Cobo kids come of age

COBO Reserves' kid bowlers put the skids under DHL St Martin's in a tense, low-scoring GCA Trophy final at KGV. 'They did us proud,' said victorious skipper Rob Batiste, who was full of praise for his young attack.

'But they all performed brilliantly under pressure and all have a big future in the game,' added a happy captain.

Cobo's victory looked unlikely when Mark Vidamour was under-pinning Saints' reply to the 100 set them.

Vidamour scored a fine 47 but when 16-year-old paceman Kris Moherndl returned for a second spell he bowled the opener and sparked a spectacular collapse.

With leg-spinner Luke Nussbaumer, 15, claiming two important wickets and Moherndl collecting his third of the innings, Saints' last-wicket pair of Mark Culverwell and Etienne Heaume were left needing to score 15 to lift the cup.

Heaume pushed one single before edging Le Page's second ball to Paul Butler at gulley and the game was over.

Moherndl was the pick of the Cobo bowlers, with figures of three for 19 from 10 tight overs, but James Mullen, just 14, pushed him close with two for 13, including the prize wicket of former Cobo man Alex Hunter.

Peter Le Hegarat, 15, also chipped in with a couple of important wickets.

Earlier, Batiste and Tony Masterton rattled up 33 from the first six overs before the latter holed out to mid-off.

Batiste rode his luck against the pacy Culverwell to hit 28 from 26 balls, but when he clipped an on-drive into mid-wicket's hands the former island bowler and long-time Cobo first-teamer tucked into the middle order.

He produced a pearler to dismiss Jamie Nussbaumer and also bowl Butler.

Nathan Pattimore and Ian Richardson also collected three wickets apiece as Cobo subsided from 72 for four to 100 all out.