Champions Bailey’s Bay cruised to a comfortable six-wicket triumph over Somerset Cricket Club to advance to a third straight Twenty20 Championship final at Somerset yesterday.

Off spinner Rodney Trott and seamer Nyrobi Mills each claimed two wickets to restrict the home side to 118 for seven after they won the toss and elected to bat on a flat track.

Malachi Jones, promoted to opener, then smashed 35 from 20 balls and former Bay captain Stephen Outerbridge an unbeaten 38 from 33 balls to see the visitors safely home with 4.4 overs to spare.

Outerbridge, the left-handed batsman, hammered a six and four boundaries, including the match winning boundary through the covers off left arm seamer Micah Simons.

“I thought we played well,” Irving Romaine, the Bay coach, said. “We managed to get their big bats who have been scoring runs out cheaply so they were on the back foot just trying to put a total on the board after that.”

Bay lost opener Terryn Fray in the second over of the innings cheaply.

But a 52-run second wicket partnership between pinch-hitter Jones and Azende Furbert put Bay firmly back in control before Outerbridge served the proverbial last rites.

Jones struck three fours and as many sixes, including two straight driven sixes over the head of teenager Simons, who went for 29 in his first two overs.

“This week was about trying a different approach with guys at the top and Malachi had a good innings [Saturday] and today also,” Romaine said. “We wanted to start the innings off quick and get above the run rate and cruise home.”

Second change bowler Isaiah Richardson, son of former Western Stars left-arm spinner Wayne “Spike” Richardson, was the pick of the Somerset attack with two for 28. Marcus Johnson was their top scorer with 39.

Bay advanced to yesterday’s Twenty20 Championship Flight semi-final after handing Western Stars a crushing seven wicket defeat at Sea Breeze Oval on Saturday while Somerset reached the last four after handing Cleveland County a 43-run defeat at Lord’s.

Bay will face Eastern Counties rivals St David’s in this Sunday’s Twenty20 Championship final at Sea Breeze Oval.

St David’s recorded a comfortable six-wicket triumph over Southampton Rangers in the remaining Twenty20 Championship semi-final at Lord’s yesterday.

Justin Pitcher ripped the heart out of the visitors batting order, claiming four for 17 as Rangers were dismissed for a paltry 76 with Kwame Tucker top scoring with 22.

Pitcher then capped an outstanding all round display with a top knock of 28 as St David’s reached their target with 6.1 overs to spare.

Shannon Rayner chipped in 27.

Kevin Tucker, Vernon Eve and Lamont Brangman took one wicket each for Rangers.

St David’s advanced to the semi-finals after they beat PHC by 85 runs in Saturday’s Twenty20 Championship quarter-final at Lords while Rangers beat St George’s by three wickets at Southampton Oval.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s Twenty20 Championship final against Eastern Counties rivals St David’s, Romaine said: “We’re looking ahead to the final. It’s down at Bay and so it should be a good crowd and some good cricket.”

Sunday’s Twenty20 Championship final at Sea Breeze Oval will be preceded by the Plate final between Tuff Dogs and Devonshire Recreation Club.