Bailey?s Bay 70

Western Stars 74-8

Western Stars prevailed in a low-scoring thriller at See Breeze Oval yesterday, eking home by two wickets against Bailey?s Bay.

Batsmen fell like ninepins in both innings as Bay were dismissed for a paltry 70 in 33 overs before having Stars 19 for four and 42 for six in search of victory. The visitors eventually scraped to success in 23 overs as skipper Hasan Durham lashed the winning boundary to take the St. John?s Road team to 74 for eight.

No batsman in either side got beyond 19 as the individual scores looked more like lottery numbers than contributions from Premier Division players.

In Bay?s innings, the hosts were quickly in trouble as their top four batsmen ? Glenn Blakeney, Dennis Trott, Stephen Outerbridge and Cal Dill jr ? returned to the pavilion without making any impression of substance at the crease.

Peril at 18 for four was transformed into deep trouble at seven for 55 and matters were soon wrapped up with Dennis Archer seizing three wickets for 16 runs from ten overs while Saleem Mukuddem, Jacobi Robinson and Durham took two wickets apiece.

The script was much the same when Stars began their reply with an equally dire start as seamer Burton Outerbridge proved a nightmare for the guests. He accounted for the first four batsmen while conceding 25 runs in seven overs and received good support from Jim West and Ryan Steede. However, in the end, it was not enough to prevent Stars moving on in the tournament.