Warwick 149 The Western Counties title changed hands for the second time this season on Saturday as Southampton Rangers won back the trophy they lost in the second round of the 1993 series.

It was an exciting 36-run victory for Southampton at White Hill Field as the holders were stopped in their victory push by Dwayne Steede and Carl Garzette.

Each took two wickets in their second spells as Warwick lost their last four wickets for only two runs.

Just as the decision by captain Olin Jones to bring back Steede and Garzette proved decisive, so too were the dismissals of Ritchie Foggo and Johnny Nusum at a crucial stage.

Foggo added a valuable 34 for the sixth wicket with Mark Ray in taking the score from 69 to 103 before he skied a delivery from Olin Jones to short extra cover where Michael Brangman held the catch.

That dismissal brought Nusum in to partner colt Mark Ray in what would be Warwick's last hope of pulling off victory. And they looked like doing it as the pair added a quick 44 for the seventh wicket before Nusum went for a big hit against Steede, who had just been brought back into the attack, and had his stumps knocked back.

The stand was vital as it saw the last of Warwick's recognised bats and Nusum's 20, including three boundaries, was just the contribution Ray needed at the other end.

But with the tailend exposed, Ray tried to push the score along and in the next over from Garzette he gave a catch to Jones at cover point.

Ray's first innings in the Western Counties produced 44 runs, coming off four fours and a six, and it wasn't long after his departure that Rangers wrapped up victory.

Garzette got captain Alan Wilkinson in the same over and and then in the next over Steede bowled Hoyt Zuill to finish with figures of five for 32 from 9.3 overs on his return to the Rangers team. Garzette claimed two for 28 off seven overs.

Treadwell Gibbons was the next high man for Warwick with 25 while Daniel Morgan scored 15 before being yorked by Steede who also had two excellent catches taken close to the wicket by Michael Brangman and Kwame Tucker to put Warwick in trouble at 69-5.

Earlier Keith Wainwright led the Rangers batting with 58, including seven fours. He shared in a third wicket stand of 45 with his captain after guest players Dexter Smith and Gregory Sampson could only manage eight runs between them at the top of the order.

Sampson, on his debut, was bowled for nought by Zuill in the third over and Smith went 10 runs and three overs later for just eight. Wainwright got good middle order support from Brangman (26) and Tucker (23), the pair adding 41 for the sixth wicket.

Hoyt Zuill claimed three for 33, Wilkinson two for 26 and Ray two for 25 to lead the Warwick bowling.

Rangers meet PHC in the third round on August 23.