Sea Breeze Oval (Bailey’s Bay won toss): Bailey Bay beat Flatts Victoria by six wickets

Half-centuries from Rodney Trott and Stephen Outerbridge guided defending champions Bailey’s Bay past Flatts and into the Eastern Counties Cup final on Saturday.

Having taken two wickets earlier on, Trott, promoted to open the batting, returned to the crease having earlier retired hurt on 39, to top score with an unbeaten 53 off 76 balls.

Outerbridge contributed a rapid 56-ball 52 as Bay finished on 162 for 4 in 42.5 overs. This was after they had won the toss, sent Flatts in to bat and cleaned them up for 160 in 55 overs.

Kamau Leverock proved the pick of the batting attack with a knock of 40, before going on to pick up three of four Bay wickets to fall.

Bay will now meet Cleveland County in the final at Sea Breeze Oval on September 2.

Speaking on his unfamiliar batting position, Trott said he had been tasked by coach Gus Logie to open the batting, and he was up to the task.

“The coach told me during the week that I was going to be opening, I put my hand up to say yes I don't mind,’’ Trott said.

“For the last two years I have been opening, it’s just this season that I haven't been doing. That’s what I really want to do, I want to open the batting, I guess it worked out today.

“It’s not about me scoring the 50, it’s about the team winning so any way I can contribute in making the team better, and making the team win I am down for that.

“I had a little cramp, I guess my body needs a little break, I guess I'll take of my body tomorrow, hopefully I will be ready for the new coming games.

“I put some ice on it, rested for a little while then I felt kind of good, then I said let me go finish off the innings.”

Outerbridge felt when he walked out to bat, they had already done enough to win the match and all that was needed was some cool heads in the middle.

“The game was set up already, we just needed a bit of maturity,’’ Outerbridge said.

“I was little disappointed to lose my wicket, but Bay won, that’s the main thing. Sometimes personal goals have to be put aside, our objective was to win as a team, I just played my part.

“The wicket was good to play, I just executed my plan, put away the bad balls, and hit straight as much as I could, that seemed to work.

Dajon Carey, the Flatts captain revealed that they wanted to field first had they won the toss. When things did not go their way at the flick of the coin, focus shifted to a target of 220 runs, which they failed to achieve.

“We definitely wanted to field first, they won the toss, they sent us in to bat,’’ Carey said.

“A couple of early wickets fell, the middle order kind of fell as well faster than we expected it to. The tail made a few more runs than we expected, so we posted half a decent total. Bay batted very well, discipline, patience, overall it was a good game for them.”

After Macquille Walker, Zeko Burgess and Malachi Jones made early inroads to leave Flatts on 19 for 3, they did put up decent fight to head into the lunch break on 88 for 5 in 35 overs.

That all changed after the interval when seamer bowler Kyle Hodsoll came in to bowl. He went on to finish with four for 27 in seven overs.

“I just tried to vary my pace, my line and length, bowl stump to stump,’’ Hodsoll said.

“It was either I hit, they miss. I was bowling full and straight at the stumps, I was unfortunate not get the fifth wicket.

“I have to give it to their tail end, they really fought a good battle. In the final, I am going in with the same game plan, bowl stump to stump again, bowl hard, hit the deck, try different variations, let the ball swing, let it do what I naturally do.”