match -- yet were still unable to prevent the champions from retaining the Western Counties Cup in this two-day final at White Hill field.

Sadly the game ended in a dull draw which was in sharp contrast to the semi-final two weeks ago when Somerset Bridge scored a dramatic one-wicket victory over favourites Southampton Rangers with the winning runs coming off the last over.

By gaining a comfortable 132-run lead after the first innings, thanks to a whirlwind 90 not out by Gladwin Edness, Willow Cuts were firmly in the driver's seat when Bridge went out to bat a second time at 12.10 yesterday.

In addition to being faced with a huge deficit the champions also knew it was necessary for them to bat long if they were to see off the Willow Cuts challenge.

The task appeared to be a gigantic one for a team whose batting looked awfully brittle on Saturday when they were skittled out for 98. And though there was an early scare in their second innings when Alfred Carter departed with just three runs on the board, the Bridge batsmen settled down to the task for the rest of the match and survived for 90 overs.

Although it was clear that they were irritating the fans with their pushing and prodding approach, the Bridge batsmen were happy to put their team into a position of safety first.

With Arnold Manders batting for just under three hours for 61 and O'Neil Virgil occupying the crease for over three hours for 35, the hopes of Willow Cuts batting again slowly diminished. The pair added 64 for the third wicket during their long stand.

Jeff Richardson later came and added a brisk 68 not out but by that time a draw was inevitable.

Willow Cuts' skipper Dexter Basden did not agree with the negative aproach taken by the Bridge batsmen, saying it is that same type of approach that is causing the crowds to dwindle.

"With those sort of tactics they used we will have difficulty getting the crowd here. The way I see it if you are champions you have to make a game out of it and they did not,'' said Basden.

"If we were in their position and held the trophy we would have made it more exciting, we could not play defensive like that because we are not that sort of team and we would have only gotten ourselves out.'' But Basden admitted that his team was to blame because they dropped too many catches, particuarly when Manders was put down by Kevin Fubler at long-off when the score was 27 for the loss of two wickets and the batsman was on two.

"That hurt us a lot, it was where the game was lost for certain,'' said Basden.

Gladwin Edness was denied his first Western Counties century by a declaration by his team which left him on 90 not out. Basden defended that declaration saying that it was their intention to bat for just 40 minutes on the morning of the second day before declaring.

"As it was we batted five minutes longer, giving Edness a little extra time.

But in the end we decided to stick with our plan, regardless of what sort of lead we had. The time was the essential thing because we wanted to get them in as early as possible.'' While the champions got some satisfaction from the batting during their second innings, the same could not be said about their first innings as Cuts took the early advantage.

From the time when Vance Gilbert dismissed opener Virgil (0) and Alfred Carter (0) with just two runs scored, it was a tremendous uphill battle for Bridge who eventually finished with 98 with Brian Gibbons top batsman with 34.

Gilbert finished with four for 14 and Vivian Simons with four for 24.

Willow Cuts finished the day on 135 for three and increased the scoring tempo yesterday morning with Edness being the dominating batsman. He batted for 90 minutes and swatted seven sixes and six fours.

Edness was voted Man of the Match and received the Harley Raynor Memorial Trophy for his unbeaten 90.

PhOTO IN THE AIR -- Willow Cuts captain Dexter Basden sees his knock of 45 on Saturday come to an end with this stroke which he skied off Brian Gibbons to Corvett Lambert at backward square leg.