Wanderers pile championship misery on to kings of the short game

ST PIERRE's weekend misery continues. Without their skipper and best batsman, the New Zealander Glenn Milnes, they slipped to their third straight GCA Champion-ship defeat, this time a crushing 112-run loss to the new hybrid side, Wanderers.

The winners may live to rue their opening game setback to Optimists, but having clocked up the maximum 20 points at the KGV on Saturday it would be foolish to dismiss them as title contenders.

Their depth in batting is impressive, their mix of bowling more than handy.

If there is a weakness it is the lack of a spearhead, but against a St Pierre team without Milnes' gelling qualities Wanderers did not need an 75mph merchant to blast out the opposition.

With the strip offering turn, Steve Birkett's gentle and well-flighted spinners combined well with the seam of Pierre Moody and Keith Le Cheminant to punch holes in a batting line-up more suited to the biff-bang of evening cricket.

Of the top order only Vince Kenny with 27 offered much resistance and had the Wanderers outfield not put down several catches off Birkett, the match would have ended much earlier.

Birkett finished with three for 33, including a particularly smart caught and bowled to end the resistance of Phil Cox, who top scored with 32.

Earlier the bowler had put down an easier chance given by the same batsman.

St Pierre's hopes of successfully chasing 242 for victory were never realistic, the Wanderers' impressive total the result of steady batting by six of the top seven.

Only Tim Duke, arguably the best of the lot, missed out, being caught by Dave Hearse at mid-off early on off Jon Orme.

Gary Tapp top scored with 66, his 70-ball middle-order knock including eight boundaries.

At the end Spencer Noyon belted 26 off just 11 deliveries, with the aid of three fours and a six, Hearse being the sufferer.