Renouf scuppers former mates

ROVERS may have made the two biggest signings of the close season, but it was an old boy now playing for Total Cobo who shot them to pieces at the KGV last evening. Mark Renouf produced arguably the outstanding new-ball spell of the Barclays Premier One campaign to send his old team-mates crashing to 82 all out.

Peter Vidamour and Matt Oliver then swept Cobo towards a comfortable nine-wicket victory which underlined that the former kings of the short game will still be there or thereabouts come the end of August.

Renouf was pure class.

Richard Headington and Tim Duke had eased their way to 14 in four overs when Renouf struck with the first ball of his third over.

Headington saw his stumps flattened by a full-length ball and by the end of the ninth over Rovers innings was in tatters at 34 for five, four of the wickets having fallen to the man who lives a stone's throw from the Port Soif club, but after two years there thought the grass was greener along the coast.

Duke and Matt Jeffery were undone by superb reverse-swing yorkers, while Aaron Scoones, who had taken a liking to his fellow spinner, Gary Rich, lifted his back foot momentarily and found himself stumped by the fantastic glovework of Justin Ferbrache.

It was keeping of the highest class that underlined the importance Ferbrache is to the side.

His spell over - four for 11 from five overs - Renouf then took a juggling catch to cut short the innings of Ed Benfield.

Jeremy Frith swept up the tail, claiming three wickets with the ball and then producing the throw which accounted for Ed Sherbourne, run out off the last ball of the innings.

Cobo took 13.2 of their own 18 overs to knock off the runs, Vidamour and Oliver scoring freely after Matt Jeffery's opening maiden.

Stuart Bisson bowled too short while Jeffery was picked off.

Scoones' introduction saw the runs flow even more freely, but with only 15 required Vidamour was bowled for 33. Oliver was unbeaten on 41 at the finish.