North Village 215

Forties 216-8Forties lifted the season-opening Commercial League Memorial Cup at Shelly Bay Field on Sunday after recovering from an early order slide and virtually snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

The reigning league champs found themselves reeling at 90 for the loss of five wickets in reply to Village’s challenging total. But two crucial middle-order partnerships and some loose bowling at the death combined to derail Village’s cup hopes and propel their long-time nemesis Forties to a narrow two-wicket win with four balls to spare.

Sri Lankan batsman Yatin Gawas was the catalyst in Forties hard-fought win that avenged last season’s Knockout Cup final loss to Village. The right handed middle order bat led his team’s run chase with a timely and crucial knock of 39 that contained two fours and a solitary six.

After the Village attack had made early inroads by reducing Forties to 68 for four, Gawas added 22 runs for the fifth wicket with Rohan Davis (22) and a further 42 runs for the seventh wicket with Gerald Bean (33) to put Forties back on track.

Gawas started cautiously but grew in confidence as the opposition’s attack struggled with their line and length bowling on a true surface before he was superbly caught in the slips in the 24th over. In contrast, Bean attacked the bowling from the outset, clubbing five boundaries before he was caught attempting another big hit at long off in the 36th over.

But by then the damage had already been done, leaving the aggressive Gordon Campbell (25 not out) and Blake West (2 not out) to carry Forties across the threshold to victory via an unbroken 24-run ninth-wicket stand.

Campbell was particularly harsh on Village seamer Rudy Smith, smashing successive sixes off the bowler to take Forties to the brink of victory in the penultimate over.

Victory was then achieved on the third ball of the over when Smith strayed down the legside, giving Forties the winning single required in extras.

Medium pacer Reggie Benjamin was the pick of the Village bowling with figures of two for 20.

Earlier Village were sent in to bat after losing the toss but were able to post a sporting total for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 40 overs.

Despite an early setback, a second-wicket stand of 67 between Dion Ball (46) and Allen Walker (13) steered Village back on course. After a slow start, Ball upped the tempo in belting three sixes and three fours while other significant contributions from Ernest McCallum (45) and Rudy Smith (41 not out) kept the 2006 Knockout Cup champions on top of the bowling. McCallum and the watchful Smith added 74 runs for the fourth wicket, the biggest partnership of the game.

That Village were able to surpass the double century mark also owed much to some wayward bowling on the part of Forties who gave away a clumsy 43 runs in extras, 30 of which were wides.

The five Village wickets to fall were shared evenly among Forties’ bowlers, with seamer West returning the best figures of one for 13 off his allotted five over spell.

[bul] Despite a fine all-round performance from veteran all rounder Herbie Bascome, St.David’s still managed to defeat neighbours St.George’s by three wickets in a pre-season warm-up match at Lords on Sunday.

Scores: St.George’s 161, St.David’s 163 for seven.

Bascome blasted three sixes and four fours during a top knock of 40, but St.George’s eventually buckled under the weight of some superb bowling by Justin Pitcher who claimed three wickets for 33 runs off eight overs.

In reply, World Cup all-rounder and St.George’s Cup Match skipper Lionel Cann hit a typically robust 40 before retiring, while McCal Crockwell chipped in with a useful 19.

Bascome also led the St.George’s bowling in defeat, claiming four for 47 off nine overs while newcomer Rodney Trott seized three for 28 off 4.4 overs of spin.