St. David's 212-3 Clay Smith left Wellington Oval with mission accomplished as he helped St.

David's open the defence of their Knockout Cup with a seven wicket hammering of his former team in a repeat of last year's final.

Booed and jeered by the St. George's fans when he made his way to the wicket at 100-2, Smith had the last laugh two hours later as his unbeaten knock of 42 sent St. George's crashing to their first defeat of the season.

Fittingly, Smith scored the winning run with three overs remaining.

While St. George's were banking on a cheap dismissal of their former captain, St. David's unleashed a secret weapon at the top of the order in the form of Allen Richardson.

So, by the time skipper Smith made his entry, the Islanders were well on their way to victory, thanks to Richardson's blistering 77.

While Shea Pitcher played a support role, Richardson launched into the St.

George's bowlers from the opening over, smashing 10 fours in his 50 which came out of the team's first 64 runs. Richardson, who finished with 12 fours and a six, was responsible for removing new ball bowlers Ryan Steede and Earl Richardson from the attack in the first five overs as he hit 24 of the first 26 runs.

The team's first 50 was posted in only eight overs and by the 15th over the home team had already used six bowlers as captain Herbie Bascome looked to spinners Eugene Foggo and David Adams to stem the flow.

The opening stand produced 95 in 22 overs before Pitcher was trapped lbw by Foggo when attempting a sweep shot. In Foggo's next over he bowled Richardson to bring Smith to the crease.

After a cautious start, Smith began to score freely, picking up ones and twos as St. George's calmly moved towards their target.

With Landro Minors, Smith added 69 for the third wicket between the 24th and 43rd overs, as Adams' dismissal of Minors for 23 worked in the St. David's favour, bringing big hitting Lionel Cann to the crease with St. David's still needing 42 in the last seven overs.

Cann, dropped in the 46th over by Sinclair Gibbons on the backward square leg boundary, swung his bat against Adams in the next over as the final 18 runs were scored with three overs still left. Cann finished with three sixes in his 28 not out.

Foggo was the pick of the St. George's bowlers with two for 22 from 10 overs while Adams took one wicket for 42 from nine overs.

Earlier, Gibbons was the high man for St. George's. Promoted to number four, the left-hander repsonded with 44 including two fours and two sixes before he was the third of the top four batsmen in the order to be run out.

The opening stand of 78 between Dexter Smith (39) and Eugene Foggo (28) ended when Smith was run out. In the following over Jason Lewis was run out for 11, before St. David's then removed Foggo to peg St. George's back to 103-3 after 30 overs.

Gibbons and Ricky Hodsoll (28) added 57 for the fifth wicket as they neared the 200 mark late in the innings. But in the end their 211 proved insufficient.

Sammy Robinson claimed two for 16 late in the St. George's innings, while Cann was the most economical, finishing with one for 27 from 10 overs.