Salemites stay alive - for now

P&J SALEMITES have given themselves a glimmer of hope of avoiding the drop from the top flight. Their last-over victory over fellow strugglers Aon St Saviour's last evening at the KGV put them on six points in Barclays Evening League Division One.

To survive they need to beat DHS St Pierre in their last match.

'We've got to win it to hopefully force a play-off,' said Salemites captain on the night, Darren Tourtel, after his team's win.

Tourtel, standing in for Steve Le Ray, won the toss and elected to field in a constant drizzle that threatened to halt proceedings at times.

He must have thought he made the right decision as St Saviour's soon found themselves four wickets down for 21 runs in the fifth over.

Veteran left arm spinner Ralph Anthony and slow medium pacer Stefan Hothi opened the bowling and did the damage.

If Hothi bowled any slower it would probably go backwards, but in the wet conditions, taking the pace off the ball was the right thing to do.

It made the St Saviour's batsmen force the ball or go for big shots.

Glen Mourant steadied the ship for the batting side as he looked to plant his front leg and punch through the ball.

With Mike Savage, who went for the big shots and they put on 50 for the fifth wicket.

The left-handed Savage hit a particularly massive six off Hothi over long on which crashed into the fence in front of the greenhouses.

But his taste for going aerial proved to be his undoing, as he was well caught by 15-year-old Will Allen on the leg-side boundary off part-time seamer Martin Robert.

Mourant was run out for 40 in the 17th over when his partner Steve Ward sent him back when going for a second run that was not there. He was out by yards.

After some lusty blows from tailenders Rod Sallis and Chris Fisher, St Saviour's finished their 20 overs on 119 for 9.

'We were missing Steve Le Ray and all the boys that bowled did their job,' said Tourtel.

'The bowling was nice and tight. Someone like Martin Robert who doesn't bowl much came through and did a job.

'We fielded well in the conditions as well.'

Things did not quite go to plan with the bat for Salemites as they struggled to get going and lost early wickets.

But Anthony and Hothi revived them and 14 runs needed from the last 12 balls Elizabeth College student Will Allen took full advantage of Noyon struggling to grip the bar of soap of ball as 10 were taken from the penultimate over.

In the last over bowled by Savage, a scrambled leg bye got Allen back on strike and he hit the medium pacer through midwicket for the victory and possible safety from relegation.