St. George's dealt with their first test after the long layoff in commanding fashion with a 60-run win over Bailey's Bay at Wellington Oval yesterday.

A fine all-round performance showed the rest of the league, and champions Western Stars in particular, that St. George's are serious about winning the championship for the first time since 1990.

Wendell Smith made a successful return as skipper of St. George's with 38 in an opening stand of 74 with top scorer Dexter Smith (57) that paved the way to victory.

Western Stars moved into second place with a victory at Police leaving the top two on a collision course -- first in next week's Knockout Cup first round and then in the league two days after Cup Match.

Wendell Smith hit six fours and a six and was particularly brutal on Terry Burgess whenever he came short. His innings was ended by young off-spinner Damon Edwards, who got a drifter to go between bat and pad.

Clay Smith and Dexter Smith kept the scoreboard going until 138 when the latter was also bowled by Edwards with a short-pitched delivery that never got up. Smith hit two sixes and seven fours.

Bay forced themselves back into the game when Clarkie Trott got Clay Smith to give wicket-keeper Ricky Hill a leg-side catch having scored a quick 40, which included two sixes and three fours.

But the combination of Graham Fox (26), Ricky Hodsoll (19) and Dean Minors (33) put St. George's in good shape with Bay having completed only 49 overs at the 3.40 p.m. cut-off time.

Minors struck two monstrous sixes off Noel Gibbons in his 18-minute knock. He had three sixes in all and one four.

Gibbons, whose first five overs cost only 12, finished with three for 43 from eight while Edwards took two for 40 from nine and Marshall two for 47 from seven. Clarkie Trott was the most economical with one for 31 from 10 overs.

Bay started positively with skipper Chris Smith driving well against Greg Foggo who was guilty of over-pitching.

But in the third over with the score 14, Devrae Hollis got a leading edge against Kenny Phillips and Clay Smith held the catch at mid-off.

The captain was the next to go with Clay Smith taking a diving catch at mid-on off Eugene Foggo's bowling as spin was introduced as early as the eighth over.

Chris Smith hit five fours in his 26.

Wickets then fell too regularly for Bay to make a spirited fight.

Charlie Marshall, who scored a brilliant century in a Cup Match trial the day before, had made 23 when he flicked Clay Smith's off-spin right down Lewis Foggo's throat on the mid-wicket boundary.

And then, with the score 77, Smith figured in the fourth straight dismissal, when he had Glenn Smith caught at point for 21 by David Adams.

That left Bay with seasoned players Noel Gibbons and number six Ricky Hill at the wicket.

They added 22 when Hill (14) was out to a belated caught behind decision, driving at Hodsoll.

Gibbons was cautious for the most part as the asking rate at one point reached 16 per over while three more partners perished.

He brought his half-century up with a cut for four off Hodsoll and then attempted to go at the bowling.

Gibbons had reached 60 when he got a bottom edge to an attempted cut off Adams and Minors held the catch. Gibbons, eighth out at 182, hit three sixes and five fours.

Eugene Foggo claimed three for 28 from 7.4 overs, Clay Smith two for 30 from 10, Adams two for 41 from 10 and Hodsoll two for 46 from 10.

Western Stars 175 Police 129 The old cliche that cricket is a funny game rang true again at Police field as the home team blew a good chance to interrupt Stars' title push.

The home team, 10th in the standings going into this match, did the hard work of restricting Stars to 175 in 43.4 overs. And despite a slow, steady start, 22 without loss quickly became 51 for six and then 78 for eight as Stars' spinners went to work against Police batsmen reluctant to graft with their backs against the wall.

And when tail-ender Michael Jackman took the attack to the Stars bowlers with three sixes and a four in his brisk knock of 35, Stars quickly went from over-confident to panicky with even their fielding beginning to look sloppy during the ninth wicket stand of 44 between Jackman and Dwayne Leverock that threatened to turn the match.

However, when Stars captain Gary Brangman trapped Jackman lbw for his only wicket of the match in the 46th over, Stars knew that victory would finally be theirs. In the following over, spinner Hasan Durham made sure by bowling last-man Wynford Austin to leave Police 46 runs short of their target.

Victory looked to be Police's for a long period after dismissing Stars for under 200 on what looked a good batting strip.

Anthony Foggo, eventually sixth out in the 25th over when the score was 110, was high man for Stars with 38 while tail-ender Allan Brangman scored 18 not out and Durham 16, Jeff Richardson 15 and Cleon Scotland 15 in the middle order as Stars recovered from 68 for four by the 13th over.

Andre (Doc) Manders fell for his second straight duck, this time lasting nine minutes, while brothers Arnold (five) and Anthony (nought) also went cheaply.

Freston Hurdle, sharing the new ball with Roger Blades, led the Police bowling with three for 36 while Tyrone Smith, first change, claimed two for 35.

Spin is proving to be the key weapon in Stars' bowling armoury. Arnold Manders was bowling his off-breaks as early as the sixth over and Wayne Richardson his left-arm orthodox leg-breaks by the 16th as Police wickets starting to fall like flies.

Manders got the breakthrough in the 11th over when he had Ferdinand Thorne caught by brother Andre for 13. Two overs later Manders struck again, this time removing the other opener Dennis Archer. And when he and Richardson shared the next four wickets in the 20th, 21st, 26th and 27th overs, Stars knew they were well on top.

Manders finished with four for 20 off 10 overs while Richardson took two for eight from 10 overs and Durham a more expensive two for 43 from 9.1 overs.

Leverock, who batted from 4.55 to the close at 6.23, for his unbeaten 33 was the main contributor along with Jackman.

REACH OUT AND TOUCH -- Clay Smith puts away a wayward delivery from Bailey's Bay's Damon Edwards in yesterday's top match. St. George's won by 60 runs.