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BERMUDA | RSS PODCAST

MCC put to the sword by Bermuda old boys

Speed merchent: Malachi Jones (right) celebrates the fall of an MCC wicket with wicketkeeper Dean Minors at Somerset Cricket Club last night.

Bermuda's 2007 World Cup team turned the clock back to pull off a stunning and emphatic 104 run victory over the visiting MCC in a Twenty20 affair at Somerset Cricket Club last night.On a night that saw Bermuda fire on all cylinders it was the duo of Lionel Cann and Dwayne Leverock who stood tallest among the crowd with game-winning performances nothing short of spectacular.Explosive opening bat Cann smashed a typically robust 72 from 51 balls while left-arm spinner Leverock claimed equally impressive figures of three for 14 in a mesmerising four over spell.“It was a great team performance,” commented an elated Bermuda captain Irving Romaine. “We played good cricket, bowled in the right spots, hit the loose balls and it was a great game of cricket.”After a sluggish start Cann shifted through the gears and launched a brutal assault on a varied MCC attack.The hosts plundered 40 runs for the loss of just opener David Hemp (eight) off the mandatory power play thanks to some aggressive stroke play from Cann who blasted seven sixes and two fours.The St David's cricketer thumped two towering sixes off seamer Paul Muchall over long on and square leg to reach his half -century in the 13th over off just 39 balls.Cann, who was spilled at midwicket, added 75 runs for the second wicket with Stephen Outerbridge (21) and a further 38 for the fourth with Janeiro Tucker (12) before he fell prey to a superb acrobatic catch behind the stumps by wicketkeeper Josh Knappett.But by then Bermuda were in a position of strength at 140 with four overs remaining in the innings and there would be little reprieve for the visitors as incoming bats Dean Minors (23) and skipper Irving Romaine (14) added an additional 33 runs for the sixth wicket to keep the scoreboard ticking over.Both batsmen had the fielders chasing leather or fetching the ball from beyond the fence, with Minors particularly harsh on left arm spinner Micheal Baer who went for a costly 20 runs in his second and final over. Minors and Romaine were eventually dismissed in quick succession but by then the damage had been done.Seamers Muchall (two for 21) and Andrew Birley (two for 27) were the pick of an MCC attack that used seven bowlers in vain to try and dislodge Bermuda.If Bermuda's batting was a sight to behold, their fielding and bowling was equally as impressive, with wicketkeeper Minors producing a vintage display behind the stumps.Asked to score at nearly nine runs an over in their reply, a fired up Malachi Jones (two for six) had the MCC on the back foot early after claiming the wickets of Thompson (0) and Chris Benham (one) in the space of four balls.Once Jones made the breakthrough the larger than life Leverock made his presence felt by claiming the wickets of Richard Gilbert (ten), skipper Craig Wright (four) and Birley (0) in the space of two runs as Bermuda moved in for the kill.Third change Tucker (two for 17) also kept the pressure on with his gentle seam and it was perhaps most fitting that skipper Romaine would serve the last rites by claiming the last MCC wicket to fall in the 19th over to cap a memorable night for Bermuda cricket.Andre Geldenhuys led the MCC resistance with 30 runs.