Lord’s (St David’s won toss): St David’s beat Bailey’s Bay by 31 runs

The low run-chase syndrome struck again yesterday, this time St David’s avenging two previous losses to Bailey’s Bay as the visiting side suffered their first defeat of the season after nine wins on the trot.

Bay were comfortably placed at one stage — 64 for three after 22 overs — and looked set to get the win that would take them ahead of St David’s and into first place in the Logic Premier Division.

However, after scoring just 22 in the next 12 overs, the required run rate started to rise and nerves began to set in when spinner Allan Douglas claimed two wickets in two balls in the 35th over to make it 88 for five.

The match, between two unbeaten sides in the 50 overs league, was living up to its top billing as the large crowd watched Fiqre Crockwell smartly stump Stephen Outerbridge for ten, and then next ball Malachi Jones was bowled by a quicker ball from Douglas.

“It was a low target but the wicket was playing low so it was always going to be a struggle for them to get the runs as long as we bowled in the right areas,” Sammy Robinson, the St David’s manager, said. “It was quite evident that we did that today.

“The guys just had to show that fighting spirit and they did it today. They had faith in one another’s ability and as long as they do that they have nothing but good things coming.

“We have been depending on the spinners for a long time now and believe in bowling our spinners, especially early to get them behind the run rate to put pressure on their middle and lower order to make up for it. That’s when mistakes would be made.”

St David’s, who lost to Bay in a Twenty20 match and then in the final of the Belco Cup at Lord’s last month after failing to chase a modest 128 for victory, were desperate for revenge, and the two wickets put a new spring in their step as Bay reached the 100 mark in the 40th over.

Disaster struck twice again in that over as Bay, now set to score at five runs an over in the last ten, found themselves six wickets down after opener Terryn Fray lofted a drive off Delyone Borden to Rudell Pitcher at wide mid-off to fall for 43, after two hours and seven minutes at the crease.

Derrick Brangman was seventh out, caught by Dion Stovell in the covers in the same over, and it was definitely game on for St David’s with Bay having to rely on three tail-enders to score the remaining 52 runs off the last ten overs to extend their unbeaten start to the season.

Zeko Burgess fell at 105 for eight in the next over, and then it was 116 for nine in the 44th over when Kyle Hodsoll was caught by Douglas at mid-off, off Kevin Hurdle who was back for his second spell.

A missed run out at the bowler’s end by Douglas in the 47th over extended the match when Douglas, who had earlier taken two catches to go with his two wickets, let Nyhrobi Carmichael escape after a mix-up in the middle.

However, Carmichael was run out at the same end on the first ball of the next over when Stovell’s throw to Crockwell caught him out of his crease after a misunderstanding with Dennico Hollis.

The match had earlier turned on a crucial decision in the tenth over when Rodney Trott was judged to have been caught at slip by OJ Pitcher off Stovell, by Emmerson Carrington, the umpire, despite not offering a shot.

Trott expressed his displeasure at the decision to the umpire as he walked off.

“The turning point was when Rodney was given out caught behind and didn’t even play a shot, a bad decision by the umpire who otherwise had a solid game,” Irving Romaine, the Bay coach, said.

“Looking at the scores down at St David’s, yesterday one of the national squads only managed 108 so the wicket is definitely playing low.

“It is a hard wicket to play on and scoreboard pressure today was in effect and when you have big bats like Stephen Outerbridge [going cheaply] and a first ball duck for Malachi and a duck for Derrick Brangman, it’s pivotal.”

St David’s employed spinners Stovell, who shared the new ball with Cejay Outerbridge, Borden and Douglas for the bulk of their overs as they slowed up the scoring rate and then took vital wickets to pull St David’s back into the game.

Borden, in probably his best bowling spell so far, claimed three for 38 while Douglas had two for 22 and Stovell one for eight with four maidens.

OJ Pitcher, the St David’s captain, and Hurdle then got late wickets to ensure the victory.

Supporting Bay in the batting was Dennico Hollis with 20 not out while Sinclair Smith scored 15 batting at No 4.

Earlier, Stovell led the St David’s batting with 48 after putting on 68 for the fourth wicket with Pitcher who contributed 36.

After that they slumped from 101 for four to 132 for nine before a last wicket stand of 19 between Ricky Foggo and Cejay Outerbridge enabled them to reach 150 in 48.3 overs.

Carmichael, the man of the match in the Belco Cup final against the same opponents, was the top bowler for Bay with four for 33 off seven overs, including two wickets in his third over when he trapped Pitcher leg-before on the first ball and five balls later had danger man Douglas caught by Rodney Trott for four to make it 106 for five after 38 overs.