Jaiden Manders scored 51 off 27 balls as Bailey’s Bay beat PHC by nine wickets at PHC Field on Sunday.

Manders made light work of the PHC bowlers as he helped his side chase down the opposition total of 78 in just 8.2 overs.

With both teams relegated from the T20 Premier Division this season, they were not involved in the T20 Knockout Cup semi-finals, but Manders was still happy enough with his knock.

“I know this was a meaningless game as both us and PHC have been relegated,” Manders told The Royal Gazette.

“Coming off my performance in BSI [Bermuda Smash Invitational] this week, I wanted to show stronger personal intent. I came early, looked at the wicket, and told myself to have a go and the runs would come. I went out there to play correct shots and punish the bad deliveries.”

PHC won the toss and elected to bat in scorching heat after the wicket was unused in the morning despite a scheduled First Division match between Devonshire Rec and Somerset Bridge. That game did not take place after only two members of the Bridge team turned up to play.

Bay’s regular opening bowler Sharye Tavares opened with a solid first over, conceding just two runs to PHC batting pair Sage Carter and Davin Dill. Tavares returned to dismiss Carter off the final ball of his second over, with captain Charles Trott coming to the crease at No 3.

Trott tried to add some aggression to a stuttering innings given the home side had made just six runs from the first three overs and lost Carter. He cracked a beautiful straight drive for six off the penultimate ball of Jordan Burgess’s second over. However, he failed to judge a similar shot off the very next ball, with Terryn Fray showing safe hands to take a low catch.

Bay looked like they were going to dismiss their hosts for another low total after Burgess took two more scalps in his third over and PHC were in severe trouble at the end of the batting power play.

Ori Wilson saw a quicker delivery skid under his bat to be out for just one before Taurean Manders followed just three balls later in the same manner.

Young Isaac Todd showed maturity beyond his years when rotating the strike with Dill, who was the victim of quick hands from wicketkeeper Azende Furbert after stepping off his crease in Jermaine Usher’s third over.

Furbert dislodged the bails to put an end to Dill’s knock of 25, which was the highest score for the home side. Dill and Todd had put on 23 runs for the fourth wicket and teenager Todd was trapped leg before on the last ball in the same over to put Zebras under further pressure.

Coolidge Durham got among the wickets when he bowled Koshun Durrant immediately after the batter had pulled a drive to the mid-wicket boundary in the thirteenth over.

Young Kauai Evans had a steady cameo with Dionte Dowling, with whom he formed a 24-run partnership. Durham completed his spell in style, though, bowling him for eight off his last over.

Dowling and No 10 bat Marcus Stephens rotated comfortably for six runs to ensure the home side were not bowled out, although Bay would have been more than happy in restricting them to under 80 runs.

Burgess was the pick of the Bay bowling attack with three for 14 from his four overs, with Coolidge Durham taking two for 24 from his four. Dill and Dowling (16) were the only PHC batsman in double figures.

Bay knew the combination of solid bowling and average ball striking from PHC gave them the simplest of run chases.

Young Tai Cariah, who had a solid day in the Future Stars game at BSI the previous day, started with a few promising strikes in the fist few overs but none could find the boundary. Taurean Manders eventually punished that lack of aggression after Cariah picked out Dowling at the mid-wicket boundary, and the young star made a quality sliding catch.

Home captain Trott got cracked for six twice by Jaiden Manders in his first over, which went for 18 runs, and No 3 Jordan Burgess hit one further six in his second over that was not much better, going for 12. The home side had two loud appeals for leg before fall on deaf ears when Davin Dill came into the attack.

Young Kezie Richardson conceded three straight boundaries to Jaiden Manders in his only over, leaving Bay needing just four to win and the batter completed the victory in commanding fashion, powering a boundary to third man to complete his fifty.