Optimists coast to win

AT THE weekend most of the players in this game featured in an Afternoon League classic that had everything. Last night's Barclays Premier One match, in contrast, had virtually nothing to offer the casual spectator.

Deutsche Bank Taverners struggled to 69 in 17 overs and Optimists, in return, made an uninspired effort to get the runs. The result was never in doubt from the first over, if not before.

The most intriguing moment of the match came when Andy Orme put up three consecutive steeplers and the Optimists fielders hovered beneath them like nervous fathers in the maternity ward. All three chances went down - twice with not a touch from the hapless victims.

Optimists may struggle against better teams this season without Divan van den Heever's bowling. But at present Ami Banerjee and Steve Queripel are more than making up the loss.

Both bowled superb opening spells as Taverners, put in, made heavy weather and struggled to a run rate of three an over.

The efforts of both men were spoiled only by a late spate of wides from the Indian and a bout of macho posturing by Queripel.

Only Orme and Mark Bisson made any impression on the bowling as Taverners skipper Robbie Moore seemed to read the runes before the start and shuffled his batting order.

Optimists saw Simon Gaudion dropped at slip first ball before Justin Scriven mopped him up in the first over. But there was little else to cheer. Andy Biggins was occasionally troubled by Scriven, but generally moved with few worries to a match-settling 43 not out off just 46 balls.

Mark Jefferies played on to Jonathan Wilkes-Green, before Biggins settled matters in thick fog with 10 balls to go.