THE loss of five players to national duties resulted in Yadrana losing the Perpetual Cup in their very first defence yesterday.
Yadrana were upset by Moce II in the challenge match of the Suva Cricket Association competition at Albert Park by two wickets.
A week ago, with the help of their key players, Yadrana had wrestled the title away from Army however, this time, they were not so lucky.
They batted first and were all dismissed for 109 run with Bese Veikoyaki as their top run scorer with 23 runs.
Lajipa Taka of Moce II took three wickets in the inning while Akapusi Ledua took two.
In reply, Moce II reached 111 runs in 19 overs with two wickets to spare and Taka, not out, contributed 11 runs for the win.
Yadrana spokesperson and Association president Adriu Misiki said the side missed the services of their five key players.
"Our five key players are with the national side in New Zealand and we really missed their services," he said.
"Their presence could have made the difference for us on the field today (yesterday)."
In another upset, Ono-i-Lau beat Westpac Sarafui. Ono-i-Lau batted first and were all out for 147 runs and in reply, Sarafui were all out for only 36 runs.
"It just goes to show that the weaker teams are now on the same level as the top teams and this is the result of regular competition," Misiki said.