HOLDERS St Just got their Vinter Cup defence underway last night (Wednesday) with a 43-run victory over neighbours Paul at Cape Road.

The competition has a new format this year with clubs playing two sides in a three-team group, and the draw for Group C potted two old rivals against each other having over a decade ago been regulars battling it out for the ECB Cornwall Premier League crown.

While Paul have regrouped having pulled out of the top-flight and became a solid County Division One side, St Just have been there since the Premier’s inception in 2001.

Paul won the toss and chose to field, but saw openers Neil Curnow and Scott Harvey get off to a quick start with Curnow the aggressor before being caught off Damon Nicholls (2-21) for 25.

Harvey soon followed for 15 to the same bowler, and although Logan Curnow made 21 from number three, the wheels fell off in spectacular fashion as left-arm spinner Keiran Bowden ran through the home middle-order on the way to superb figures of 4-8 from his four overs.

At 84-8 it required skipper Gareth May (12), stand-in wicket-keeper Robert Jose (10no) and last man Ben Stevens (6no) to scrape up to 115-9.

It meant Paul would have fancied their chances at halfway, but they never got started.

In the absence of Sri Lankan spinner Chamikara Edirisinghe, who arrives before this weekend’s league clash at Penzance, Gareth May took the new ball himself and the veteran off-spinner wheeled away to great effect for 3-16, bowling key men Ben Brooks and Charlie Goldsworthy as well as South African overseas player Pieter Gildenhuys for a third ball nought.

Seamer Ben Stevens (0-19) provided fine support before May’s son Ellis and Logan Curnow ensured there was no let-up as Paul were bundled out for just 72.

While Curnow did well for 1-16 from his four, May took 4-14.

With new signing Joe Gore taking a late wicket and youngster Thomas George doing the same, the end came with 10 balls to spare.

Reflecting on the victory, May admitted the bowlers got the batsmen out of jail.

He said: “Last night was a bit of a rush with the traffic, but Neil and Scott got us off to a decent start.

“But from there on we didn’t play the situation very well and allowed their left-arm slow bowler to sort of just bowl and get four wickets.

“To only get 115 was very disappointing and at the halfway stage I was a bit concerned.

“But at the same time we have a very decent bowling attack and we did brilliantly.

“I decided to bowl myself which worked and Ben was a bit unlucky not to get any, then the youngsters Logan and Ellis came on and both bowled superbly with Ellis getting four.

“It was then great to give Joe Gore his first bowl and he bowled with good pace and got his first wicket for St Just.

“That was all without Chami, Joe Clifton-Griffith and Phil Nicholas being there, so we’ve got a lot of options.”

St Just’s second match in Group C is at Division Two West outfit St Ives on Wednesday, May 20.

May saw Saturday’s ECB Cornwall Premier League opener at home to Camborne rained off after 25 overs with his side 69-2, and has the small matter of a local derby at champions Penzance on Saturday.

However, he is confident that if the batsmen fire then they will have half a sniff.

He said: “It’s a bit of a free-hit for us and it’s a good opportunity for us on what’s usually a very good deck.

“Hopefully our batters can dig in and give us something to defend.

“Last year we didn’t perform too badly and were a bit unlucky with some rain which didn’t help us.

“We’ve got the bowling attack this year to do well throughout the season, we just need a couple of our batsmen to come off.

“During the off-season you see that clubs have signed this player and that player, but we’ve got some good players ourselves and if we click like we can and like we did last year in the Vinter Cup final, we won’t be far away.”

ST JUST at Penzance: Neil Curnow, Scott Harvey, Logan Curnow, Ellis May, Chamikara Edirisinghe, Phil Nicholas, Gareth May (capt), Joe Gore, Rob Jose (wkt), Ben Stevens, Joe Clifton-Griffith.