Somerset CC 309

Flatts 109 and 199Jermaine Warner celebrated his return to Somerset by cracking a career-best 136 at Lords to give the West Enders a crushing innings and one-run triumph over Flatts.

Warner, one of several cricketers transferring from Bailey’s Bay over the off-season, smashed 21 fours and three sixes off 163 balls and shared in a fruitful 106-run opening stand with Dwight Basden who chipped in with a supportive 56 scored off 72 balls.

Warner reached his first 50 off 86 balls and then raced to triple digits off a further 42 deliveries to place Somerset firmly in the driver’s seat after winning the toss and choosing to occupy the crease first.

Basden managed 11 boundaries while Azeem Pitcher (32), skipper Jacobi Robinson (25) and Devon Wade (23) each added useful contributions as Somerset rattled up a mammoth total on a track ideally suited for batting.

Left arm spinner Vernon Eve took three for 91 off 17 overs with two maidens while Regino Smith had two for 55 off 19 with one maiden.

Flatts were skittled out for 109 in reply and forced to follow on and at stumps on the first day were eight for one, still 200 runs shy of their opponents’ first innings total.

Nigel Burgess topped the Flatts batting in the first innings with 26, followed by Dejon Caisey’s unbeaten 18, Barry DeCouto jr (16) and Reggie Baker (14).

Marcus Johnson spearheaded the Somerset attack with impressive figures of four for 30 off ten overs with three maidens and was aided by Monroe Darrell who took three for 22 off five overs.

Despite a spirited knock of 64 off 122 balls from Baker in the second innings, Flatts failed to make serious inroads in pursuit of their opponents’ steep total.

Baker banged nine fours and a six in a stroke-filled innings before he was bowled playing back to a David Gibbs delivery that stayed low.

David Carey scored 39 while Howard Ascento and Ronald Gibbons both added 25.

Robinson and Johnson claimed two for 32 and two for 29 respectively as Flatts came crashing to earth following their recent shock Premier Division limited overs win over defending champions Southampton Rangers who had a bye over the weekend.Western Stars 278-7 and 140-7

Social Club 218 and 219A Western Stars side packed with teenagers recorded a winning draw at home yesterday against a Charlie Marshall-less Social Club — though the St John’s Road outfit might have gone one better had it not been for some atrocious fielding on their part.

After securing a first innings lead of 60 — thanks in no small part to contributions from the excellent Maurice Lowe (65), Don Vickers (56) and Audley Campbell (49 not out) — Justin Robinson’s men then had the visitors on the rack at 25 for four yesterday lunchtime.

But rather than press home their advantage, Stars appeared to take their foot off the accelerator and let Social Club back into the game through a series of comical errors in the field which allowed the pressure to be released.

In fairness, veteran Denis Pilgrim played well for his rearguard 72, and with able support down the order from the likes of Nakia Smith (29) and Kevin Hurdle (27), succeeded in dragging Social Club out of the mire and towards an eventual total of 219 — thereby setting their hosts a tricky victory target of 160 with around two hours of play remaining in the day.

Now one of the side’s senior players in light of the wholesale exodus of experienced talent that has occurred at Stars over the last couple of years, young left-hander Treadwell Gibbons jr initially looked well equipped to handle the responsibility of leading the run chase, pounding Social Club’s battery of medium pacers to the boundary on both sides of the wicket early on.

But when he fell — holing out to Kevin Hurdle at deep mid-off — it was left to fellow opener Lowe to once again take up the reins, a job he did well to record his second half-century (61) of the match.

Despite Lowe’s aggressiveness and positive running between the wickets, however, Social Club’s bowlers never once appeared to panic and succeeded in keeping the run rate in check with some naggingly accurate deliveries.

Once Lowe fell, skipper Robinson — batting with stitches in his face after being hit while batting in the first innings — remained positive and at least did his best to stay up with the run-a-ball scoring rate.

But when he departed for a well-made 32, with score on 138 for seven with only three overs left, the hosts then shut up shop and game petered out into a draw.