Ball dominates bat in season opener

IT WAS the bowlers' afternoon at KGV on Sunday. Rovers took the honours in the first Carey Olsen Championship match to be played this season - Cobo's clash with Mavericks having been called off on Saturday due to the sodden state of the ground - but they were made to work hard chasing a paltry 109 on the artificial wicket.

Both attacks got movement off the strip and scoring was slow for the batsman, as emphasised by the opening partnership between Tim Belton and James Warr.

They put on 23 in more than 14 overs as Nick Derbyshire, Matt Jeffery and Stuart Bisson all produced tidy spells.

It was Jeffery who finally made the break through after changing to the de Beauvoir end, having Belton caught behind.

That was the first of four wickets to fall for just 10 runs as the island fast bowler added Warr and Spencer Noyon to his tally while Tim de Putron took an excellent catch at gully to dismiss Pierre Moody off a full-blooded cut shot and give Bisson his one wicket.

Martin Gray and Richard Veillard hung around in an attempt to rebuild the innings, putting on 25 for the fifth wicket, but when the former got an edge to a John Tall out-swinger wickets continue to fall at regular intervals once more.

Gary Tapp, hampered by a hamstring injury, was the first of Aaron Scoones' three victims while Derbyshire returned late on to re-arrange the stumps of both Steve Birkett and Mike Wall.

It was only Veillard who managed to put together an innings of note, despite batting with a nasty finger injury after Jeffery had gloved him early on.

The number four struck seven boundaries in his unbeaten 45 from 66 balls, as he made sure that he punished the bad balls that occasionally arrived.

Defending such a low total was always going to be difficult but Wanderers' task was made harder when they lost Noyon in his opening over due to a knee injury.

However, against a Rovers side missing Tim Duke, Andy Mountford and captain Richard Hamilton, they did not give up the fight.

Richard Headington went early, getting a healthy nick to Mike Wall in Pierre Moody's impressive opening spell.

Then Dave Piesing brought himself into the attack and in his third over removed Jon Baker.

Scoones and de Putron put on a solid 41 for the third wicket including 19 from Piesing's sixth over but the Wanderers captain replied in fine style.

He only conceded one run from his remaining four overs and claimed the scalps of top scorer Scoones, caught at long-off by Warr for 30, and Matt Seeds while Birkett got rid of de Putron.

From 78 for two, Rovers were suddenly 79 for five and a few jitters were seemingly creeping in. But Jeffery and Derbyshire steadied the ship before Bisson joined the latter to edge their side home.