Southampton Rangers and St David’s, the top two teams in the One Communications Premier Division, both recorded comfortable victories yesterday, as St George’s, third, dropped off the pace after a home loss to Bailey’s Bay.

Rangers kept their grip on first place when they beat Western Stars by 105 runs at St John’s Field. Opener Malachi Jones stroked 122 from 124 balls to lay the foundations for Rangers’ total of 298 for four.

Jones hit five fours and eight sixes, putting on 54 for the first wicket with Shannon Rayner, then added 184 with captain Dion Stovell for the third wicket after Tre Manders, batting at No 3, lasted just three balls against his former team.

Jones and Stovell carried the score from 56 to 230 when Jones finally departed, leaving Stovell to bat through to the end for his 68 not out.

Stars were much improved in their batting, replying with 193 for nine from their 50 overs, although well short of their target.

n St David’s beat Somerset Cricket Club by 139 runs at Lord’s, where Kevin Hurdle, more known for his bowling, smashed a 64-ball century in St David’s total of 270 for nine from their 50 overs. Somerset were dismissed for 131 in 33.2 overs.

Hurdle, coming to the wicket at 104 for five in the 24th over, stroked 111 from 64 balls in the next 19 overs, hitting nine fours and nine sixes.

George O’Brien scored 43 off 64 balls, with five fours and a six, while Delyone Borden contributed 23. The pair came together at 35 for three before Borden was fourth out on 72 and Somerset grabbed the wicket of Ajuan Lamb to make it 104 for five in the 24th over. However, Hurdle and O’Brien put on 64 for the sixth wicket in just eight overs.

Somerset never recovered from losing opener Maybury on the seventh ball of the innings and Alje Richardson the next over and were ten for two after 2.4 overs. They recovered to 54 for three when Joshua Gilbert departed for 27.

Wicketkeeper Jade Morrissey, who opened the innings with Maybury, contributed 34 off 64 balls as he and captain Jordan DeSilva put on 45 for the fourth wicket to take Somerset to 99 after 24 overs. DeSilva top scored with 43.

Rudell Pitcher led the St David’s bowling with three for 24.

n Bailey’s Bay closed the gap on St George’s in third with an eight-wicket victory at Wellington Oval.

St George’s looked set for a big total after an opening stand of 47 in 11 overs between Treadwell Gibbons and Mishael Paynter as they moved on to 98 for three by the 30th over.

Gibbons scored 28 from 34 balls, Paynter 25 off 42 before Temiko Wilson and Oronde Bascome, batting at No 3 and 4 carried on with knocks of 34 and 23 respectively. However, the bottom quickly fell out of the St George’s innings, when Zeko Burgess, a former St George’s player, returned for his second spell and picked up four more wickets to finish with figures of five for 31.

Three St George’s batsmen fell for ducks in the middle-late order, Jahron Dickinson, Osagi Bascome and Nzari Paynter, as St George’s lost their last seven wickets for just 35 runs.

St George’s gave themselves some hope when Bay opener Pierre Smith was caught at slip in the fourth over and then Sinclair Smith was trapped lbw by Simmons for his second wicket.

Terryn Fray, the Bermuda captain, and Stephen Outerbridge put the sword to the St George’s bowlers after that in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 96 that carried Bay to victory.

Fray, who smashed three sixes off Osagi Bascome’s lone over, finished with 51 not out from 74 balls with two fours and the three sixes. Outerbridge was initially the more aggressive, scoring 52 off 62 balls with seven fours and a six.

Simmons took the two Bay wickets, finishing with figures of two for 36 from 9.2 overs.