Optis' island duo overshadow Smit

GH SMIT scored yet another century on Saturday, but this time finished on the losing side against his former Optimists mates at KGV. Smith's 102 dominated the Mavericks innings but, chasing 203 for victory, Optimists recovered from two early blows to win at a stroll by eight wickets thanks to the excellence of Andy Biggins and Ami Banerjee.

On the day island manager Dave Hearse returned from watching the Island Games, he will have been delighted to see three of his major players in the runs.

By their own high standards Biggins and Banerjee have had a quiet season thus far, but coming together at 14 for two they proved too good for Mavericks' punchless attack.

By the end, which came with 4.1 overs to spare, the pair had added 189 together, Biggins' 83 featuring seven fours and Banerjee's 84 six boundaries.

Smit, as you would expect, scored more freely but even he was careful by his normal swashbuckling standards.

His 102 came from 86 balls faced and included just four fours and four sixes. He was ninth man out on 174, but the last-wicket pair of Kevin Le Tissier and Lee Gallienne added a further 28 before Magson accounted for Le Tissier for 25.

In the GCA Cup yesterday, Wanderers took their place in the semi-finals with a 20-run win over Rovers.

Remarkably, Wanderers' total was boosted by 60 wides from the Rovers attack.