Bailey?s Bay 232-9

St. George?s 208-7

Lively batting by Herbie Bascome and opener Sinclair Gibbons enabled visitors St. George?s to snatch a nine-run victory in this Premier Division Knockout semi-final at Sea Breeze Oval yesterday.

An unfit wicket delayed the start of the match for more than an hour while rain eventually saw the umpires adopt the Duckworth Lewis system, leaving St. George?s with a winning target of 199.

And thanks to Bascome and Gibbons in particular, they accomplished their goal.

Bascome topped the scoring with 60 (four fours and five sixes) while opener Gibbons followed on 46 while his partner Detroy Smith added 39.

St. George?s? batsmen dominated from the very beginning with the openers putting on 82 and then, once Smith departed, Bascome and Gibbons carried on with a second-wicket stand of 74 to take the total to 156.

Gibbons fell to make the score 156 for two and Bascome went at 183 for three, but St. George?s had sufficient batting talent left to creep to their winning target with Jason Anderson playing a superb anchor role, finishing undefeated on 15 while five of his team-mates were dismissed.

Opening bowler Corey Hill was the chief wicket-taker for Bay with three for 32 off nine overs with a maiden while Rodney Trott had two for 30 off five overs and skipper Jermaine Outerbridge two for 44 off eight overs.

Earlier Irving Romaine came to the rescue of Bay by stroking 40 as they lost their first three wickets for 44. But even Romaine had to count his lucky stars as he was dropped before he scored and then put down again on 14.

After he departed at 96 for four, Cal Dill steadied the innings with a fine 51 (five fours and a six) and later Hill, batting at number nine, added a brisk 64 not out with four fours and five sixes to help the home side to 232-9 and what seemed to be a respectable and probable winning total.

Herbie Bascome was the pick of the visitors? bowlers with three for 59 off eight overs with one maiden while Travis Smith had two for 32 off six overs.