For the second straight year the old town of St.George?s celebrated a Cup Match win well into the early hours of the morning, and East Enders will probably continue to party for the remainder of the week.

Yet unlike last year?s narrow 27-run win at Wellington Oval, yesterday?s comfortable seven-wicket triumph at Somerset Cricket Club proved bitter/sweet.

Sweet was the manner in which the champions rebounded after finding themselves fluttering at 59 for four after losing the toss and being asked to bat on the opening day. And also for the way they set about grabbing the match by the scruff of the neck and remaining in the driver?s seat throughout.

Bitter, though, was the death yesterday morning of St.George?s Cricket Club selector DeWilton (Cockabilly) Gibbons who predicted all summer long the champions would win, but never lived to see the team he helped pick celebrate a first triumph in Somerset in 12 years.

On a placid pitch, it was a win St.George?s were thoroughly deserving of, and a thrashing that will have left Somerset?s beaten warriors with some soul-searching to do ? especially after a dismal batting performance which saw them twice dismissed inside 24 hours to become the first team in 39 years to be forced to follow on.

The last time St.George?s won Cup Match in successive years was in 1968 and ?69 at Wellington Oval.

St.George?s? march to victory actually began an hour and a half before the luncheon interval on Thursday when veteran batsman Charlie Marshall (88) and his vice-captain OJ. Pitcher (98) eased the East Enders off the hook by producing a record-breaking fifth-wicket partnership worth 168 runs in 45 overs and 171 minutes.

The pair sensibly batted the champions out of a spot of bother to the safety of 148 for four at lunch, bettering the previous best fifth-wicket stand of 129 set by Somerset?s Janeiro Tucker and Saleem Mukuddem in 2003 at Wellington Oval.

Pitcher eclipsed the old mark with a straight-driven four off Mukuddem in the 58th over of the innings.

Marshall, who took his individual Cup Match run tally to 1,252 runs, was first to reach a half century in the 45th over off 68 balls in 93 minutes, closely followed by Pitcher who recorded his first half-century in Cup Match off 114 balls in 186 minutes.

The pair carried St.George?s to the commanding position of 227 before Somerset colt Dean Stephens removed both batsmen in the space of nine balls.

But by then, the Genie had long been let out of the bottle.

Marshall was first to go, bowled, offering no stroke to an inswinging delivery after facing 122 balls in 171 minutes. He banged five fours and seven sixes.

Pitcher batted on resolutely, and seemed destined for a century. However, he would ultimately fall two runs shy of the milestone, bowled playing across the line. The St.George?s vice-captain faced 121 balls in 219 minutes and plundered 15 fours and a six.

With tea approaching, the East Enders pushed the pedal to the floor in search of a sporting declaration.

Skipper Lionel Cann thumped Skipper Lionel Cann thumped 42 runs off a mere 26 deliveries to move ahead of former St.George?s skipper Cal (Bummy) Symonds, Somerset?s Colin Blades and John Tucker into 15th spot on the all-time Cup Match aggregate list with 658 runs now to his credit.

St.George?s? colt Arthur Pitcher jr, who remained unbeaten in both innings, added 35 runs before the champions declared their innings at 4.30 p.m. after 81 overs on Thursday afternoon ? ten minutes prior to tea.

It was then left to the two-man demolition crew of George O?Brien jr and Delyone Borden to try and keep Somerset on the back foot by grabbing early wickets before the close of play.

And it only took pacer O?Brien just over two overs to make the big breakthrough by trapping Somerset colt Dion Stovell leg before ? the first lbw decision of the match.

Azeem Pitcher (29) and opener Stephen Outerbridge (54) set about consolidating the innings. However, off spinner Borden struck another telling blow by having Pitcher caught at long-off by O?Brien in the 17th over.

Things then went from bad to worse when Somerset lost the additional wickets of colt Dean Stephens (21) and Outerbridge, who also helped himself to a first half-century in Cup Match, inside of five overs.

An aggressive Outerbridge smashed ten fours during his 91 -ball knock that spanned 125 minutes, bringing up his 50 off 83 balls in exactly 100 minutes.

Somerset skipper Tucker (28) and Saleem Mukuddem (17) then tried to repair the damage.

However, O?Brien, guilty of straying wide and bowling rank short at times, removed South-African import Mukuddem and then colt Malachi Jones (six) on the the very last ball of the day?s play to leave Somerset wobbling at 160 for six when stumps were drawn, still some 75 runs adrift of the follow-on and 175 in arrears.

When play resumed yesterday morning, one might have expected Somerset?s remaining batsmen to apply themselves a bit more at the crease.

However, lessons from the previous day were not learned as St.George?s? O?Brien, Borden and Arthur Pitcher jr took only 45 minutes and ten overs to mop up the West Enders? tail with the addition of only 19 runs to their overnight total.

Tucker was the first wicket to fall when play resumed after adding just two runs to his overnight tally when he was brilliantly caught backward of square by St.George?s colt Rodney Trott ? who became the first fielder since Somerset?s Wendell Simmons in 1975 to execute four catches in the same match.

Trott was unanimously declared winner of the Safe Hands Award for his superb efforts after the match, while veteran Marshall moved in a two-way tie for third with Somerset?s John Tucker (22) for the most catches by a fielder in the classic when he brilliantly caught colt Dion Stovell (12) at first slip off the bowling of O?Brien in the ninth over.

Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock (two) and a hobbling Jacobi Robinson (seven) then departed in the space of six balls, Leverock to a well-taken catch by Clay Smith at silly mid-on and Robinson comically run out attempting to a take a single despite the presence of a runner.

Returning St.George?s? wicketkeeper Dean Minors then executed a spectacular stumping down the leg side to dismiss his opposite number, Jekon Edness (six), to bring Somerset?s innings to a close in dramatic fashion in the 50th over at 10.45 a.m., and effectively force the follow-on.

Minors capped off a superb return to Cup Match by taking two catches and executing two breathtaking stumpings to become the first wicketkeeper since Somerset?s Kwame Tucker (2005) to achieve four dismissals in a match.

Minors also moved from eighth to a two-way tie for fifth spot along with Somerset?s Ricky Hill (20) in the classic?s all-time list for dismissals by a wicketkeeper.

O?Brien was the pick of the East Enders? bowling, with hard-earned figures of five for 64 off 16 overs while Borden grabbed three for 57 off 19 overs including six maidens.

Still some 156 runs shy of St.George?s? first innings total, Somerset set about the task of restoring pride among the ranks and sparing themselves the blushes.

But for the second straight day poor shot selection would prove their undoing.

Apart from a determined 43 from skipper Tucker off 52 balls, a stubborn 63 from Mukuddem and a robust 36 from the rear by colt Malachi Jones, no other Somerset batsmen really applied themselves in the middle.

Mukuddem recorded his half-century off 119 balls in 157 minutes and added 49 runs for the fifth wicket with Tucker and another 57 runs for the eighth wicket with Edness (17) before he ran out of capable partners and was swiftly stumped by Minors in the 61st over.

Somerset were finally dismissed in the 72 over, 76 runs ahead, leaving St.George?s one hour, 40 minutes plus the mandatory 20 overs to chase the West Enders? paltry total.

This time Borden led the St.George?s? bowling with four wickets for 64 runs off a marathon 26 overs, including six maidens while colt Arthur Pitcher seized three for 30 and O?Brien two for 48 off 15 overs.

With victory within their grasp, the champions took only 17.4 overs to achieve their winning objective with veteran batsman Clay Smith leading the way with 35 runs off 29 balls and colt Oronde Bascome 18 off 16 deliveries.

Smith (986) also moved into fourth spot behind former St.George?s? batsman Lloyd James (988) on the all-time Cup Match aggregate list, and only needs another 14 runs to join elder brother Wendell (1,143) and Marshall as batsmen having surpassed 1,000 runs in the classic.

Despite losing three wickets in pursuit of Somerset?s total, St.George?s cruised to victory with Arthur Pitcher jr serving the last rites by dispatching Leverock out of the grounds in the 18th over to put the West Enders out of their misery at 6.01 p.m.

Leverock, who went wicketless in the first innings, claimed two for 17 off 4.4 overs to lead the Somerset bowling in the second innings.

Colt Dean Stephens was Somerset?s bowling hero in the first, claiming three for 56 off nine overs while fellow colt Jones took two for 40 and Mukuddem two for 74 respectively.