HOOK and Newnham Basics skipper Matt Love is looking for his side to erase the memory of last week’s bad day at the office and bounce back to winning ways at Rowledge this weekend.
His side suffered a rare off-day with the bat as they were bowled out for 106, having hit 333 the previous week. This proved not to be enough against visiting Bournemouth, who won by five wickets, with the loss resulting in Hook sliding from top to third in Southern Electric Premier League Division One.
Love said: “We go out to play positive cricket. Once in a while if fails to come off and Bournemouth did bowl well. We were gutted to lose as we knew we would be knocked off the top, but I think it is a just a blip and I hope we can bounce back this weekend.”
This Saturday, Love’s side will go in search of the their first league double of the campaign at Rowledge. They make one change to the side that lost at Bournemouth, with Nick Willcock replacing his brother Richard.
Hook cruised to victory in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, bowling Rowledge out for 148 on their way to a five-wicket win as Kieran Thomson had an excellent game with both bat and ball.
Love said: “Rowledge is a tough place to go and play, and they have a new deck this season. “We have played them many times over the years and they are a side with a lot of experience, so we will treat them with respect.”
Basingstoke and North Hants captain Chris Froud is expecting plenty more twists and turns in the title race between now and the end of the season.
Saturday's 151-run win over Hartley Wintney saw the Bountymen climb above local rivals Hook and Newnham Basics and into second place.
They have lost a game more than leaders New Milton, but it is very tight at the top, with Basingstoke just two points shy of having the same average points haul as the frontrunners.
Froud said: "I'm expecting all of the top sides to lose again before the end of the season, so bonus points could be very important.
"We were frustrated not to get maximum bonus points on Saturday, but Hartley bowled well at the death and we ended up one run short of the 225 we needed.
"All of the teams are pretty well matched. Last year, Sarisbury looked a bit better than everyone else, but this season, there are three or four teams who are pretty well matched, while the teams at the bottom are all dangerous."
This week's opponents, Liphook and Ripsley, are exactly the sort of side Froud is referring to when he talks about potential banana skins for the title challengers.
They sit sixth in the table, not far above the bottom three, but they have won two of their last four games and only lost by one wicket when Basingstoke paid them a visit earlier in the season.
"Liphook are playing well at the moment and have had some good wins, so they should be more confident," Froud added. "They are one of the teams who could be dangerous opponents for the top sides, so we will not be taking them lightly.
"It was a difficult wicket at their place and I'm expecting a different game, with higher scores."
Froud is hoping to make just one change to the side that beat Hartley. Bradley Neal is unavailable, so Dean Nurse is expected to return to the side.
Basingstoke's batting continues to be a concern for Froud and he is hoping that his side can amass a big total this week.
"We are still working on our batting, but it's not quite happening," he said. "If we score over 200, I would back our bowling attack to win the game for us, but it would be good to get a big score and take the pressure off our bowling and fielding."
Hartley Wintney will be looking to cause an upset when they travel to leaders New Milton.
The village side are in the midst of a tough run of fixtures. They lost to title-chasing Basingstoke and North Hants last weekend, face a trip to the leaders and host fourth-placed Bournemouth the following week.
Hartley are not in great form, having lost four of their last five outings, but captain Jamie Teale will travel to the New Forest with a clear game-plan.
“We know New Milton is a tough place to go to, but we will go there looking to do the business,” he said. “We know what New Milton are like and how they play. They are similar to Basingstoke in that they have some gun bowlers who can knock teams over.
“With the bat, they have some strong players, but they can be bowled out cheaply.”
Teale will be without bowler Tommy Flanders, but all-rounder Dan Wrenn will return to the side.
It’s extremely tight at the bottom of the table, with just 12 points separating the teams in sixth and ninth. Hartley sit eighth, but with so little between the sides, that could change quickly.
Skipper Martin Miller is rallying his Bournemouth troops for a revenge mission against backmarkers Calmore Sports but reckons the task will be far from simple.
Lions lost at the Division One’s bottom club back in May, a setback that could yet hamper their hopes of catching New Milton and Hook & Newnham Basics at the summit.
But while Miller admits Bournemouth’s championship charge rests on the form of others, he is keen to keep up the pressure by piling on the misery for Calmore.
Miller said: “We have something to prove this weekend and I want us to set that one straight. I do think Calmore are quite a good side but if we play well, the result should take care of itself.
“They almost beat New Milton last week and are definitely better than the league table might suggest. Perhaps it is just a matter of confidence for them at the moment so we can take nothing for granted.”
On his side’s pursuit of the summit, Miller added: “I think it is highly unlikely that we will push for top spot now.
“We finished fourth last season and have a squad of players that should enable us to improve on that. I just want us to keep playing well and finish as high up the table as we can.
“If results go our way and we can get in there, then great but we are to a large extent in other people’s hands.”
Miller is set to recall Ben Bridgen and Pete Smith on their return from unavailability with Jack Owens and Anschuman Singh dropping out.
Totton & Eling chase a double when they go to Andover, a side they beat in early May.
Crucial Premier Division 2 promotion and relegation points are at stake when relegation threatened Langley Manor host high riding OTs & Romsey at Knellers Lane.
The Manor, who are in New Forest CA President’s Cup final action against Bashley (Rydal) at Lymington tonight, lie second from bottom, four points above Hursley Park, but five behind Hambledon.
OTs are chasing Portsmouth, with a 21-point gap to make up ahead of next week’s top table showdown at Romsey. Basement side Hursley Park visit Fawley, with Portsmouth hosting Sparsholt.
His side suffered a rare off-day with the bat as they were bowled out for 106, having hit 333 the previous week. This proved not to be enough against visiting Bournemouth, who won by five wickets, with the loss resulting in Hook sliding from top to third in Southern Electric Premier League Division One.
Love said: “We go out to play positive cricket. Once in a while if fails to come off and Bournemouth did bowl well. We were gutted to lose as we knew we would be knocked off the top, but I think it is a just a blip and I hope we can bounce back this weekend.”
This Saturday, Love’s side will go in search of the their first league double of the campaign at Rowledge. They make one change to the side that lost at Bournemouth, with Nick Willcock replacing his brother Richard.
Hook cruised to victory in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, bowling Rowledge out for 148 on their way to a five-wicket win as Kieran Thomson had an excellent game with both bat and ball.
Love said: “Rowledge is a tough place to go and play, and they have a new deck this season. “We have played them many times over the years and they are a side with a lot of experience, so we will treat them with respect.”
Basingstoke and North Hants captain Chris Froud is expecting plenty more twists and turns in the title race between now and the end of the season.
Saturday's 151-run win over Hartley Wintney saw the Bountymen climb above local rivals Hook and Newnham Basics and into second place.
They have lost a game more than leaders New Milton, but it is very tight at the top, with Basingstoke just two points shy of having the same average points haul as the frontrunners.
Froud said: "I'm expecting all of the top sides to lose again before the end of the season, so bonus points could be very important.
"We were frustrated not to get maximum bonus points on Saturday, but Hartley bowled well at the death and we ended up one run short of the 225 we needed.
"All of the teams are pretty well matched. Last year, Sarisbury looked a bit better than everyone else, but this season, there are three or four teams who are pretty well matched, while the teams at the bottom are all dangerous."
This week's opponents, Liphook and Ripsley, are exactly the sort of side Froud is referring to when he talks about potential banana skins for the title challengers.
They sit sixth in the table, not far above the bottom three, but they have won two of their last four games and only lost by one wicket when Basingstoke paid them a visit earlier in the season.
"Liphook are playing well at the moment and have had some good wins, so they should be more confident," Froud added. "They are one of the teams who could be dangerous opponents for the top sides, so we will not be taking them lightly.
"It was a difficult wicket at their place and I'm expecting a different game, with higher scores."
Froud is hoping to make just one change to the side that beat Hartley. Bradley Neal is unavailable, so Dean Nurse is expected to return to the side.
Basingstoke's batting continues to be a concern for Froud and he is hoping that his side can amass a big total this week.
"We are still working on our batting, but it's not quite happening," he said. "If we score over 200, I would back our bowling attack to win the game for us, but it would be good to get a big score and take the pressure off our bowling and fielding."
Hartley Wintney will be looking to cause an upset when they travel to leaders New Milton.
The village side are in the midst of a tough run of fixtures. They lost to title-chasing Basingstoke and North Hants last weekend, face a trip to the leaders and host fourth-placed Bournemouth the following week.
Hartley are not in great form, having lost four of their last five outings, but captain Jamie Teale will travel to the New Forest with a clear game-plan.
“We know New Milton is a tough place to go to, but we will go there looking to do the business,” he said. “We know what New Milton are like and how they play. They are similar to Basingstoke in that they have some gun bowlers who can knock teams over.
“With the bat, they have some strong players, but they can be bowled out cheaply.”
Teale will be without bowler Tommy Flanders, but all-rounder Dan Wrenn will return to the side.
It’s extremely tight at the bottom of the table, with just 12 points separating the teams in sixth and ninth. Hartley sit eighth, but with so little between the sides, that could change quickly.
Skipper Martin Miller is rallying his Bournemouth troops for a revenge mission against backmarkers Calmore Sports but reckons the task will be far from simple.
Lions lost at the Division One’s bottom club back in May, a setback that could yet hamper their hopes of catching New Milton and Hook & Newnham Basics at the summit.
But while Miller admits Bournemouth’s championship charge rests on the form of others, he is keen to keep up the pressure by piling on the misery for Calmore.
Miller said: “We have something to prove this weekend and I want us to set that one straight. I do think Calmore are quite a good side but if we play well, the result should take care of itself.
“They almost beat New Milton last week and are definitely better than the league table might suggest. Perhaps it is just a matter of confidence for them at the moment so we can take nothing for granted.”
On his side’s pursuit of the summit, Miller added: “I think it is highly unlikely that we will push for top spot now.
“We finished fourth last season and have a squad of players that should enable us to improve on that. I just want us to keep playing well and finish as high up the table as we can.
“If results go our way and we can get in there, then great but we are to a large extent in other people’s hands.”
Miller is set to recall Ben Bridgen and Pete Smith on their return from unavailability with Jack Owens and Anschuman Singh dropping out.
Totton & Eling chase a double when they go to Andover, a side they beat in early May.
Crucial Premier Division 2 promotion and relegation points are at stake when relegation threatened Langley Manor host high riding OTs & Romsey at Knellers Lane.
The Manor, who are in New Forest CA President’s Cup final action against Bashley (Rydal) at Lymington tonight, lie second from bottom, four points above Hursley Park, but five behind Hambledon.
OTs are chasing Portsmouth, with a 21-point gap to make up ahead of next week’s top table showdown at Romsey. Basement side Hursley Park visit Fawley, with Portsmouth hosting Sparsholt.