Devonshire Rec (Devonshire Rec won toss): Devonshire Rec beat Western Stars by 87 runs

George and Isaiah O'Brien played crucial roles to lead Devonshire Rec to consecutive Central Counties titles after the Green and Gold dismantled Western Stars on Saturday.

Isaiah produced the highest score of the game with 50 in the Rec innings and then took two wickets, with his uncle George taking six wickets for just eight runs in 4.4 overs as Stars got nowhere near chasing down Rec’s total of 211.

The younger O’Brien was pleased with his knock, which came off 63 balls.

“It was a tough wicket for batting,” Isaiah said. “But I fought through and played some good shots.”

Rec head coach Rudell Pitcher was proud of his team's effort to retain the title.

“The players applied themselves well,” Pitcher said. “I felt that 150 would be a good total to defend and we made 211.”

"George O'Brien bowled very well and our attack was mostly economical. Guest player Isaiah showed his quality with the bat and we got there in the end.“

“We will look to defend the title next year and I am sure the team will be ready.

“Special thanks to DoCouto and Dunstan Real Estate for sponsoring Central Counties for another year and all the umpires across the two weeks who have kept order to the event.”

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Rec benefited from some poor bowling despite the ball staying low on a very dry wicket.

In the first over guest player Kamau Leverock survived a thick outside edge that diving wicketkeeper Jamori Manders just missed but in the next over Drewonde Bascome had a thick inside edge taken by the man behind the stumps.

Stars continued to struggle with their direction as they bowled 11 wides in the first six overs. Leverock and new bat Treadwell Gibbons Jr were starting to rotate the strike confidently when the former, who was on 11, played a shot towards deep long-off and young Ethan Adderley made a good low catch near his ankles.

The Central Counties holders reached their fifty in exactly eight overs, with guest player Onias Bascome on nine and Gibbons on 13. The Red and Green held momentum at the end of the batting powerplay, in which Rec accrued 59 for two across ten overs.

Jahre Blakeney, who had taken the scalp of Leverock with the help of Adderley, got yet another crucial wicket as Stars ramped up the pressure. He trapped guest player Onias Bascome leg before just as he was getting himself set with 15 runs, and this started a middle-order collapse which resulted in Stars taking three wickets for just three runs in the space of two overs.

St David’s pair Isaiah O'Brien and Derrick Brangman put their power game into play midway through the innings on their way to a strong partnership of 40 off just 42 balls. After Brangman was caught by Phillip Thomas off his own bowling, Isaiah continued his onslaught and reached a half-century from 58 balls in his first Central Counties final.

Allan Douglas Jr, a Rec guest player recruited from Cleveland County, was at his powerful best in a knock of 36 from just 18 balls before Seth Campbell got him to hit straight to Malachi Jones at deep extra cover.

The game was halted briefly when George O'Brien was injured on the right forearm. Jahre Blakeney completed a four-wicket haul when a stricken George O'Brien and Nyhrobi Carmichael were both caught by Tre Manders as Devonshire Rec were bowled out for 211.

Western Stars got off to the worst possible start when Jaiden Manders was bowled by George O'Brien in the second over. Tre Manders was bowled by a yorker from the older O’Brien in the next over with Malachi Jones trapped leg before the very next ball after playing across the line.

Ethan Adderley made a confident start, defending the majority of the balls he faced and flicked away when necessary.

He was eventually beaten by a trickier ball by Derrick Brangman that clipped off stump. After the batting powerplay, Stars were in serious bother at 27 for four but Detroy Smith and Jamori Manders got the score ticking more regularly, reaching a fifty partnership.

Pacer Leverock made the breakthrough, bowling Manders in the 21st over and when captain Thomas was caught by Isaiah off the bowling of George for 25, there was only going to be one winner.

Blakeney played a few excellent shots in an unbeaten cameo of 12 runs from seven balls, but it was not enough to stop Devonshire Rec retaining their Central Counties crown.