Flatts became the first team from the First Division to win the promotion/relegation play-off after beating Western Stars by four wickets at PHC Field yesterday.

Flatts, who missed out on automatic promotion from the One 50 Overs First Division last weekend when they lost to Willow Cuts to drop out of first place, will replace Stars in the top flight after dismissing them for 115 in 42.2 overs and then reaching their target with 5.1 overs to spare, losing six wickets.

The loss for Stars was the second time this season that they have gone down to a lower-division side. Tuff Dogs, of the Evening League, dethroned them as Central Counties champions in May.

Flatts have cast more gloom on their season after Stars achieved their initial goal of avoiding the bottom spot, which meant automatic relegation for Somerset.

After Nelson Bascome was the Flatts bowling hero with four wickets for 26 runs off nine overs, Reggie Baker, Paul Carr and Christof Van Tonder produced valuable knocks to get them to their target.

Opener Baker scored 31 in almost three hours before Carr added 29 not out off 85 balls in a fourth-wicket stand of 68, carrying them out of trouble at 28 for three after Wendell White took the first three wickets, removing Dajon Carey, Regino Smith and captain Cofield Robinson.

Then, after Flatts lost three quick wickets on 95, 96 and 97, Van Tonder took matters into his own hands by scoring all the runs in a 22-run stand with Carr to secure the win.

Van Tonder smashed three sixes off Swayne Campbell in successive overs to seal victory.

Carr was happy with his contribution to the Flatts victory.

“Going to the wicket, I knew I had a job to do because the guys coming behind you might not do the job,” the all-rounder said.

“My job was to stay at the wicket, occupy it and look at the overs and runs needed per over. We only needed three runs an over and didn’t need to race. Baker and I had a target of getting the next five runs, just small increases bringing value to the team.

“This is the first time that a First Division team has beaten a Premier Division team and I thank the spectators who came out.”

Carr was dropped by Seth Campbell at long-off at 57 for three, a miss that proved costly. Flatts hit just seven boundaries in their innings, three fours and four sixes.

Three of the sixes came from Van Tonder, who faced 13 balls. Baker did not hit a single boundary in his 174 minutes at the crease, facing 122 balls.

White finished with three for 19 and spinner Rohan Davis one for 13 off ten overs with four maidens. Seth Campbell was also economical, giving up only four runs in his seven overs, with three maidens.

Earlier, Flatts did well to keep Stars under 150 as Kijuan Franks supported Bascome with two for 27 off eight overs.

Carr Harvey, who shared the new ball with Bascome, gave up just 19 runs in his 8.2 overs, taking his only wicket in his second spell to end the Stars innings.

Regino Smith also had a good spell, taking one for 18 in ten overs, with three maidens.

Nyon Steede, batting at No 9, led the Stars batting with 32 not out off 52 balls, hitting five fours and a six. Stars, who won the toss, had the worst possible start, losing four wickets inside the first ten overs to be 24 for four before captain Jekon Edness and Khiry Furbert, with 17 apiece, added 32 for the fifth wicket. After Edness departed, the team slumped to 79 for eight before Steede offered some resistance in the tail-end.

“With a low total it is always hard because it is a big field and the grass is slow,” Cofield Robinson, the Flatts captain, said.

“You have to milk around for ones and twos, it wasn’t an easy total but we got there in the end.

“All season our top four have been batting well, but today the guys down the order came through.

“Van Tonder has been batting up the order, but we dropped him down so he could play his natural game and it paid dividends. It’s a good feeling, the spirits should be high leading up to [Eastern] County. Even though I can’t play,” Carr Harvey said of the August 18 second-round match. “I’ll be in church, I’m an Adventist. God comes first!”