Bailey’s Bay warmed up for the first round of the Eastern Counties next week with a convincing 74-run victory over Willow Cuts at Sea Breeze Oval on Sunday.

Kyle Hodsoll starred with bat then ball as he featured in three late-order partnerships to steadily rebuild the Bay innings after a drastic start.

Bay chose to bat first but the Cuts bowlers would restrict the opening pair of captain Terryn Fray and Coolidge Durham in a painstaking 18-run partnership before the latter was trapped leg-before to Kamar Bashir for an 18-ball duck. The visiting bowlers dominated the powerplay as they restricted Bay to 36 for three.

Rodney Trott and Denico Hollis produced a valuable fourth-wicket partnership of 23 before Hollis became the third lbw victim of the day, trapped in front by right-arm medium-pacer Wayne Ball. Trott would follow four runs later as Ball held on to a hard-driven return catch to leave Bay in a spot of bother at 63 for five from only 16 overs.

Hodsoll and LaZai Outerbridge helped Bay to recover as the two put on a vital, 82-run, seventh-wicket partnership with some cautious stroke play, as only 12 of those runs came from boundaries. The pair would carry the score to 162 before spinner Toronto Darrell got the crucial wicket of Outerbridge when he enticed him to skip down the crease only to miss the ball and be stumped by wicketkeeper Shaquille Bean for 37.

Jordan Burgess would join Hodsoll with the two producing an eighth-wicket partnership worth 28, but Darrell’s spin would get the better of Burgess (13) for an easy stumping by Bean.

Hodsoll would be last out as he tried to turn a single into a two and was caught well short of his crease, finishing with a game-high 55. Bean would have a good day behind the stumps with one catch, two stumpings and an assist in the run-out of Hodsoll as Bay were all out for 203 runs with ten overs to spare.

Bashir was the pick of the Cuts bowlers, claiming the first three Bay wickets to finish with figures of three for 25. Darrell and Ball assisted with two wickets apiece for 20 and 30 runs respectively. Cuts did not help their own cause as they conceded a total of 54 extras, including 41 wides, to help Bay reach their total.

In reply, Cuts opened with aptain Ras Solomon Burrows and Bean having been set a target of 4.06 runs per over to win.

Hodsoll opened the bowling for Bay but pulled up with cramp in the middle of his first over and left the pitch, leaving management and fans in a state of worry. However, he would re-enter and remain on the field from the start of the sixth over.

“I pulled up with cramp from running all those singles today,” Hodsoll said. “I came in with my team in trouble, so I had to put my head down and bat the way I know how to. The fans don’t have to worry, as I will be ready for county next week”.

Lashaune Weir would bowl Bean (10) on the first ball of the sixth over to break up the 23-run opening partnership. Burrows departed six runs later when he lifted Jordan Burgess high to Shakir Young, who fell backwards but still held on to the catch.

Young Wysden Symonds showed a glimpse of a promising future when he hit two cover drives to the boundary, which brought a round of applause from the sparse spectators present. But he would then fall to a yorker by Burgess in the next over for an entertaining ten runs.

The match was in the balance as Cuts were 43 for three at the end of the first powerplay, which was seven runs better than their opponents.

Chakote Basden and Bashir would offer some resistance with a 31-run, sixth-wicket partnership, which was broken when the former cut a shot into the hands of a diving Burgess at short third man for 18. Jalen Wade then joined Bashir with the two putting on a team-high, 32-run partnership. Trott then bowled Wade as he tried to push the score along but left his stumps exposed.

Bashir batted stubbornly to give Cuts hope of winning before he was bowled by Trott for a team-high 26, which included three fours and one six. Hodsoll then wiped up the tail to give Bay the win with Cuts all out for 129.

Weir was the pick of the Bay bowlers with match-winning figures of four for 45. Trott and Burgess each took two for 13, while Hodsoll had two for 20.