Southampton Solent have retained their place in the top flight of English universities cricket next season - courtesy of a victory in a 'bowl out' staged indoors at the Ageas Bowl five months after their rain ravaged BUCS season ended !
Like all the universities, Solent's 2023 season was badly by the weather and they only managed to play three of their seven scheduled games, all of which they lost.
It meant Solent finished bottom of the Premier Division and needing to beat Bournemouth, runners-up in Division 2, in a play-off to decide who played in the top flight next summer.
Rain intervened again and, after a complicated series of long drawn out discussions, the Solent-Bournemouth play-off was decided by five players from each side bowling at an unguarded set of stumps in Hampshire's indoor school.
Solent emerged victorious by two hits to one and will retain their place in next season's BUCS Premier Division, alongside Cambridge, Cardiff, Durham, Exeter, Leeds & Bradford, Loughborough and Oxford UCCE.
Like all the universities, Solent's 2023 season was badly by the weather and they only managed to play three of their seven scheduled games, all of which they lost.
It meant Solent finished bottom of the Premier Division and needing to beat Bournemouth, runners-up in Division 2, in a play-off to decide who played in the top flight next summer.
Rain intervened again and, after a complicated series of long drawn out discussions, the Solent-Bournemouth play-off was decided by five players from each side bowling at an unguarded set of stumps in Hampshire's indoor school.
Solent emerged victorious by two hits to one and will retain their place in next season's BUCS Premier Division, alongside Cambridge, Cardiff, Durham, Exeter, Leeds & Bradford, Loughborough and Oxford UCCE.