Somerset Cricket Club (Southampton Rangers won toss): Southampton Rangers beat PHC by 50 runs

PHC’s Davin Dill scored a fantastic century in vain as Southampton Rangers picked up the first trophy of the new cricket season in the First Division Champion of Champions match.

Dill, who smashed eight sixes in a knock of 103 from 54 balls, was pleased with his application despite his side coming up well short in their attempt to chase the 222 scored by Rangers.

“I did the basics well,” he said. “I kept my head straight and that allowed me to strike the ball clean.”

Rangers head into this season as one of the preseason favourites after recruiting a string of Bermuda international and captain Alex Dore was pleased with how his side played in a season that promises much.

“We achieved what we set out to do and our aim is to win the league,” Dore said. “We want to get Rangers back to where they used to be.”

Rangers won the toss, elected to bat and wasted no time in exhibiting their prowess. New recruit Onias Bascome cracked a straight drive over the long off boundary from the first ball of the innings, which was bowled by Dionte Dowling.

Dowling went on to bowl four no balls in the first over, which went for a monstrous 27 runs as Rangers went on the attack early.

It was PHC captain Charles Trott who made the breakthrough from the Lopes Garden end, dismissing Delray Rawlins with a ball that knocked middle stump over.

Dowling’s poor footwork led him to concede 20 additional runs off his second over, including two more no balls, but he did take the wicket of the dangerous Bascome before Trott to take him out of the attack for a while.

Trott then took the wicket of the match in his second over, showing cat-like reflexes to catch an aggressive drive by Dion Stovell off his own bowling.

PHC youngster Kezie Richardson then swung the momentum with two prized wickets in his first over. First, Deunte Darrell got the faintest of edges to PHC wicketkeeper Dill and two balls later Allan Douglas flicked right to Taurean Manders, leaving Rangers 77 for five at the end of the batting powerplay.

Dore and veteran Nacori Smith steadied the innings but only after the captain was dropped on four by Jubar Corbin at long on. Manders took his solitary wicket when Dore missed a slower ball that slid under his bat and into leg stump.

After Richardson bowled Swayne Campbell to break a partnership of 58 from 36 balls for the seventh wicket, the game was truly on. However, Smith and Darrien Gibbons completed a stand of 47, off 23 balls, to pick up the pace.

PHC regular Ori Wilson ran out Nyhrobi Carmichael on the final ball of a fabulous innings, in which Rangers posted 222 for nine.

Former captain Donte Brangman got Rangers off to the perfect start in defence of their mammoth total, trapping Manders leg before on the first ball of his maiden first over.

PHC captain Trott was dropped on one by Allan Douglas but battled through to make 52 in the end. Trott smashed 14 runs off the last four balls of Gibbons’ second over, as Zebras hit the mid-point of their chase at 54 for two.

Dill and Trott reached their half centuries in the fifteenth over, both with beautiful sixes. Davin hit the tally in 33 balls with Trott slightly more conservative to reach fifty, taking 41 balls. Stovell finished that over by bowling Trott after the century partnership was reached in just 66 balls.

When Jubar Corbin was caught and bowled by Carmichael on his first ball, it looked like a statement victory for the league winners but Dill had other ideas and cracked consecutive sixes off the first three deliveries of his next over.

Dill led a 45-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Dowling, and reached his hundred on the final ball of the innings with a boundary.