Somerset Cricket Club (St George’s won toss): St David’s beat St George’s by eight wickets

St David’s were crowned the Premier Division Champion of Champions after beating St George’s in an entertaining match on Saturday.

Set a challenging target of 184 at a run rate of 9.2 runs per over, veteran Ricardo Brangman and promising youngster Isaiah O’Brien came together with the Warriors in a spot of bother at 20 for two. The duo then shared an unbeaten 168-run partnership to carry their team to victory.

“It was a good game,” said St David’s captain Derrick Brangman.

“Our bowlers did well to restrict them, as I thought 220 was on the cards, and our batting was awesome. Ricardo and Isaiah batted well and were hitting the ball solid. O’Brien is our key player at the moment and for a young guy, we will keep pushing him forward.”

O’Brien was brutal to tall medium-pacer Anandu Anil, scoring 19 off his third over with three fours and a six to long-off, which not only cleared the boundary fence but also the house behind it.

The two would carry the score to 90 for two at the halfway stage with hard hitting combined with loose bowling and sloppy fielding putting St David’s into a commanding position.

Brangman would bring up his half century with a single to long-off before being assisted by Zeko Burgess, who overthrew the ball to the boundary for an unnecessary four extra runs. Not to be outdone, O’Brien brought up his fifty in the next over with a quick single to extra cover.

The two would smash nine fours and 13 sixes between them to pass the St George’s score with two overs to spare. Brangman finished unbeaten with 90 from 40 balls, while O’Brien was 68 not out from 47 balls. The pick of St George’s bowlers were Burgess, who claimed one for 16 and Anil with one for 38.

Earlier, St George’s had won the toss and elected to bat but the plan backfired as Macai Simmons, playing after Somerset withdrew his one-year ban, tried to pull Naquan Smith on the first ball of the second over but gave Brian Hall an easy catch at fine leg.

St George’s would lose three quick wickets with only 17 runs on the board before Zachary Edmund (19) and Jonté Smith brought some stability to their innings with a 69-run, fourth-wicket partnership. That took the score to 86 for three at the halfway mark.

Smith, who was dropped by Aaron Paynter at mid-off when on five, capitalised on the spared life with some aggressive strokeplay as he would dominate the partnership.

Edmund would depart on the first ball of the eleventh over without adding to the scoreline when he cut one to Brandon Swainson at deep second slip off the bowling of Hall for 19. Burgess became Hall’s second wicket in the over when he skied to deep mid-wicket, where he was easily caught by O’Brien with the score now 86 for five.

Captain Sinclair Smith joined Jonte Smith and played more of a supporting role as the latter would bring up his fifty with some aggressive batting. The two would carry the score to 120 before the in-form batter was fooled by a Justin Pitcher off break and was bowled for a team-high 69 which included ten fours and two sixes.

Jahquil Hill, better known for his goalkeeping heroics with league champions Dandy Town, then joined his captain and the two took the score to 144 before captain Derrick Brangman knocked back the latter’s centre stump as he was going for a big hit.

St George’s would finish their innings in a fiery manner as Zakari Seymour slammed 26 runs off the last over of Naquan Smith to finish unbeaten with 33 from 11 balls.

Sinclair Smith was not out with a patient 27 from 23 balls as the two put on a 40-run, unbeaten seventh-wicket partnership to post a challenging total of 184 for seven in their allotted 20 overs. Hall and Naquan Smith were the pick off the St David’s bowlers, finishing with two wickets apiece for 23 and 40 runs respectively.