All-rounder Frith stars as Cobo hammer Optimists

WHAT an emphatic way to get your first win of the season. Total Cobo destroyed The Clubhouse Optimists by a mammoth 185-run margin at the KGV on Sunday with a performance that must surely have broken some local records.

It is hard to remember a side reaching 311 in the afternoon league and to do it for the loss of just both openers was an extraordinary achievement, especially after having lost the two games they had played in their campaign so far.

A major difference this time, though, was that Cobo had Jeremy Frith available and what a difference he made.

The island all-rounder scored a magnificent, unbeaten century and then claimed four wickets as Optimists were bowled out for 126 - matching exactly the number of runs Frith had scored on his own.

'It does help having your best player back and to win by almost 200 runs against a quality side is incredible,' said Cobo captain Peter Vidamour.

It helped that Vidamour had won the toss and allowed his side first use of a decent batting track.

He and Matt Oliver laid solid foundations with an opening stand of 64 in just over 15 overs before the skipper was bowled by Divan van den Heever.

But Frith and Oliver continued the good work in a partnership that was worth 169.

On another day the left-handed opener would have been grabbing the headlines for his fine 94 made from 128 balls. He did give a couple of chances but he hit the ball typically hard, striking eight fours and two sixes before falling six runs short of a ton when he chopped van den Heever back onto his stumps.

By that stage Frith had virtually caught up with him through some superb clean hitting and marvellous stroke play.

He had reached his fifty at a run a ball and then he accelerated to move onto three figures from just 81 deliveries faced, having struck 10 fours and two sixes. He would go on to add two more fours and sixes to his tally by the end of the innings.

To make Optimists' woes complete, the last person they wanted to see coming in at the fall of Oliver with 233 on the board and five overs remaining was Stuart Le Prevost.

He plundered a brisk 36 not out from just 14 balls with five fours and a six.

The reply was one of a side that knew they were beaten.

Mark Renouf made the initial breakthrough, drawing Mark Clapham forward and getting an edge to wicket-keeper Justin Ferbrache.

Liam Smyth was soon in on the act as Mark Jefferies miscued a pull shot to the seamer's slower ball and TJ Ozanne took the catch at square leg.

The vital wicket of Optimists captain Andy Biggins followed in Smyth's next over with Ferbrache taking his second catch to make it 29 for three.

Ami Banerjee provided some relief for his side with yet another classy innings where he scored an effortless 53 from just 41 balls but even he could not save this game.

The Indian became Gary Rich's second victim after van den Heever when he holed out to long on attempting to repeat an earlier straight six and Optimists were struggling to gain even one batting point.

In the end they fell four runs short of achieving that with Frith ripping through the lower order and, fittingly, taking the final wicket to fall as Elliot Green got a leading edge to Rob Turville at mid-wicket.

The win and maximum points takes Cobo off the bottom of the table while Optimists slip to third when they had the chance to go top.