South Wilts' visit to Sarisbury Athletic yielded a 538-run glut and a narrow victory for the Bemerton club, who defended 271 in the fading Allotment Road light.
Harry Broderick (51) and Tom Cheater (43) top scored for South Wilts, with Rob Pitman (28) and Ben Jack (20 not out) making useful contributions later in the innings.
Archie Pascoe returned figures of 3-51 for Sarisbury, who were in the driving seat with Tom Morton (65), Nathan Feltham (44) and Chris Sanders (45) going well.
Former Hampshire seamer Richard Logan hit 45 as Sarisbury closed in in the target, only to fall just short with 267-9, South African Rhys Willmore taking 3-51. 
Tom Pearce (76) and Henry Smith (41) shared an unbroken century partnership as South Wilts II overhauld ed a Bere Regis total of 201 to win by five wickets with seven balls to spare.

Scoring and creating goals for Fareham Town, alongside making runs galore in  Hampshire’s recreational cricket in the summer, came natural to the late Mike Swain, who was among the area’s most outstanding sportsmen for half a century. 
He was a lead player in the trophy winning Fareham soccer team from the  triumphant Bath Lane days of the Seventies and scored the winning goal when Centipedes won the FA Sunday Cup back in April 1975. 
A talented left-hand batsman and left-arm seam bowler, he played the bulk of his cricket for Gosport and was arguably the top all-rounder of his time in the old Southern League.
He moved on to play seniors’ cricket for Hampshire and, when he qualified through age, earned selection for England Over-70s, playing ‘Grey Ashes’ Tests against Australia, both home and overseas. 
A single figure golfer at Corhampton, he spent his entire working career in senior business management at British Gas in Southampton, but he recently lost his battle against dementia, bravely fought, aged 78.
He was a gifted all-round player, good at virtually every ball sport he put his hand to.  As a footballer, he was blessed with a cultured left foot and when he played in a central striking role was hugely effective in the air.
Swain originally cut his teeth in local Sunday soccer as a teenager with Centipedes but, either side of spells as a semi-professional at Andover and later Thorneycroft Athletic, played the bulk of his football at Fareham.  He made over 270 appearances, scoring 103 times.
In four seasons between 1973 and 1977, he twice won Hampshire League championship winners medals and numerous cups.
                                                                                      CUP FINAL WINNER
How fitting it was that, having been a founder playing member of the Centipedes Sunday side back in the sixties, he should score the winning goal in the 1975 FA national final against Players Athletic on the sloping  Wycombe Wanderers surface at Loakes Park.
As a schoolboy, Mike Swain played his early cricket alongside his father Gerry for the Good Intent pub team, scoring a maiden fifty against Fareham, aged just 13 years.
It wasn’t long before Gosport Amateurs snapped him up and he soon progressed to become a leading figure in the old Southern League.
He finished in 1998 as the third all-time highest run scorer in the competition behind Deanery’s John Harris and Brian White, the South Wilts left-hander.
In league cricket, he made 7,270 runs - no mean feat on the less than batting friendly Privett Park pitches - and was the ninth highest wicket taker with 346 victims. 
During his time there, Gosport enjoyed success in national cup competitions, none more so than in 1980 when Swain and his Borough team-mates stepped on to hallowed turf of Lord’s in the final of the John Haig Trophy national club championship.
They lost by nine wickets to the Birmingham League side Moseley - but for Gosport to reach a national final was an incredible achievement.
Some years later, Swain went on to become a stalwart member of the Hampshire Seniors, initially in the 50s team, then on to the sixties and seventies sides. 
As a Seniors stalwart, he scored in excess of 10,000 runs for Hampshire, including 21 centuries - the fourth highest in the country - and 50 half centuries in 176 games averaging 60 runs per innings. 
A fine fielder, he also took 62 catches, helping Hampshire win the Seventies championships two years running in 2016 and again the following season.
At one stage he was the leading run scorer nationally in Seniors cricket and it was no surprise when he was selected to play for England 70s in ‘Grey Ashes’ Test matches, both at home and abroad.
He proudly played 15 times for England scoring almost 500 runs for England 60+ & 70+ X1s averaging 42 and undoubtedly, would have scored many more had not his cruel illness overtaken him.
Mike Swain’s funeral is at the Portchester Crematorium next Wednesday [April 30] at 1.45pm.

Reflections of Hampshire Seniors President John Rickard, left.

No-one was more delighted than myself when Mike reached the wonderful age of fifty; a top club cricketer was now eligible to play for Hampshire Seniors. And what a superb career he had. The season after he joined was one of the most successful in the 50 XI team's history, winning all league games. Mike was a highly gifted, elegant batsman who performed brilliantly at 50, 60 and 70 levels and represented England Seniors XI with much success. One match deserves a mention - the 70 XI match v Australia at Burridge in July 2016.   A fifty over game in which Mike scored 96 not out as opener, batting out the whole innings and helping to win an exciting game by 12 runs.
Mike contributed to the Hampshire Seniors side by being Vice-Captain and committee member for several years.  He was on the committee for our tour to Australia in 2003 and played a leading role in arranging a wonderful stay in Perth and an excellent match against the Western Australian President's XI.   He also kindly looked after Stan Rudder when he was unwell on tour.   His one regret was being given "run out" at the Sir Donald Bradman Oval when batting for victory.
The following year, 2004, the Hampshire Seniors went on tour to Sri Lanka.  Mike took on the responsibility for organising an Appeal for funds/equipment for our hosts after the terrible tsunami tragedy.  He made a great success of the Appeal and Shane Warne's Hampshire shirt (23) went for a vast amount at an auction in Colombo.
Mike's statistics as a seniors' cricketer are outstanding.   He was a delight to watch and a delight to play with.  I do give him thanks for the pleasure he brought.  But he was not only a cricketer though.  His golf was pretty good, playing off single figures for many years.   
Many of our families are suffering, or have suffered from dementia, and it is an illness that requires great care and patience; it brings much unhappiness.   My thoughts therefore go out to Jean and family at this sad time.
To Mike, I thank you for your nice personality.   I thank you for your cricket; the high right arm and the ball speeding off to the extra cover boundary -- all along the ground.   John Rickard.

Newly promoted Fair Oak have bolstered their squad for the upcoming Southern Premier League Division 1 campaign by signing Australian spin all-rounder Connor Gibson.
It will be Gibson's second SPL summer, having helped Fawley gain promotion as Division 3 runners-up last season.  He scored one shy of 500 runs and captured 16 wickets.
Gibson, who plays for Belmont in the same Newcastle & District CA League as Sparsholt's Joe Merlino, bagged a second ball duck as Fair Oak lost a pre-season friendly by four wickets at Ventnor.
Oaks lost their first three wickets with only 23 runs on the board but were revived by Sam Reed (42) and Dan Wheble (31). 
They finished 140-9 - a total Ventnor passed with six wickets down, Lewis Goodyear taking 3-20.
Oaks, who have also recruited Joe Lewis from St Cross Symondians, are playing the highest standard of cricket in their history this summer and will begin life in their new environment on May 3 with a testing visit to Hook & Newnham Basics. 

​Basingstoke & North Hants will open their defence of the Guy Jewell T20 Trophy against Andover at May's Bounty on June 10.
Odiham & Greywell are paired against Hartley Wintney, with Hook & Newnham Basics facing Old Basing.

The Hampshire Academy's youngsters suffered heavy defeats by Surrey YCs and Guernsey's full island side in their latest T20 tournament matches.
Posting 162-8, Surrey beat them by 60 runs, Hampshire being rushed out for 102 (Sam Davis 20) in less than 14 overs, while Guernsey polished off 140-7 (Davis 30) to win by six wickets.

Alton all-rounder Jude Wright smashed a whirlwind 113 off 84 balls as Alton celebrated a 96-run win over Surrey Championship side Farnham at the Castle.
The Brewers were all set for a big total after positive starts by Dan Harris (70) and Scott Myers (43) and achieved it after Wright's boundary spree when seven sixes and eight fours from the Cardiff UCCE cricketer sent their total racing to 279-6.  Farnham responded with 183-9, Ben Rolfs taking 3-51.
Bashley (Rydal) and Dorset batsman Will Tripcony was in top form, hitting an unbeaten 165 (4 x 6s and 29 4s) for Cardiff in the city university derby

​Key Basingstoke & North Hants all-rounder Ash Neal could miss the first half of the upcoming ECB Southern Premier League season after breaking a wrist playing football.
He was due to undergo surgery this week.
It’s an untimely blow for Basingstoke, whose competitive season starts with an ECB national club championship first round visit to powerful West of England Premier League club Bristol on Sunday.
“It’s a big blow for us. Ash scored over 320 runs and took 16 SPL wickets last summer,” confessed Basingstoke captain Matt Deadman, whose side were beaten by five wickets by Hook & Newnham Basics in their latest warm-up friendly.
Hook, themselves beaten in a high scoring affair by Finchampstead the previous week, chased down a Basingstoke total of 265-5 to win with two balls to spare.
Hook’s run chase was built around two partnerships, openers Jaiden Hall (74) and Sam Lockwood (41) providing a healthy start before Tom May (50) and Rupert Armstrong (49) made important runs. The visitors got home with two balls to spare.
Earlier, George Metzger (69) and Neil Shelar (61) top scored for Basingstoke, alongside Alex Bovill (33) and Ali Brown (39 not out). Hook spin all-rounder Charlie Neville took 3-33.                             
A half-century by Richard Vinn (62) and a 5-14 return with the ball by Harith Jayakody eased Basingstoke & North Hants seconds (232-8) to a comfortable win over Old Basing, who were dismissed for 151.
Odiham & Greywell, newly promoted into the Southern Premier League this summer, suffered a 40-run defeat by Andover, whose 252-8 owed much to middle-order pair Max Souter (54) and Callum Eke (43).Rowan Duckworth took 4-41 for Odiham, who replied with 213 all out, Scott Collins 76.  Mike Adams and John Nyumbu each took three wickets.

Hampshire's teenage Academy side dismissed Guernsey for 120 before sweeping to a comfortable five-wicket win with 20 balls of their opening T20 tournament to spare.
Berkshire-raised Muhammed Zafar, whose 4-15 return included 16 dot balls, was the pick of a Hampshire attack which reduced Guernsey from 69-2, Ben Flichet top scoring with 24.
The Academy's high octane fielding performance was highlighted by a stunning one-hand boundary catch by spinner Sam Davis (pictured by photographer Martin Gray) which accounted for Matt Stokes.
Guernsey lost six wickets for 16 runs at one stage, falling 85-8 before staging a late rally.
With wet weather approaching, Academy openers Oli Webster (34) and Sam Ashman (22) set off at ten runs an over, each hitting a six and eight fours between them.  Sam Davis (25) and Freddie Gillett (21) eased Hampshire to the brink of victory with three overs to spare.
The scheduled Good Friday T20 against Surrey YCs was washed out but has been rearranged for Saturday.

​SATURDAY
Bashley (Rydal) v MCC (1130), Basingstoke & North Hants v Hook & Newnham Basics, Bridgwater v Bournemouth (1130), Fareham & Crofton v Hayling Island, Farnham v Alton, Gosport Borough v Trojans, Hambledon v Calmore Sports, Hartley Wintney v Wokingham, Hursley Park v OTs & Romsey, Hythe & Dibden v Langley Manor, New Milton v Sway, Odiham & Greywell v Andover, Old Basing v Basingstoke & North Hants II, Poole Town v Ferndown Wayfarers, Portsmouth & Southsea v Waterlooville, Sarisbury Athletic v South Wilts, Ventnor v Fair Oak, Wimborne v Parley. 

Cancelled: Totton & Eling v Lymington​.

Local sport has been saddened by the passing of former Gosport Borough cricketer and Fareham Town footballer Mike Swain, aged 78, after a long and brave battle against dementia.
He was an outstanding sportsman, a top left-arm cricket all-rounder initially with Gosport Amateurs and Gosport Borough, a near automatic pick for Southern League representative sides and England seniors. A footballer with a cultured left foot, Mike was a prolific goalscorer in his Fareham Town days, his career taking him into the semi-professional game.   
An active member of Corhampton Golf Club (until fairly recently), Mike spent his entire business career with British Gas, being particularly prominent in the hugely successful sponsorship of Southern League cricket.

The funeral service is at Portchester South Chapel on Wednesday 30 April at 1.45pm.

​Nyasha Mayavo, who made his Zimbabwe Test debut against Ireland in February, has been lined up as Andover's overseas player in the third tier Southern Premier League Division 2 this summer.
The 32-year old batter/gloveman has made close on 5,000 runs in domestic Zimbabwe cricket, principally for the Mid-Rhinos in the Logan Cup. Zimbabwe do, however, have busy summer schedule with a Test Match against England in May and ODIs against South Africa.

​Teenage seamer Francis Moore, who helped Burridge to an ECB Southern Premier League and T20 Cup double in 2023, has joined Nottinghamshire on a two-year rookie contract. 
Moore, 18, was educated at Millfield School in Somerset on a sports scholarship, and has previously represented the Green and Golds, as well as Warwickshire, at 2nd XI level.
He developed in Hampshire’s pathway, and has played for Burridge in the Southern Premier League for the past four seasons.
“It’s a huge opportunity,” said Moore. “As a bowler, I’m really excited to work with Kevin Shine, considering all the brilliant things he’s done with other seamers.
“In the 2nd XI games I played last summer, the lads were really welcoming and easy to get along with, and I got to know them pretty quickly.
“Having been training at Loughborough this winter, it didn’t feel like I was away from them for that long either, so it was easy to get back in.”
“So many players have improved since coming to Nottinghamshire, and I think that’s a really big thing that drew me here.”
Head Coach Peter Moores added: “Francis impressed last summer when he played in the 2’s and has built on that this winter.  We see a lot of potential in him, and now he gets the chance to work closely with Kevin Shine to further progress his game. We’re excited to see where he can take his game to and follow in the footsteps of other players who have worked closely with Kevin over the last few years.”

​​Broadhalfpenny Brigands, custodians of the historic cricket ground near Hambledon, have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £10,000 to restore and preserve Broadhalfpenny Down for future generations.
The beloved pavilion, already weather-worn and leaking, suffered further damage during Storm Darragh losing roof tiles and its iconic clock. The club's outdated ground maintenance equipment and unsafe practice facilities are also in desperate need of replacement.
Funds raised will be used to:
 Repair and improve the pavilion to ensure it is accessible and welcoming.
 Replace ageing mowers critical for pitch upkeep.
 Install a proper boundary rope for match day standards.
 Replace the dilapidated practice nets with safer, modern ones.
The ground was where the original First-Class match took place on 24 June 1772, and cricket is now played regularly by Broadhalfpenny Brigands, Hambledon, and the junior teams at Hampshire. 
In 2022, a celebrity match was held to celebrate 250 years since that first game when a Hampshire All Star XI, captained by Mark Nicholas, took on an All England XI, led by Charlotte Edwards.
Head of Cricket, David Henderson, said “Broadhalfpenny Down isn't just a field - its cricket history, with legendary stories, and our home; we want to restore it for the whole community."
Broadhalfpenny Brigands Chairman, Gerry Northwood, said "Once the ground is restored we will host touring teams from all over the world, more women's cricket, and blind and visually impaired matches.
Fundraising details are on the website at www.broadhalfpennydown.com and the fundraising at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/cradleofcricket.

The Hampshire Academy flies to the Channel Islands on Thursday to play in the four-day Youth Festival, when they will take on the hosts Guernsey and Surrey in T20 and 50-over matches.
The 14-man squad will have little time to recover from any jet lag as they are immediately piched into a T20 showdown with hosts Guernsey. On Good Friday they face Surrey, again a T20 format.
The tournament switches to 50-overs per side with matches against Guernsey (Saturday) and Surrey on Sunday. Then back to school ...
The Hampshire Academy party is Sam Ashman, Ollie Webster, Connor Lamsdale, Sam Davis, Freddie Gillett, Manny Lumsden, Seb Roland, Oliver Williams, Tom Wellings, Abdullah Iqbal, Ibrahim Zafar, 
Elliot Saunders, Zack Basey, Oli Cordery.
The Academy enjoyed a productive 35-run win over Ventnor at Steephill, Abingdon's Connor Lamsdale hitting ten fours and a six in a top score of 71 for the county yougsters. Finn Gordon and Manny Lumsden each made 34 in Hampshire's 226 all out. The emerging Mark Holmes took 4-52 and Devon Pollard 3-39.
Dan Cox responded for Ventnor, hitting seven fours and three maximums in an elegant 85 as Ventnor posted 191-8 in reply. 

Andy Spink went from potential hero to zero as Hursley Park crashed out of the National Village Cup, Calmore Sports edging a four-run preliminary round victory at The Quarters.
Spink was 49 not out and at 118-5 with 13 balls of a rain trimmed 27 over affair still to be bowled, appeared to have Hursley on course to overhaul Calmore’s 133-6.
But instead of working the ball around the field, as he had been doing, Spink, a one-time Saints fitness coach at The Dell, went for a big straight hit off 14-year old spin prospect Oli Hibberd (3-29) and was caught on the boundary by Brad Jewer.
With Mark Lavelle (2-19) bowling the key ‘death’ overs, Hursley found themselves marooned at 129-7, four runs adrift.
Lavelle [pictured left] had earlier been influential with the bat. With Calmore struggling at 88-5 (Ben Johns 26), Lavelle smacked a late 34 not out and with Mitch Parker (21) alongside lifted the 2021 Lord’s Village Cup winners to 133-6.
First round ties on April 27 include: Calmore Sports v Odiham & Greywell, Sarisbury Athletic v Sway Liphook & Ripsley v Elsted, Cadnam v Hook & Newnham Basics, Oakley v Hambledon, Sparsholt v Tichborne Park, Bramshaw v Overton, Easton & Martyr Worthy v Paultons, Colehill v Winsley. 

Aussie Thor Harradine and Tom Richards, the former Hythe & Dibden captain, marked their respective Sway debuts with half-centuries in the 1110-run pre-season warm up win against a Fawley XI at Holbury.
Harradine, who plays in the same Newcastle NSW grade competition as Sparsholt’s Joe Merlino  and Fair Oak bound spin all-rounder Connor Gibson, made 52 and shared a 136-run stand with Richards, who scored 67.
Also joining Sway is another Hythe stalwart Will Young, with Dave Steadman continuing as captain.
Sway went on to make 238-7 (Jack Pinto 3-44) before dismissing Fawley for 128.
Luke Anderson had a reputation for big hitting when he arrived at Waterlooville and didn't disappoint, smacking 13 fours and six sixes in a debut making 104 at Littlehampton.  Sam Robinson weighed in with 88 not out as the Ville posted 273-5. Stan Reynolds took 3-27 in Littlehampton's 156 all out.
ECB South Wales Premier League club Pontarddulais were heavily beaten in both their mini-tour Hampshire matches, St Cross Symondians crushing them by 122 runs before Portsmouth trimmed them by eight wickets in a T20 affair at St Helen's on Sunday.
Ed Ellis (79) and Charlie Gwynn (61) shared an unbroken 150-run stand as St Cross piled up 239-4 at the Green Jackets. Ben Foster's flight and guile was too much for the Welshmen, the Nottingham university fresher taking 4-26.
Suje Daini hit 65 not out as Portsmouth easily overhauled a modest 133 by the Welsh tourists.
Chris Pratt and Spencer LeClercq hit fifties as Hambledon posted a match winning 242-6 against Hampshire League visitors Hayling Island at Ridge Meadow.
Recently returned from a winter season with Western Province in Cape Town, Pratt made 51 and LeClercq 50, while Dan Mugford hit 25 before taking 3-29 with the ball.
Hayling found left-armer Shahkar Khan too hot to handle and dropped to 56-5 before being dismissed for 157.
Liam O’Connor, who scored over 500 Southern Premier League Division 1 runs for Calmore Sports in 2023, has returned to Loperwood Park for a second season.
The Casey South Melbourne spin all-rounder marked his UK comeback by scoring an unbeaten 70 in the comfortable 138-run win over a Fareham & Crofton XI at Bath lane.
He shared a century stand with Callum Greasley (51) as Calmore totalled 244-5 (Oli Hibberd 32) before Matt Morgan (3-20) scattered Fareham’s top order. They were 106 all out.

James Degg took centre stage as South Wilts launched the new season with a five-wicket win over ECB West of England Premier League club Downend at Bemerton.
He struck 11 fours and a six in scoring 89 as South Wilts chased the Downend total of 181 to win with time to spare.
Left-hand opener Mansoor Khan, with an unbeaten 82, glued the Downend innings together after Henry Dunlop (2-25) had struck two early blows.
The Bristol club were on the back foot after that and, with Tom Grant (2-28) and Trishawn Francis (2-20) each taking two wickets, Downend struggled to make 181.
South Wilts did, though, concede 38 sundries, a statistic skipper Ben Draper will want to reduce significantly at Sarisbury Athletic on Saturday, 1pm.
Degg and promising Matt Falconer (27) got South Wilts off to a flier, the young left-hander sending six drives to the cover boundary as 84 runs were scored before Downend broke through.
South Wilts lost three cheap wickets, but a 66-run stand between Degg and Draper (41 not out) ended any prospects of an away win.
Tom Pearce has taken over as South Wilts second team captain following last season’s relegation from Southern Premier League Division 3.                                                 
He enjoyed immediate success at the helm with a six-wicket win over Downend II, the flamboyant Henry Smith and teenager Tom Whiting taking two wickets each as the visitors scored 176-9.
Lawrence Yeo (45) and Adam Cutler (32) provided South Wilts to a 70-run start, which young gloveman Will Musgrove (38 not out) built on to guide the hosts to a comfortable win.

UNITED SERVICES, a powerful side back in the day. In 2025 they will play in Hampshire League Division 5J.
Standing (from left): Bill Swan, scorer, David Stracey, Andy Collier, Paul Barsby, Paul Barker, John Clark (umpire). Seated: Mike Izzard, Roger Moylan-Jones, Roger Evans, Tony Izzard, Charles Hobson.

St Cross Symondians have swooped to sign Lymington batting prospect Kamran Dhariwal - the announcement coming shortly after the 20-year old Bristol University medical student had hit Derbyshire's full county attack for a career-best 143.
Dhariwal, who has scored over 1,000 runs in all cricket for the past two seasons, made his 143 playing for the South Asian Academy in Derbyshire's final warm-up match before the start of the county championship season.
His departure has left a gaping hole in Lymington's top order, but his move is a logical one taking into account he lives in Winchester and has to travel down from Bristol to play locally.  He played regularly for Hampshire seconds in 2024 (making 84 against Kent II) and has been in the county pathway system for some time.  ​Picture James Robinson.

Australian Gareth Sharp, whose 565 runs underpinned Odiham & Greywell’s Hampshire Cricket League championship triumph last summer, is busy packing his kit back in Melbourne in preparation for a second season with the Division  1 winners.
His runs helped Odiham gain promotion to Division 3 of the Southern Premier League cricket, the latest positive step of a ten-year climb through the HCL  which began a decade ago when they joined from the Thames Valley League.
Sharp, who plays decent standard Victoria sub-district cricket, made 151 against Compton & Chandler’s Ford and 109 v Ryde during a golden midsummer spell at the crease, when he also scored two half-centuries.
Ed Ikin, whose 482 runs tally last season contained a century against Kerala and four other scores of fifty or more, will continue to bat alongside Sharp.
But long serving Kyran Munt, a regular top order batter during Odiham’s climb through the HL, has migrated to Hartley Wintney, as a possible replacement for Gerrards Cross bound Hugo Hammond.
Odiham have been busy recruiting, with Old Basing trio Darren Turner, Tom Jackson and Josh Sivier joining the King Street clan.
Overall, it’s a very positive situation, with teen Dylan Kettle keen to expand his 24-wicket haul from last summer.
“The club has continued to go from strength to strength, culminating in a fantastic 2024 season,” reflected skipper Jack Malden.
When their opening match at Sparsholt on May 3 comes around, Odiham will be eager to make up for lost time having been denied automatic promotion from Division 1 in 2023 because they did not have an ECB Clubmark accreditation in place at the time.
They  finished third two seasons ago, but with all the accreditation boxes subsequently ticked, Odiham swept almost all before them this summer, winning 11 matches on the spin before 2023 champions Ferndown Wayfarers beat them in the last game of the season.
Odiham finished 21 points ahead of Alton seconds, who finished runners-up are also promoted.  
"The O’s are excited to have achieved a long held ambition of the club in reaching the Southern Premier League.  We've enjoyed three terrific seasons since covid," Jack Malden added,
Odiham played in the Thames Valley League until 2012 and in 2018, six playing seasons ago (there was no competition in 2020 due to covid) were languishing in Division 3 North.   
In 2021, they were promoted from Division 2 and, after three seasons in HL1, are headed upwards again, this time into the Southern Premier League.
They host Andover in an upcoming pre-season friendly.

​Namibia all-rounder Shaun Fouche has been unveiled as Bournemouth's overseas player for the upcoming ECB Southern Premier League campaign.
The 25-year old has made over 30 international appearances for his country in recent years, top scoring with 94 against Canada, 61 v the UAE and 77 off the USA attack in ODIs.
A right-arm seam bowler, he has taken 96 wickets and hopes to arrive in time to play in Bournemouth Easter Saturday match at Bridgwater and Sunday's game against Bournemouth University at Chapel Gate.
​Bournemouth have also signed two promising Dorset cricketers, ​Wimborne all-rounder Alfie Appleby-Ingram and Josiah Eddy, Poole Town's quick bowler.

Yorkshire & England swing bowler Matthew Hoggard MBE launched Ventnor's 175th anniversary year with a superb after-dinner speech at a sell-out Steephill in which he recalled his role in the epic 2005 Ashes winning series against Australia and his career in which he represented his country 93 times, taking 248 wickets.  
Captained by Ben Woodhouse, Ventnor will play in Southern Premier League Division 1 again this summer and, prior to their May 3 curtain raised against visiting Waterlooville, entertain the Hampshire Academy at Steephill this Saturday (April 12) at noon.     ​Photo Dave Reynolds.

​Ferndown Wayfarers' bid to bring the prestigious ECB indoor sixes championship to Dorset faltered at the national semi-final stage - but, for the second season running, they lost to the eventual winners.
Whitstable beat them by 21 runs in the semi-final before going on to defeat Derbyshire Premier League club Ockbrook & Borrowash by two wickets in the final.
A middle-order collapse, in which four wickets fell for 17 runs, cost Ferndown Wayfarers a place in the Lord's ECB indoor championship final.
The Dorset club eased themselves into a promising position at 69-1 chasing Whitstable's 125-4 only to slip to 86-5 and an eventual  24-run semi-final defeat.
James Raftrey (40) and Alex Samson (18) put Wayfarers in a strong position the collapse.

​Leg spin all-rounder Justin Behrens is returning for a third summer at Hambledon having just missed out on a Western Province CA championship winners medal and being narrowly pipped as the competition's leading wicket taker.
Despite Behrens' 41-wicket haul, his club side WPCC finished runners-up to Durbanville in Cape Town's premier club competition this past South Africa season - a tie against mid-table Claremont effectively costing them the title. 
"WPCC ended up tied for the league on points but unfortunately missed out to Durbanville who had more bp wins and who therefore took the title which was disappointing. Our one tied game against  Claremont cost us dear," he sighed. 
But Behrens has the satisfaction of taking the most wickets of any bowler in the Western Province CA League in the last three seasons, taking an aggregate 126 wickets, including three five-wicket returns and another nine where he captured four opposition scalps.  
"I've finished top of the WPCA bowling charts in 2023/24 and was second the previous season and again this past winter, which is pretty cool," he smiled.    
Behrens flies back to the UK immediately after Easter determined to play a significant part in maintaining Hambledon's new found Southern Premier Division 1 status.
He's so far taken 69 league wickets in his two previous seasons at Ridge Meadow, 32 in 2023 and 37 in last year's Division 2 championship campaign.
"We've had a yo-yo couple of seasons, so need to consolidate in what is already shaping up to be a very competitive league," he said.
"The likes of Havant being on our fixture list underlines how strong Division 1 will be."
Hambledon have bolstered their batting armory with the arrival of Sparsholt-raised batsman/wicketkeeper Will Berrill, who will travel across from Cardiff University to play.  He was with relegated Andover last summer.
Jonty Oliver is also due to finish at Loughborough university his summer and could play in the Village Cup first round tie at Oakley on April 27.
Hambledon's opening Southern Premier Division 1 match is at Old Tauntonians & Romsey on May 3.