Bowlers keep Cobo on the title trail

EXCELLENT bowling and fielding ensured that Total Cobo kept their unbeaten record intact at the KGV last night. Aon St Saviour's fancied their chances of being the first side to defeat Stuart Le Prevost's team this season after they, too, had put in very good performances in both of those aspects of the game, but their opponents dug deep.

Defending a disappointing total of 101 for seven off 19 overs, Cobo knew that they would have to pull out all the stops to make it four Premier One victories from four matches.

Rob Turville led the way as he produced an outstanding five-over unbroken spell opening up from the de Beauvoir end.

His line and length was generally immaculate and the occasional ball that was deliberately dropped short always kept the batsmen on their toes.

At the other end, Liam Smyth once again showed his potential in his first couple of overs, although he did begin to struggle later on as the ball got wetter.

However, Smyth helped to build up the early pressure that led Saints to lose two wickets in the fifth over of their reply.

On the third ball Gary Tapp survived an appeal for leg before, but as he attempted a second leg bye to substitute fielder Jamie Nussbaumer at third man, Tapp finished short of his ground.

Next ball, Owen Brock received a beauty first up from Turville that started on middle and leg and ended up clipping off stump. St Saviour's were 13 for two.

But Richard Veillard was always going to be a vital wicket and it took a piece of magic to dismiss him.

Having scored 12 from his first 10 deliveries, the Saints skipper got one down leg-side from Turville.

The batsman only slightly overbalanced but in that split moment Justin Ferbrache had gathered the ball and whipped the bails off. It was simply top-class wicketkeeping.

From that point Cobo were confident that they could restrict the remaining batsmen and so it proved as Gary Rich, who claimed two wickets, and Jeremy Frith, bowling seam up, produced accurate spells at the death to ease their side to a 13-run win.

Earlier, Cobo had failed to capitalise on a good foundation laid for them by Pete Vidamour and Matt Oliver. The openers had put on 46 in eight overs, even though the former was struggling with his timing.

But Ben Driver's medium pace really put the brakes on. He made the breakthrough with a fine return catch to dismiss Oliver and from there, wickets tumbled regularly.

The middle-order trio of Frith, Le Prevost and Rich could only muster 15 runs between them as Driver's excellent spell was backed up by some safe catching.

He finished with four for 18 from his five overs while Phil Challenger and Spencer Noyon were also among the wickets.