas, R.O'Hara.