St. George's 171-3 The title race in the Overs Division is certain to go down to the wire after St. George's ended Bailey's Bay's championship aspirations with a seven wicket win at Sea Breeze Oval.

Division leaders Bay had a one-point lead over second-placed Western Stars going into yesterday's match with St. George's a further point back in what had become a three team race.

However, this loss by Bay -- their final match in that competition this season -- effectively ended their title hopes as Stars regained the lead and still have a game to play.

Now it will all come down to the make-up match on August 11 with St. George's at Wellington Oval as the winners will emerge as the champions of limited overs cricket this season.

Stars can probably still lay claim to that as they beat St. George's in the Camel Cup semi-final on their way to winning that cup, though St. George's got revenge with a win in the semi-final of the Knockout Cup.

Yesterday's win over Bay was quite a convincing one for St. George's, despite the presence of free-scoring Glenn Smith in the Bay team. However, when second-change Herbie Bascome removed both Smith and Ricky Hill on the fourth and sixth balls of his second over, St. George's had achieved a major breakthrough, with the home team being 32-2 after seven overs.

Hill scored five and Smith a fluent 24 but further success for the visitors was delayed when Roger Trott and Charlie Marshall carried the score to 68 by the 19th over when Trott fell to a catch at slip by Wendell Smith off a delivery from David Adams that brought him forward before leaving him and getting an edge.

Bay moved along to 70 by the 20th over, with Charlie Marshall solid at one end while wickets fell at the other end to dash Bay's hopes of a big total.

Four wickets went down in five overs between the 33rd and 38th overs as the score slumped from 119-4 to 140-8 with Marshall one of the four, going for a top score of 58 in the 36th over.

Bascome, who conceded three straight driven fours to Marshall in his fifth over, got revenge in his first over back when he bowled Marshall to end an innings containing seven fours and a six.

Bascome went on to finish with five for 38 from 10 overs while Clevie Wade, the seventh bowler used, took the vital wickets of Corey Hill, Irving Romaine and Cal Dill in the middle order to end with three for 14 from 3.2 overs.

Adams had a good spell, claiming two for 18 from 10 overs while the other Cup Match spinner for St. George's, Eugene Foggo, conceded 20 runs in his 10 overs as first change to slow up the Bay scoring.

St. George's had the perfect start as openers Wendell Smith and Dexter Smith -- who scored 100 of the runs between them -- added 92 for the first wicket in 89 minutes, with the first 50 coming in 11 overs from nine boundaries.

Dexter fell in the 20th over when he gave an return catch to Charlie Marshall after trying to swing him to the deep midwicket boundary. His 40 included six fours and a six.

Wendell added 47 for the second wicket with Eugene Foggo (23) before the former finally departed for 60, which came from nine fours and a six.

Bay's bowling was weakened by the absence of Clarkie Trott and Anthony Braithwaite and the St. George's batsmen never looked in too much trouble against the bowling.

That enabled Foggo and Clevie Wade to take the team to brink of victory before Foggo departed five runs short of the target.

Captain Clay Smith ended it quickly with two scoring strokes off Ricky Hill, a double to mid-wicket and an off drive for four.

Marshall was the best Bay bowler, taking two for 16 from 10 overs.