St. David's 157 Charlie Marshall played a typical captain's innings while Jason Anderson and John Ray both enjoyed excellent debuts as Bailey's Bay opened the defence of their Premier League Overs title with a comfortable victory by 73 runs at Sea Breeze Oval yesterday.

And while the match wasn't even close in the end, there was plenty of promise shown by the St. David's youngsters to suggest they will still be one of the teams to watch this season.

They had Bay in early trouble when 16-year-old Angelo Cannonier picked up three wickets in his first spell to have the home team 37-3 after 12 overs, with Ricky Hill, Irving Burgess and Glenn Blakeney all going cheaply.

However, a fourth wicket stand of 95 between Marshall and Anderson tilted the balance of the match. Marshall led the way with 72, including five fours and five sixes, while Anderson chipped in with 30, including three well struck sixes as he made an immediate impression with his new club.

After Anderson was given out lbw by Jeff Pitcher, St. David's picked up two more wickets in the space of 11 runs to have the home team in trouble again at 143-6.

Cal Dill was brilliantly run out by Clay Smith who fielded a firm hit by Marshall at mid-off and in one motion hit the wicket at the bowler's end with Dill's bat still in the air.

Marshall added 36 for the seventh wicket with teenager Stephen Outebridge (26) before St. David's were further frustrated by a last-wicket stand of 21 between Ray (13 not out) and Dennis Pilgrim (12).

Cannonier, three for 16 off his first seven overs, finished with three for 35 from nine to lead the St. David's bowling while Lionel Cann took two for 44 off 10 overs.

St. David's threatened to make the target of 231 look small when Allen Richardson and Shea Pitcher hit 20 in the first two overs with Richardson stroking three boundaries. Restricted to 48 overs, St. David's got their target under 200 by the sixth over with 33 on the board.

The opening stand lasted nine overs and produced 42 runs before Pitcher had his leg stump uprooted by Clarkie Trott. And when Richardson chipped an easy catch to Cal Dill at mid-wicket, Bay began to take the initiative.

New captain Clay Smith could only manage one run in 12 minutes on his debut before falling to a brilliant close to the wicket catch by wicketkeeper Anderson who gave Ray his first victim.

Anderson, who had to play second fiddle to Dean Minors at St. George's, showed his potential as a wicketkeeper with another sharp catch to dismiss O.J.

Pitcher before going one better with a leg side stumping -- signalled a wide -- to remove Del Hollis to make it 67-7 in the 20th over.

That was Ray's second wicket of the over with Cann falling to a good catch by Charlie Marshall at mid-off.

Sammy Robinson, coming in at number three and staying almost two hours, led the batting with 32 before he was eighth out while Richardson was next high with 29. Angelo Cannonier finished with an outstanding allround match, hitting 17 fluent runs in a stand of 29 for the ninth wicket with Arthur Pitcher Jr.

Ray claimed four for 37 and Trott two for 17. Corey Hill, who marked his return from suspension with a two-ball duck, and gave up 23 in his first three overs, finally got it right by picking up the last two wickets in his final over to finish with two for 46 off 9.5 overs.

Photos by David Skinner Out of reach: St. David's wicketkeeper Allen Richardson fails to catch the ball down the legside as Jason Anderson collects more runs on his way to a score of 30 on his debut for Bailey's Bay at Sea Breeze Oval yesterday.

Scampering home: Bailey's Bay captain Charlie Marshall dashes through for a single as this throw just misses the stumps.