Biggins achieves mission

IT WAS mission accomplished at the KGV last evening. That is to say, the game was over before 7.45pm. Even before a ball had been bowled it was pretty obvious that the cricket was going to play second fiddle to what was happening in Lisbon later in the evening.

That would have been a great shame normally with the Premier One champions facing one of the sides looking to relieve them of their crown, but with DHS St Pierre again missing five first-team regulars, they were always going to be huge underdogs.

A casualty list that included Glenn Milnes, Vince Kenny, Paul Wakeford and Jarrod Avery would harm any team's chances but Dave Hearse's options were reduced even further with Carl Le Tissier and Dougie Mackay both unavailable.

With the club's C side also in action, the A side ended up taking to the field with just 10 men and, against a full-strength Optimists side, that meant there was going to be only one winner.

Deprived of several top order batsman, Saints' cause was not helped when Steve Queripel bowled Mike Webber in the third over with the score on five.

They were not to lose another wicket for seven overs but Queripel and Divan van den Heever gave little away.

Elliot Green claimed the next couple of batsmen to fall, having top- scorer Justin Walker caught at backward square leg and Phil Cox at mid-wicket.

Ami Banerjee chipped in with the wicket of Wayne Barrett before Green removed Andy Burkhardt as St Pierre finished on 71 for five from their 20 overs.

The reply was short-lived as Optimists captain Andy Biggins made the most of his last moment decision to open by scoring an unbeaten half-century.

Although he rode his luck at times, including being caught at deep mid-wicket by Walker who then inadvertently stepped over the boundary, the island skipper also played some imperious drives in his 34-ball 51.

Nick Chambers made a run-a-ball 13 at the other end in support as the league leaders completed a nine-wicket win.