All-rounder Rich bales out struggling Cobo

GARY RICH last night added another game to the ever-growing list of times that he has baled Total Cobo out of deep trouble. The island all-rounder usually walks out to bat in one of two situations: either the first four have left him with just a few balls to face with plenty of runs already on the board or they have collapsed and he has had to carry out a rescue job.

Against a weakened Aon St Saviour's at the KGV, it was the latter.

Rich came to the crease at 29 for four with Gary Cordery having picked up the wickets of Peter Vidamour, Jeremy Frith and Stuart Le Prevost, while Ross Bateman had accounted for Matt Oliver.

He soon lost Alex Hunter as a partner as well with Tony Veillard taking a brilliant reaction catch after the ball had rebounded off his body when standing up to the stumps and Cobo were 34 for five with half of the allotted 16 overs bowled.

But, as he did in the inter-insular, island wicket-keeper Justin Ferbrache did a terrific job for the remainder of the innings, picking up a run-a-ball 18 in playing the supporting role for his partner.

Rich took a few balls to get his eye in but soon he was finding the gaps and he cut loose with a couple of overs remaining, taking 16 off Gary Tapp's final five deliveries including a thunderous drive through extra cover for four and a six over long-on.

From seemingly nowhere, Cobo had a defendable total of 96 and their all-seam attack did its job excellently, although Saints were handicapped by their captain Richard Veillard not being able to bat due to a broken finger.

Mark Renouf picked up a couple of wickets in his third over of a tidy spell while Liam Smyth took the vital wicket of Tapp as the batsman looked to repeat the emphatic boundary he had just struck off the youngster.

Cobo also forced a couple of run outs through Rich and then a combination of Renouf and Ferbrache, while Rob Turville picked up a wicket with the penultimate ball of the game.

Mike Veillard was the pick of the Saints batsman with an unbeaten 35.

In Premier Two newly-promoted St Martin's secured a five-wicket win over Vagabonds thanks to an undefeated 35 by Dominic Heaume.