Western Stars 162-8

Social Club 88

Even without the services of several key players, Western Stars shone brightly over their nearby rivals as they reclaimed the Central Counties Cup after an absorbing weekend of cricket at St.John?s Field.

With allrounder Justin Robinson at the helm of the team in place of vacationing skipper Hasan Durham, Stars defeated champions Devonshire by 76 runs in Saturday?s semi-final before handing Social Club a 74-run loss to reclaim the cup they lost a year ago during low-scoring affairs played in overcast conditions.

?Our confidence was really high coming into the weekend and whenever we play as a team we can compete with any team,? stated Robinson afterwards.

After losing two and a half hours to early morning rain yesterday, Stars lost the toss and were sent in to bat on a pitch that, despite the inclement weather, was full of bounce and held up nicely over two days of cricket.

However, this did not prevent Social Club from making early inroads as opener Jekon Edness (0) and Treadwell Gibbons sr (seven) were dismissed cheaply.

Stars, though, would recover in the form of a timely 56-run third-wicket partnership between Treadwell Gibbons jr (24) and number four bat Saleem Mukuddem (30) and go on to post a sporting total in their allotted 32 overs after Jacobi Robinson (23) and Nakia Smith (21) added another useful 31 runs for the seventh wicket.

Darrell was the pick of the Social Club bowling, claiming three wickets for 24 runs off seven overs while Jaymo Durham returned two for 30.

Social Club, like champions Devonshire 24 hours earlier, would eventually pay a heavy price for allowing Stars to regain their footing after losing early wickets and bat their opponents out of the match.

Last year?s beaten finalists also found themselves in early trouble at 43 for four ? losing their first two wickets before opening their account ? before middle order batsmen Charlie Marshall (27) and Kevin Hurdle (eight) managed to stop the rot with a desperately needed 33 runs for the fifth wicket.

Social Club?s hopes of avenging last year?s final defeat to Devonshire always seemed to hinge on just how long the two players remained at the crease, Marshall taking most of the strike while Hurdle provided the perfect foil.

But once Hurdle gave Treadwell Gibbons jr an easy catch in the covers, the end would come swiftly for Social Club as they lost their last five wickets in the space of 12 runs to hand Stars the coveted spoils with 22 balls to spare.

Skipper Jahmiko Marshall (29) was the only other Social Club bat to reach double figures.

Mukuddem rounded off another fine all-round display by leading the Stars bowling with figures of three for 11 off seven overs with two maidens while Jacobi Robinson took two for 27 off his allotted seven overs.

Robinson, who scored a match-winning unbeaten 68 and put on 104 runs for the eighth wicket along with skipper Justin Robinson (29) against Devonshire on Saturday, also took a sharp catch at mid wicket to seal Stars? win and ignite post-match celebrations at exactly 7 p.m.

?I realised that my team was in a bit of trouble and I had been struggling with the bat lately. So I had to really buckle down and ensure that my technique was proper and just try to hit the ball straight and pick the right ones to hit,? Robinson, alluding to Saturday?s heroics with the bat, told The Royal Gazette.

?Then it was great to come back today and grab a couple of wickets and do as much as I could coming in late with the bat for my team,? he added.

Justin Robinson also came good against Devonshire with the ball, coming on as second-change to return outstanding figures of five for 22 off 7.2 overs of seam on a pitch which offered a bit of assistance to the bowlers and an uncut outfield which made finding the boundaries an art in itself.

Social Club advanced to a second straight Counties final after semi-final opponents Police failed to turn up at their home venue on Saturday.