Somerset CC (PHC won toss): Cuts won by 41 runs

A new-look Willow Cuts made a bright start to the season with this comfortable victory over PHC in the Twenty20 competition at Somerset Cricket Club yesterday.

Dwight Basden and Bergon Spencer struck 38 each while opening bowler Tyshaun Brown claimed three for 15 to guide Cuts to victory as PHC came up short in their reply despite an unbeaten half-century from opening batsman Dean Richards.

Cuts got solid contributions from their top order after being sent to bat.

Openers Basden and Shakir Bashir, the Cuts captain, took advantage of the power play with some heavy hitting.

The pair carried the score to 69 before both were dismissed inside of an over.

PHC made further inroads to restrict Cuts to 140 for four with a handful of overs remaining.

However, poor fielding and bowling enabled Cuts to score 58 from the last four overs with Sheroy Fubler and Spencer adding 74 runs for the fifth wicket.

To add insult to injury, PHC were penalised 12 runs for a slow over rate.

PHC’s reply got off to a horrendous start as Brown picked up early wickets with the new ball to leave the visiting side wobbling at 40 for three in the seventh over.

A 45-run fourth-wicket stand between Richards and Charles Trott steadied the ship somewhat.

But once Trott fell to an excellent running catch at third man off the bowling of Chakote Wainwright the writing was on the wall as wickets tumbled around the ruthless Richards at regular intervals.

The Jamaican opening batsman battled through the pain barrier with a hamstring pull, his dashing and entertaining knock of 90 coming off just 58 balls and included seven sixes and six boundaries.

Fubler, the Cuts all-rounder, said: “It was a good first half, everyone chipped in with the bat.

“We could have done better in the second but that’s how the game goes.”

Richards, who was dropped at mid-wicket when in the 70s, added: “I thought we could have got the runs because it was easy out there. But we couldn’t build a big partnership.”

Willow Cuts

D Basden c Trott b Hanuman 38

* K Bashir c Eve b Romel 20

† S Outerbridge c Smith b Hanuman 22

C Wainwright c Richards b Smith 15

S Fubler not out 27

B Spencer c & b Hollis 38

T Brown not out 0

F Swan, S Gomes, D Swan, T Darrell: did not bat

Extras (1b, 1lb, 24w, 8nb) 34

Total (20 overs) 210

Fall of wickets: 1-69, 2-69, 3-98, 4-119, 5-193

Bowling: Anglin 2-0-17-0; Trott 3-0-15-0; Romel 4-0-42-1; Hanuman 4-1-26-2; Stewart 3-0-43-0; Smith 3-0-26-1; Hollis 1-0-27-1

PHC

*†J Albouy c Spencer b Brown 0

D Richards not out 90

D Hanuman lbw Brown 11

M Romel b Brown 5

C Trott c Swan b Wainwright 25

C Stewart c Bashir b Gomes 0

Holli sb Bashir 1

K Lambe not out 7

D Anglin, A Astwood, E Bean: did not bat

Extras (4b, 1lb, 11w, 14nb) 30

Total (20 overs) 169

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-26, 3-40, 4-85, 5-91, 6-118

Bowling: Brown 4-0-15-3; Bashir 4-0-29-1; Fubler 3-0-40-0; Gomes 3-0-31-1; Wainwright 4-0-34-1; Darrell 2-0-15-0.

Umpires: R Dill, E Carrington.