Western Stars 163-9

Somerset Bridge 90

A popular nursery rhyme - albeit with one change - could well have described Saturday's semi-final in the Champion of Champions Cup at St. John's Road: Somerset Bridge is falling down, falling down.

Unable to reproduce the batting magic which swept them to the Western Counties title two weekends ago, Somerset Bridge's cricketers not only fell down but also out of the running in the Champion of Champions' race as they were thrashed by 73 runs by Central Counties' top dogs Western Stars.

In a match reduced to 27 overs apiece because of a rain-drenched field, Western Stars - led by captain Albert Steede's purposeful 55 (six fours) and a boundary-studded 39 (four fours; three sixes) from Treadwell Gibbons Sr - amassed 163 for nine before skittling out their visitors for 90 in 24.2 overs. It earned the home team the right to meet Eastern Counties' champions Bailey's Bay in yesterday's showdown.

The contest was a letdown for those who anticipated a nailbiting fight between league leaders Stars and Bridge who upstaged Southampton Rangers a fortnight ago to wrest the Western Counties championship. Both sides were off to bad starts, with Stars being three for 53 at one stage and Bridge, three for 35 and later six for 73. The difference was that Stars' players were able to build partnerships after their mini-collapse - which included the wickets of Jermaine Postelthwaite and Treadwell Gibbons Jr to successive Dean Stevens' deliveries - to post a solid total.

Steede and Gibbons Sr combined for a 41-run fourth-wicket stand and, following the latter's departure, Steede and Saleem Mukuddem put on another 35. Despite two run-outs and the eventual loss of sheet anchor Steede, who lobbed an easy catch for wicketkeeper Adrian Burrows off Danzil Dill, Stars motored on.

Dill was the most successful bowler for Bridge, taking three for 38 from six overs. Stevens collected two for 22 from his six overs.

In Bridge's turn at the crease, things could not have begun on a worse note with opener Burrows being caught behind for a duck off Mukuddem on the final ball of the first over. If that was a sign of the westerners' fortunes, then the writing was truly on the wall when guest player Curtis Jackson - in a desperate bid to propel the score - skied Gershon Gibbons to wide long-on, only for Cleon Scotland, sprinting from deep mid-wicket, to haul in a stunning catch.

The left-handed hero, who smashed 183 not out two weeks ago, would not have an encore. It was unlucky 13 this time!

Short-lived fireworks by top scorers Stevens (20) and Nakia Smith (18) were far from enough to swing the tide in Bridge's favour as they fell further and further adrift of the run rate, being 73 for six after 20 overs.

Mukuddem proved their scourge, snapping up four wickets for four runs off 3.2 overs. Spinner Dwayne Leverock took three and Gershon Gibbons, two and Postelthwaite, one.

"Being a batsman I realised it wasn't going to be easy batting on that sticky wicket. It was unpredictable and difficult to score. I kept the ball just short of a length and let the batsmen make the mistakes," said Mukuddem, explaining his tactics.

A smiling Steede was delighted with his team's success and, though not wanting to make any predictions, was looking forward to meeting Bailey's Bay in the final - and no doubt to avenging the loss he suffered at their hands as a guest player for St. David's last weekend.