Haunted by memories of their staggering one-wicket loss to Willow Cuts two years ago, defending Southampton Rangers avenged that setback with a comfortable 126-run victory in the second round of the Western Counties Cup competition at Southampton Oval on Saturday.

Willow Cuts' all-rounder Vivian Simons vowed that the confrontation would be "like a war,'' but instead it came close to being a walkover after Willow Cuts' batting proved to be shadowy and imprecise and crumbled to the medium pace bowling of Quinton Burch and the slightly slower pace deliveries of Janeiro Tucker and Clevie Wade.

With a winning target of 208 off 50 overs (reduced from 60 overs because of a delay by early rain), staring them in the face, Willow Cuts could show neither imagination nor technique while batting on a wicket that was not nearly as damp and treacherous as when Southampton had batted earlier on. Their miserable end came after just 28.4 overs. Burch led the way with four wickets for 20 off eight overs and three maidens, Tucker had three for 17 off six overs with three maidens while Wade snatched two for six off merely 3.4 overs and one maiden.

Young fast bowler Gary Williams, who shows a lot of promise, wasn't nearly as successful as the trio but he lent valuable support, taking the wicket of skipper Dexter Basden (10) for 31 runs. But he was the most used bowler with 11 overs and one maiden and he was also their most unlucky having had two catches put down.

As the score indicates there were no batting heroes for Willow Cuts who had only two other players in double figures besides their skipper. Number eight bat Vivian Simons was high man with 21 while Rodney Fubler, batting at number seven, followed with 18.

It was an agonising struggle for the west enders who lost opener Andrew Rollins (4) with the score on seven and who were soon reeling at 25-5 with four more front-line batsmen dismissed -- including Richard Basden (2) who was bowled by Burch. There was some resistance when Kevin Fubler (7) and Rodney Fubler added 26 for the sixth wicket and then Simons and Winslow Williams (4) put on 21 for the eighth wicket, but Tucker and Wade quickly destroyed the tail end before any serious damage was done.

But it was clear that Willow Cuts could have made more of game out of it had they been sharper in the field and not constantly arguing among themselves, especially after having the champions on the run at 90 for the loss of six wickets.

Unlike two years ago when spinners Kevin Fubler and Simons tore the heart out of Southampton, this time it was the pace bowling of Rodney Fubler, Vance Gilbert and Richard Basden who did the damage.

Among the recognised batsmen falling early were openers Olin Jones (2) and Keith Wainwright (11), Stevie Lightbourne (0) and Wade (7). Young wicket-keeper Kwame Tucker added stability though with a fine 28 during the early crisis.

At 113-7 Southampton were in desperate need of players to pull them out of danger and skipper Ricky Brangman (21), Janeiro Tucker (45), Michael Brangman (53 not out) and Burch (13) came and fulfilled that role. Brangman batted for an hour and struck five fours and two sixes.

Brangman and Burch put on 42 for the ninth wicket -- Brangman reaching his half-century with a blistering drive off Richard Basden through covers for a four from the last ball of the game.

Basden took three for 38 off 14 overs with two maidens while Fubler three for 56 off 19 overs with three maidens.

Southampton now entertain Somerset Bridge in the two-day final at Southampton Oval on August 22-23.

THE DESTROYER -- Southampton Rangers' unlikely bowling hero Quinton Burch (left) has plenty to celebrate here as shares his joy with teammates after taking one of his four wickets against Willow Cuts.