NSC (Willow Cuts won the toss) – St David's 133-5, beat Willow Cuts, 122-9, by 11 runs.

For three years no-one has been able to beat St David's in Twenty20 cricket and on this –evidence it could be another three years before anybody manages to do so.

The undisputed champions of Bermuda won the competition for the third consecutive year yesterday, beating Willow Cuts by 11 runs in a triumph that was far more comfortable than the margin of victory suggests. And they did it with only 10 men after Graison McCallan failed to show up.

Quite rightly then Bermuda Cricket Board president Allen Richardson made the decision immediately afterwards to award St David's the trophy permenently, much like Belco decided to do when Southampton Rangers won the Belco Cup for an unprecedented sixth time.

Only very, very briefly did the defending champions look like they could lose their crown. First when they were reduced to 37 for two when Lionel Cann foolishly ran himself out, and then in the middle overs when Cuts' Bermuda internationals Malachi Jones and Kevon Fubler dominated with the ball to restrict the defending champions to 107 for four after 16 overs.

Jones looked every inch the threatening fast bowler that he can be when he puts his mind to it. He took two wickets for 14 runs yesterday, to go with the three wickets he took in his side's semi-final win over St George's on Saturday.

Fubler too was impressive against St David's, taking one for 15 from his four overs, but in the end it wasn't enough to compensate for the rest. Willow Cuts proved to be their own worst enemies, bowling an eye-watering 19 wides, as they sent down 32 extras in total.

It didn't help that they also came up against Sammy Robinson on one of his very good days, and the Most Valuable Player award that the veteran received at the end of the match said everything about his influence on the game.

Robinson top-scored with 43, and the 41 that he and OJ Pitcher (17) added for the third wicket dug their side out of the hole they found themselves in early on. He also got the priceless wicket of Jones for just three, reducing Willow Cuts to 47 for four as the challengers' run chase ended before it really had a chance to get going.

Bergon Spencer Jnr (23) and George O'Brien (18) gave their team a brief glimmer of hope as they battled to 100 for seven, but with two overs left and 34 runs still needed victory was always likely to be highly improbable.

"Coming into the game we knew that it was a big field and we would have to do a lot of running," said Robinson. "There weren't a lot of boundaries in the semi-final, so I knew it would be the same, and so I was prepared to run.

"I was a little tired when I was bowling, but I just pushed through that, I knew from experience that my mind could help me through that. It's nice that we get to keep the trophy."

The loss of Cann would have proved fatal to a lesser team, but St David's are not a one-man band, and the bowling proved as much. Delyone Borden, Del Hollis, Justin Pitcher and Sammy Robinson all got two wickets apiece, and facing that kind of onslaught, Willow Cuts might consider themselves lucky to have got as close as they did.

Whether there is another team on the Island who can get closer, only time will tell, although Robinson thinks Rangers would give his side a good run for their money.

"On a good day Rangers (could beat us), and maybe one or two others, but Rangers is the main team," he said. "We would have loved to have had them in the tournament, and hopefully next year they'll come back and we can face them."

Robinson has had a good year so far, and will be part of the All-Star matches that will take place over the first two weekends in October. There will be two 50 over matches next Saturday and Sunday, and four Twenty20 games the following weekend.

"I'm off next weekend because I work shifts, so next weekend I'll make myself available definitely," said Robinson, "and I'll work on making myself available for the last weekend as well."

While yesterday's final was an entertaining spectacle, the same cannot be said for the third place play-off game between Somerset and St George's which came before. As might be expected from a meaningless match neither team looked particularly interested in proceedings, and the only saving grace was that there were very few people there to watch.

For the record, Somerset beat St George's by three wickets, with Reid Jones' 21-ball half century seeing them to their target of 122 with 5.1 overs to spare.

n The Children Need Sports charity are hosting their annual East v West match at Bailey's Bay Cricket Club on Sunday, October 3, at 10am.

A host of Cup Match stars, past and present, will play in the game, with all proceeds going to buying sports equipment and supplies for children from financially challenged families.

The teams are (from): West – Doc Manders, Hasan Durham, Cal Waldron, Ryan Belboda, David Adams, Reid Jones, Wayne Campbell, Ricky Brangman, Ricky Hoyte, Charles Swan, Millard Rawlins, Charles Symonds.

East – Herbie Bascome, Peter Philpott, Irving Romaine, Anthony Bascome, Merkel Smith, Carlton Smith, Derek Wright, Rodney Woolridge, Charles Richardson, Millard Bean, Marvin Trott, Johnny Richardson.