Quality seam bowling ends Optis' perfect start

THE last remaining unbeaten record in Premier One has gone. Rovers were victorious in the clash of two of the top flight's heavyweights at the KGV last night to leave themselves, opponents Clubhouse Optimists and Total Cobo all tied on two points dropped apiece.

As expected, it was a tight and entertaining game although surprisingly low scoring as ball dominated bat for once and much credit has to be given to the Rovers attack - it is a very rare occasion that Optimists fail to chase 112 in a 22-over contest.

To be fair, the Optimists bowlers performed excellently in their own right.

The highest partnership was the first of the match as Richard Headington and Tim Duke put on 41 for Rovers' opening wicket and they finished as the game's joint top scorers with 22 apiece.

But after Steve Queripel had made the breakthrough and Duke was run out, Ami Banerjee ripped through the middle order taking four wickets while Elliot Green chipped in with two as Rovers struggled.

However, after the turn around, Optis had problems themselves as Duke and Nick Derbyshire made early inroads with some quality seam bowling which was then continued by Matt Jeffery, with Aaron Scoones providing the variation.

The blacks slumped to 59 for seven with all their big guns gone before the Chambers brothers, Nick and Jamie, put together a useful partnership built on superb running to renew their team's hopes.

But when going for one quick single too many, Jamie was run out by Richard Hamilton and then Derbyshire removed Nick later in the over to put Rovers firmly in the driving seat and they finished the match off with two balls to spare.

'It was the best game we have had this season,' said Duke, the Rovers captain.

'We failed with the bat but you cannot do any more with the ball off 22 overs than defend a low score.

'Everyone bowled well, we got a good start with a couple of early wickets and just kept it going.

'When the two Chambers boys were in I thought they might be able to sneak it but we managed to break them up.'

Duke believes that victory has blown the title race wide open with basically half the league programme completed.

'That was a must win game for us. If we had lost that I think Optimists would have gone on to win the league but we are right back in it now,' he said.

In Premier Two, Paul Le Ray and Martin Robert rushed Salemites to a nine-wicket win over Goldridge Stone Parishioners A.