Bailey's Bay 112-1 Corey Hill virtually destroyed Flatts singlehandedly with his gentle medium pace bowling on Saturday, taking seven wickets for 31 runs to inspire Bailey's Bay to a nine-wicket victory in the opening round of the Eastern Counties Cup at Lord's.

With a performance that may have sealed his selection for the Somerset Cup Match team, Hill was in devastating form.

He bowled eight straight overs before taking a break and returning for 12 more to finish with a seven-wicket haul and an amazing 11 maidens.

Assisting Hill was veteran Noel Gibbons while guest player Dexter Basden provided Bay with solid batting.

Gibbons returned three for 28 off 17.5 overs with five maidens while Basden, opening the batting, finished undefeated on 63.

Flatts' day of misery ended at 5.00 p.m. when Basden turned Dale Benjamin to the fine leg boundary for four.

Bay skipper Charlie Marshall had won the toss and put Flatts in under steamy conditions. From that point, Bay dominated proceedings with Hill quickly stamping his authority, pinning down both openers with his inswingers and outswingers.

In quick time guest player Treadwell Gibbons was out for a duck, caught by Basden in the slips off Hill with just 13 scored, and Flatts skipper Millard Bean, the other opener, was dismissed for six with the addition of just three runs, also caught by Basden off Hill.

Derek Wright came and went without contributing, but Flatts made a slight recovery through Gershon Gibbons and Troy Dean who added 33 for the fourth wicket, taking the score from 17-3 to 50 before Gibbons was bowled by Noel Gibbons for 13.

Dean departed five runs later for 12 with the score then 55 for five. A sixth-wicket stand of 20 between guest player Dwayne Leverock (14) and Brandon Woolridge (12) helped steady the ship before Hill dismissed Leverock with the total on 75.

Flatts managed to creep to the century mark thanks to Woolridge and a few lusty blows from the bat of Kevin Hurdle who finished unbeaten on 14.

But Hill and Gibbons made sure that their total would not extend too far beyond the hundred mark with continued tight bowling, the end coming for Flatts after 54.5 overs.

Bay went in to bat at 2.50 p.m. and reached their winning target after 26.1 overs, thanks to Basden and another guest player Andre Manders.

Roger Trott opened the batting with Basden but was forced to retire with the score on 17 because of pain from a leg injury he had received while fielding.

Basden and Manders had little trouble dealing with a Flatts' attack which was led by the pace of Hurdle and Gary Brangman, taking the score to 98 before Manders became the batsman to lose his wicket -- hauling a catch to Derek Wright in the covers off Treadwell Gibbons for 18.

Basden celebrated the victory with his winning stroke. He batted for 105 minutes, facing 104 balls and striking nine fours.