PENZANCE and Helston are the first two sides through to the Vinter Cup semi-finals after contrasting victories on Wednesday night.

Holders Penzance are once again strong favourites for the competition and laid down a marker with a stunning batting performance against neighbours Paul at St Clare.

Paul fielded first but were on the end of a brutal assault from the home batsmen from the outset.

Opener Christian Purchase smashed 51 from just 19 deliveries which included seven sixes, as 72 came from the first four overs.

He hit Matthew Skewes for four successive sixes before he departed in the fifth over to skipper Ben Brooks.

Michael Fitchett soon accounted for Dylan Blignaut for 11 via a Will Trenoweth catch (110-2), but a stand of 120 between skipper Ben Seabrook (86 off 44) and Grant Stone (61 off 40) took them well past 200.

A couple of late wickets fell but Penzance had scored at 13 an over in their huge total of 260-4.

Ben Brooks took 2-25 from three overs, while Fitchett’s 1-34 from four overs were tidy in the circumstances.

Paul were never likely to challenge the score but made a competitive 139-5 with Brooks (35) and Keiran Bowden (37) making knocks at around a run a ball.

Spinner Giles Lawrence was the pick of the attack with 2-12 from his four overs.

Up at Boscawen Park, the all Premier League clash between Truro and Helston just went the way of the visitors by 16 runs.

Helston chose to make use of the surface and amassed a steady 157-2.

The first three overs yielded just nine before opener Billy Taylor managed a four and a six off Pakistani pro Amir Yamin’s second over which went for 16.

Runs came at a steady rate until Taylor, who had made 38 from 40 deliveries, was bowled by the left-arm spin of Adam Price off the third ball of the 12th over (81-1).

South African opener Lance Alberts gradually went up through the gears and finished unbeaten on 83 from 67 balls which included six fours and three sixes.

Dan Jenkin faced just 19 balls before being bowled off the final ball by Neil Ivamy, but managed a couple of sixes in his 22.

Price and Ivamy both took 1-26 from their four overs, while Rob Harrison’s three overs cost just 19.

Truro soon lost Harrison early for six, caught by Mark Jenkin off Alberts’ off-spin, but the Blues took a risk by bowling out Alberts and Ryan Tonkin straight away as Truro reached 66-1 after eight overs with South African Jaco Van Greunen and Amir Yamin going well.

But the introduction of spinners Brad Bury and Charlie Hearn changed the game as 17 came from the next four, while van Greunen (33) was bowled by Bury and Adam Price was caught by Justin Stephens off Hearn.

Yamin continued to plough a lone furrow at one end as he was joined by skipper Charlie Kent who made a run a ball 18.

But with the required run rate into double figures, Helston took the all-important wicket of Yamin for 63 when he picked out Dan Jenkin off Hearn.

Like the opening bowlers, Bury and Hearn had bowled their four overs straight through with their figures being 1-25 and 2-21 respectively.

Forty-six were required from the final four overs which were shared by former Cornwall opening bowler Justin Stephens (0-12) and Gavin Tregenza (2-17).

Kent and new man Murray Wyatt (14) struggled to get the bowling away as Truro finished on 141-6, 16 short of the target.

Tuesday’s quarter-finals between Hayle and Camborne and Mullion and St Just were postponed due to the weather.