Police put the handcuffs on Somerset Bridge at Police field as captain Ferdinand Thorne blasted a terrific unbeaten century and Tyrone Smith smashed 94 on their way to a monstrous total of 289.

Bridge never really looked like making a run at such a high total with opener Lee Raynor, Jr. the only batsman able to deal with the Police seam attack and surrendered meekly, losing by 187 runs.

After losing the toss and being sent in to bat Police looked quite comfortable on a fine batting strip.

Coming together with the score 51 and opening pair, Dennis Archer (12) and David Greenidge (30) back in the pavilion, Thorne and Smith launched a merciless attack on the Bridge bowlers, sharing in a 183-run third-wicket partnership.

Police put up their first hundred in 109 minutes, at which time Smith and Thorne really picked up the pace needing just 66 more to reach 200. Craig Brangman and Sidney Simmons came in for some severe punishment, as Brangman's 10 overs cost 54 runs and 48, including two massive sixes by Smith, were made of five overs by acting skipper Simmons.

Both batsmen looked to be in mid-season form, littering the field with a beautiful array of powerful scoring strokes. Smith, who was dropped once on 47, registered 12 fours and four sixes in his 85-minute innings before he was eventually caught by Gary Crofton at deep mid-wicket going for yet another big hit off Simmons.

Thorne's 115 runs came in 103 minutes and contained 15 fours and three sixes.

Following Smith's dismisal, Roger Blades entered the arena and promptly set about the task at hand, plundering 25 runs in a mere eight minutes before he was out caught off the bowling of Gladwin Ingham.

Bridge started off cautiously with Raynor and Alfred Carter the two openers.

Carter (one) was the first to go when he ran himself out going for an impossible single with the total at 14.

Craig Brangman (four) was next, lasting 20 minutes before becoming Michael Jackman's first victim.

Raynor (56) could only watch as wickets crumbled all around him. Bernard Dowling (0) was bowled by Jackman bringing in Simmons, who shared in a 25-run partnership with Raynor.

Ossie Hinds was hit for 16 runs in one over by Raynor, who was the only Bridge batman able to apply himself.

Three wickets fell when the score was 76 including Raynor and they were eventually all out for 102.

Jackman finished with the best bowling figures of four for 17 off 10 unchanged over, which contained six maidens. Henderson Hoyte grabbed two wickets and Dwayne Leverock also had two.

Flatts 132 Bailey's Bay 133-4 A solid all-round performance gave Bailey's Bay an opening victory over Flatts at Sea Breeze Oval.

Noel Gibbons and Ricky Hodsoll claimed seven wickets between them, then early-order bats Richard Foggo, Charlie Marshall and Glenn Smith saw the home team to a comfortable, six-wicket win.

Flatts' top batsmen all got a start yesterday but were dismissed before they could do real damage.

Opener Troy Dean made 19, skipper Rodney Woolridge 18 and Derek Wright 18 before James Bean weighed in with 21 in 57 minutes near the end after Bay had them 81 for seven.

Gibbons claimed four for 31 from 10 overs and Hodsoll three for 27 from his 10 as the first-change duo effectively killed off Flatts' chance for a big total.

Anthony Braithwaite took two wickets in his second spell to finish with three for 39 from eight overs.

Foggo (20) and Chris Smith (18) put on 31 for Bay's first wicket, then Foggo and Marshall added a further 51.

Marshall hit three fours and a six in his 26 and Glenn Smith followed with three sixes and a four in a knock of 27 which was ended by a good catch by wicketkeeper Antoine Greene.

Gibbons (six) and Devrae Hollis (nine) finished at the not out batsmen.

Cleveland 281 Southampton 153 A 99-run second-wicket partnership by Wayne Smith and Allan Douglas paved the way for a surprisingly easy victory by Cleveland over their Southampton hosts at the Oval in Green Division action.

Cleveland amassed 281 runs in just under 50 overs and Rangers found the mountain of runs a bit to steep for them to climb, as they fell well short of the target.

After losing fellow opener Curtis Jackson with the score 11, Smith found a willing partner in Douglas and they proceeded to take advantage of some loose bowling by Calix Todd and Stevie Lightbourne.

Cleveland reached 50 in 47 minutes and put the 100 up in only 88 minutes.

Clevie Wade claimed the scalp of Douglas when the scoreboard read 110 after the former Bermuda captain had made a valuable 64, which included 10 fours and a six.

Smith's 123-minute innings was a patient one containing 13 fours and two sixes, but as is often the case he started to feel the pressure as he neared 100 and `died' just short on 99, an lbw victim to Lightbourne.

Aaron Adams (27) and Grant Smith (29) also made sizeable contributions as the boys from Harris Bay showed little respect for the home team.

Rangers were soon in trouble when it was their turn to bat, losing the first two wickets with no runs on the board.

Albert (Mango) Simons was in vintage form as he ripped through the top end of the batting order claiming the first four wickets. Simons bowled Wayne Raynor (0), trapped Keith Wainwright (two) lbw and had both Olin Jones (0) and Stevie Lightbourne (eight) caught behind by Douglas in a torrid opening spell.

Ricky Bramgman and Clevie Wade shared in a 77-run fifth-wicket partnership, broken when Brangman was run out on 15 with the total 89.

Sixteen more runs were added before Wade gave a catch to Simons off the bowling of Johnny Richardson.

This signalled the end for the home team as the tail end crumbled although Michael Brangman did produce a fighting 28 coming in at number seven.

Simons retured figures of four for 23, while Richardson's three wickets cost 41 runs. Del Hollis mopped up the tail end, finishing with two for 32.

MILD RESPITE -- Somerset Bridge players, from left, Sidney Simmons, Gladwin Ingham, Brian Gibbons and Bernard Dowling, get a chance to celebrate during their one-sided loss to Police yesterday.