​St Cross Symondians are back at the top of the ECB Southern Premier League, eight points clear with three matches to go.
They regained the yellow jersey by thrashing a woefully weak Lymington by 222 runs – a result which coincided with the Hampshire Academy knocking South Wilts out of the running for a third successive title.
The Young Hawks ran up 282 before dismissing South Wilts for 136 to claim second place.
It’s now a two-horse race for the title, with St Cross needing to win at relegation favourites Hook & Newnham Basics on Saturday – they also go to the KGV for the T20 semi-finals on Sunday, 3pm – before ending the season with potentially trickier matches against Bournemouth and Bashley (Rydal) away.
The Academy’s last three games are against Lymington, Totton & Eling and then at Hook & Newnham Basics.
“It’s going to the wire. Every point is going to be vital now,” stressed St Cross skipper Ed Ellis.
Crippled by injuries and unavailability, Lymington fielded only four regular first team players at the Green Jackets – but gave St Cross a massive shock with Oxford Blue Josh Royan (4-83) whipping out Tom Foyle and Harry Trussler with the second and third balls of the match.
Michael Booth soon became a third victim for Royan to leave St Cross reeling at 19-3 midway through the sixth over.
Charlie Gwynn, who was to play a prominent role with bat and ball, soon asserted his authority on proceedings by hitting his first two deliveries to the boundary.
By the mid-point of the innings, Gwynn and Joe Lewis (58) had lifted St Cross out of trouble to 123-3 and set the base for an imposing 298-7.
The fourth-wicket pair added 144 before Gwynn, having hit a six and 12 fours, nicked one behind for 84.  Lewis followed not long after, handing the baton to Harry Foyle to biff 79 (two sixes and nine fours) and add 90 in a powerful partnership with Jack Bransgrove (26).
Lymington’s depleted ranks toiled manfully in the sweltering heat, but managed to last only 25 with the bat as spin duo Gwynn (4-11) and Winchester College’s Callum Whillock (left)  (4-8) bowled them out for 67.  

Ben Walker compiled his highest score of the season as Bournemouth's three-match winning ECB Southern Premier League spurt was ended when Havant successfully chased down their modest 225-7 to win by five wickets with nine overs to spare.
The left-handed Havant skipper hit eight fours in a 107-ball 72 after Simon Woodruff (4-37) had removed openers Stu Ransley and Peter Hopson.
He added 64 with Harry Gadd (38) and another 89 with George Metzger (53 off 44 balls) which took Havant to the brink of victory.

​Dorset captain Luke Webb (62) top scored for Bournemouth, enjoying support from Tom Willoughby (24), Lewis Freak (30) and Greg Thew (37) before Rob Pack blasted late runs. 
Left-arm spinner Freddie Gadd had earlier recorded his best SPL figures of the season - 4-55 - as Bournemouth failed to build on reaching 110-2. In the end, they needed late acceleration from Rob Pack - 36 not out off 16 balls - to post 225-7.
Bournemouth scored 34 runs off the final three overs, with Freddie Gadd’s final over costing 16 and the very last over, bowled by Walker, going for 14.

Hampshire Seniors lost nine wickets for just 42 runs as they crashed out of the ECB 50-plus County Championship, losing by 69 runs to Gloucestershire in the quarter-finals at Romsey.
Things looked good for Hampshire when Paul Burrows (31) guided them to 62-1 in response to Gloucester's 173 all out (Nick Gargaro 4-24), but the innings fell apart and they were dismissed for 104. 

Holders Havant are through to the Southern Premier League T20 Cup semi-finals after a 13-run win over Totton & Eling, who suffered a horrific late order collapse.
Havant's 145-4 appeared under threat when Harry Stephens (34), Bothwell Chapangu (29) and James Taylor (22) eased Totton's reply to 92-2 - but then seven wickets fell for 29 runs - four to the left-arm spin of Freddie Gadd (4-26) - to leave the visitors 132-9.
Earlier, Havant rallied from 59-4 (Stephens 2-24) through George Metzger (49*) and Richard Hindley (27*), who added an unbroken 86.   
Plate holders Waterlooville beat Andover by five wickets in a low scoring affair at Rowlands Avenue, were Tim Jackson took 5-14 and Jon Hudson 3-9. 
The pair left Andover 57-8 before Stuart Summers (28) and Aiden Jansen (18) rallied and lifted the score to 93.  Ville lost five wickets getting them, but Kiwi Josh McGregor (31) aided by 21 wides, got them home.

HAMPSHIRE ACADEMY boosted their ECB Southern Premier Division title prospects with a crushing 146-run victory over defending champions South Wilts at Bemerton and go into the final three matches of the season trailing St Cross Symondians by eight points.  
They play Lymington at the Ageas Bowl Nursery Ground on Saturday before finishing the season with visits to Totton & Eling and Hook & Newnham Basics.
Academy
Standing (from left): Joe Eckland, Ethan Martin, Eddie Jack, Jude Wright, Archie Fairfax-Ross, Ethan Baker. Kneeling: Tom Cheater, Dom Kelly, Wilf Fontaine-Jackson, Charlie Mumford, Louis Prichard.

SOUTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE T20 QUARTER-FINAL

Havant v Totton & Eling (10.30)

PLATE QUARTER-FINAL

Waterlooville v Andover (1400)

ECB 50-PLUS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTER-FINAL

Hampshire Seniors v Gloucestershire (OTs & Romsey, 1300) 

ECB PREMIER DIVISION

Bashley (Rydal) 228 (Digby 50, Lewis 47, Porter 44, Chapungu 4-39) Totton & Eling 145 (Griffiths 29, Chapungu 27, Varney 25, Digby 4-39). Bashley (Rydal) won by 83 runs.

Bournemouth 225-7 (Webb 62, Thew 37, Pack 36*, Freak 30, Willoughby 24, F Gadd 4-55) Havant 226-5 (Walker 72, Metzger 53, H Gadd 38, Stone 26*, Woodruff 4-36)

Hampshire Academy 282 (Kelly 55, Fontaine-Jackson 54, Cheater 41, Jack 40, Burton 4-64) South Wilts 136 (Mynott 33, Sen 23*, Godsal 22, Baker 5-23, Martin 3-15). Hampshire Academy won by 146 runs. 

Hook & Newnham Basics 196  (Willcock 72, Simpson 30*, Warner 27, O Creal 4-59) Burridge 200-8 (Paskins 87*, Willcock 3-38). Burridge won by two wickets.

​St Cross Symondians 298-7 (Gwynn 84, H Foyle 79, Lewis 58, Bransgrove 26, Royan 4-83) Lymington 67 (Royan 20, Whillock 4-8, Gwynn 4-11). St Cross Symondians won by 222 runs.

DIVISION 1

Alton 233 (South 63, Myers 37, Heffernan 28, Wheeler 28, Egleston 26, Watts 3-46, Loader 3-47) New Milton 122 (Humphrey 39, Naylor 20, Egleston 3-15, Walters 3-29). Alton won by 111 runs.

Sparsholt 153 (Frith 50, Sumner 27, Wood 3-11, Thankashan 3-32 Basingstoke & North Hants 154-7 (Nurse 62, Sumner 5-44). Basingstoke & North Hants won by three wickets.

Calmore Sports 174 (Johns 40, Manning 46) Liphook & Ripsley 175-4 (H Amis 45, O Amis 35, Munt 28, Nicklin 26). Liphook & Ripsley won by six wickets.  

Rowledge 233 (W Ryman 54, Yates 46, Le Roux 34) Portsmouth 236-3 (Jallil 106*, Daini 64). Portsmouth won by seven wickets.

Ventnor 212 (Thimodya 91, Whyte 57, J Hill 4-29) Sarisbury Athletic 218-6 (Feltham 79, Floyd 57, J Hill 39*). Sarisbury Athletic won by four wickets.

DIVISION 2

Andover 177 (Knight 34, Nyumbu 30, Oliver 4-32) Hambledon178-5 (De Villiers 84*, Marshall 46, Nyumbu 4-36). Hambledon won by five wickets.   

Fair Oak 172 (M Abbas 44, A Abbas 32, H Reed 27, Reynaldo 4-41, Nightingale 3-29) Hartley Wintney 102 (Nightingale 47, M Abbas 4-23, G McKenzie 4-33). Fair Oak won by 70 runs.

Hook & Newnham Basics II 247-7 (Robson 75, Corbett 60, Orchard 3-43) St Cross Symondians II 196 (Aldridge 47, Hirst 30, Doran 4-31). Hook & Newnham Basics II won by 51 runs.  

Old Tauntonians & Romsey 118 Tulk 41, Vaughan 34, Poolman 26, Munir 4-24) Fawley 120-3 (Singh 55*, Munir 37). Fawley won by seven wickets.

Waterlooville 313-8 (Reynolds 86, McGregor 75, McCoy 29, Gordon 3-68, Courts 3-71) Bashley (Rydal) 224-8 (Gordon 108, McMurray 79, Birch 3-37). Waterlooville won by 89 runs.   
 
DIVISION 3

Basingstoke & North Hants 163 (Benge 52, Froud 34, Dimmick 3-22) Trojans 164-2 (Agha 78, Boyd 75). Trojans won by eight wickets. 

Havant II 211 (Matthews 75, Loat 40, Chicot 5-33) Gosport Borough 214-7 (Harris 100, Harrop 44). Gosport Borough won by three wickets.

Portsmouth & Southsea 286-6 (Davies 86, T Benfield 67, Briggs 58, Lee 30) Paultons 135 (L Longland 36, Dunstan 4-15, M Benfield 3-22). Portsmouth & Southsea won by 151 runs.

Purbrook 104 (Khan 24, Piper 4-16, Ponting 4-39) Langley Manor 107-1 (Harris 54*, Browne 26). Langley Manor won by nine wickets.

South Wilts II 161 (Riddle 31, Philips 27, Thomas 4-27, Bernard 3-35) Sway 162-3 (Crossley 64, Millard 34, Jones 24*). Sway won by seven wickets.

August 2021. Ben Draper has a firm grasp of the ECB Southern Premier League championship trophy won by South Wilts for the second year running. 
Fast forward 12 months and the South Wilts captain is clinging hold of the silverware by his finger tips, consecutive defeats by Bournemouth and Bashley (Rydal) having trimmed their lead at the top to a mere two points.
That's the slender advantage South Wilts enjoy over 2018 winners St Cross Symondians ahead of a 'massive' showdown with Charlie Freeston's Hampshire Academy at Bemerton, 12.30.
It's a match South Wits simply have to win, especially with St Cross facing a seriously weakened Lymington at the Green Jackets.
If the Young Hawks (ten points behind) were to inflict South Wilts' a third successive defeat, they will overtake them in the table.
Make no mistake, the Academy - who field their strongest possible side at Wilton Road - want to win the Premier League.  Out of the blue they tied 244-runs each with St Cross Symondians last weekend, a run out off the last ball denying them victory.
Dismissing South Wilts' in-form openers Tom Morton (862 runs) and Jack Stearman (663) relatively cheaply could be the key for the Academy, whose batsmen will have to negotiate the left-arm pace of 42-wicket Josh Croom and new ball partner Matt Burton.
Teenage all-round talent Matt Falconer returns for South Wilts, while Dom Kelly, who has been with Hampshire's triumphant Royal London Cup squad, boosts the Academy line up. 
South Wilts: Morton, Stearman, Rowe, Draper, Mynott, Godsal, Falconer, Sen, Grant, Croom, Burton.
Academy: Eckland, Cheater, Kelly, Mumford, Fontaine-jackson, Wright, Ruffell, Jack, Fairfax-Ross, Baker, Prichard, Calderwood, Martin.  
South African all-rounder Michael Booth returns from groin surgery to play (as a batsman) for second placed St Cross Symondians against Lymington, who field only four first team regulars.
St Cross Symondians: Tom Foyle, Mike Booth, Sam Beer, Matt Haworth, Callum Whillock, Harry Trussler, Charlie Gwynn, Jack Bransgrove, Simon Beetham, Ed Ellis, Harry Foyle. 
Fourth in the log Havant face an intriguing test from a visiting Bournemouth, who have won their last three, with promising pace bowler Ollie Breckon beginning to make waves in the NCCA arena.  He and Conor Smith make their Dorset debuts on Sunday.
Havant: S Ransley, Hopson, Walker, H Gadd, Metzger, Stone, Hindley, Barnard, Udy, Jerry, F Gadd.   
Bournemouth: C Park, Webb, Willoughby, Robinson, Woodruff, Freak, Hurley, Pack, Smith, Conway, Breckon.
There's no way back for Hook & Newnham Basics if they lose at Burridge, realistically the only side they can overhaul at the bottom.
Sam Lockwood's powerful 70 in last Sunday's T20 Cup win over Alton has earned him a recall at the expense of Harry Robson.
Hook: J Buckingham, Lockwood, Warner, M Buckingham, James, Simpson, Divecha, Neville, Murrell, Armstrong, Willcocks. 
Totton & Eling's match against Bashley (Rydal) is expected to be dominated by spin bowlers so dry is the Souhern Gardens square.
Bashley (Rydal): Francis, Tripcony, Porter Saif, Digby, Goodey, Lewis, Trodd, Penycate, Fletcher, Wilson.  

The three leading run getters in Division 1 go head-to-head at Allotment Road, where Sarisbury Athletic look to extend their lead at the expense of Ventnor.
With 577 runs, which includes one hundred and five scores of 50 or more, Sarisbury left-hander Sam Floyd enjoys a slender lead over Ventnor’s Sri Lankan Dineth Timodya (576) and Martin Blackman (573), who returns to the Ventnor side in place of Wroxall postie Chris Russell.
Ventnor: N Verma, D Timodya, B Woodhouse, M Blackman, R Whyte, H Calloway, S Mills, J Winterbottom, O Morgan, R Snell, C Read.
Second placed Alton need Sarisbury to slip up if they are to push their title claims and they swap Huw Wheeler for the holidaying Michael Heffernan against Alton at the Jubilee.
Alton: Gonella, Harris, Wheeler, Myers, Heffernan MJ, South, Egleston, Paul, Walters, Salmon, Gadsby
Calmore Sports will effectively relegate Liphook & Ripsley if they win at Ripsley Park, where Ben Johns looks to enhance his 526-run tally.
Calmore Sports: Bailey, Carty, Croft, Fisher, Johns, Johnson, Lavelle, Manning, Moss, Parker, Wright
Sparsholt ended an eight-week long winless run by beating Liphook last week, but should find Basingstoke & North Hants tougher opposition at May’s Bounty.
Rowledge look to end a three-match losing sequence when they host Portsmouth, but key youngsters Ryan Littlewood (back injury) and Oli Ryman are absent.
Zac LeRoux, however, is in tip top form wih 70-plus scores in each of his last two knocks.
Rowledge: Ben Wish, Hugh Croft, Ricky yates, Ollie baker, Dave Lloyd, Richard Forbes, Jake Wish, Max Martin,  Jontie Seeborn, Will Ryman, Zac Leroux.

rThe potential match-up between an emerging South African batsman and an experienced Zimbabwean provincial cricketer could hold the key to the outcome of the Southern Premier Division 2 leadership showdown between Andover at Hambledon at London Road, 12.30.
Matt De Villiers, with five centuries among his 1,046 run tally, is the leading Southern Premier League batsman and is the prime reason why historic Hambledon have won 12 of their 13 matches this season.
Rest assured John Nyumbu, the former Zimbabwe international off-spin bowler who captains Andover, will bring himself into the Lions attack directly De Villiers arrives at the crease.
He has taken 27 wickets with an economy rate of 3.32 and if he nails the Cape Town run gun relatively cheaply, Andover could go a long way to closing the 16-point gap between the lead pair.
Hambledon are without established opening pair Dan McGovern and Chris Pratt, but skipper Spencer Leclercq has returned from Hong Kong after a three-week absence.  
Babu Vettil (26 wickets) sits immediately behind his captain in the SPL2 bowling averages, while Hampshire Pathways prospect Sam Ashman and Charlie Ayers have each made 515 runs.
Andover: Nyumbu, Adams, Ayers, Taylor, Veettil, Hooper, Knight, Ashman, Williams, Treagus, Birks. 
Hambledon: Spencer Leclercq, George Marshall, Matt de Villers, Henry Glanfield, Jonty Oliver, Ed Moger, Joel Eastment, Mark Butcher, Ben Reilly, George Harding, Shahryar Khan.
Third placed OTs & Romsey, roundly thrashed by Bashley (Rydal) seconds last week, look to have an away banker at relegation favourites Fawley, but Charlie King will demand a much improved batting performance.
Waterlooville are weakened by several absentees against revitalized Bashley (Rydal) II, who look to build on the 14-point gap between themselves and Hook & Newnham Basics II, in second from bottom position.
Waterlooville: Archie Reynolds, Broadhurst, McCoy, Birch, Jackson, McGregor, Shephard, Hudson, Jackson, Osama Shah, Andy Reynolds.
Hook have Liam Shore back for the visit to St Cross Symondians II, while the other SPL2 match sees Fair Oak travel to Hartley Wintney, where a few runs will probably be scored.
Hook & Newnham Basics II: T May, Light, Robson, Corbett, Allnutt, Doran, Hewetson-Brown, Moore, Gardner, O May, Shore, 
With Portsmouth & Southsea way ahead in the yellow jersey and almost guaranteed promotion, all eyes are on the potent runners-up spot in Division 3.
Langley Manor are second right now with 226 points, a tally they’ll expect to enhance when they go to winless Purbrook, so they will be keeping check on the Sway-South Wilts duel in the New Forest.
Sway have hit a lean run and still have key absentees tomorrow, but South Wilts have won five in a row and have 30-wicket skipper Rob Pittman back at the helm at Station Road.  Newly wed Tim Noble, Dave Steadman and Jon Waller are all missing.
Sway: Will Millard, Will Crossley, Greg Jones, Alex Hall, Hugh Bernard, Tom Burton, Jon Grasham,  Rich Thomas, Tobi Ramwell, Sam Nailor, Steve How.
Gosport don’t top too many league tables but it was officially the hottest place in the UK at lunchtime today – 31.2cel – something Havant’s improving second side will bit to cool at Privett Park.
Whoever loses the Trojans-Basingstoke & North Hants II match at Stoneham Lane will be favourites to join Purbook through the relegation trap door.  Two points separate them in eighth and ninth places, respectively.

​Wimbledon tailender Richie Lamb whacked a six off the last ball as Havant’s hopes of ECB T20 Vitality Blast glory were shattered at Bexley. 
Lamb had to heave the final ball of the afternoon - delivered by Harry Gadd - over the mid-wicket boundary rope to give the Surrey Championship side victory at Bexley.
That he did, with Wimbledon progressing to the south-east regional play-off final by a two-wicket margin.  They were, though, soundly beaten by Kent League side Bexley, who will play in the South finals at Basingstoke & North Hants on Sunday August 28.
The Dons had needed 40 runs from the final five overs, and started the last over requiring 10.
Harry Gadd's final ball was hit for a match-winning six as Havant were knocked out of the ECB Vitality Blast T20 in dramatic circumstances by 
Havant were in the ascendancy, though, when Scott Conway was caught by Freddie Gadd off his brother’s bowling with the first ball.
Wimbledon only scored two off the next three deliveries, meaning they required eight off the last two balls.
                                                                                             Dramatic
At that stage, Gadd had taken 2-12 off 2.4 overs. But a two and a six - from the last two of the only four balls Lamb faced - saw the former national champions triumph in dramatic circumstances.
Opener Michael Turner (56) had earlier helped Wimbledon, who are currently top of the ECB Surrey Championship, to 120-3 chasing 152 for victory.
Teenage left-armer Matty Hayward (2-20) and Richard Jerry (2-22) both returned economical four-over spells, while Harry Gadd (2-20) and Freddie Gadd (2-26) were also among the wickets.   Hants 50s ace Pete Hayward, though, conceded 32 runs off the only 12 balls he sent down.
Earlier, Havant skipper Pete Hopson (20) and Harry Gadd (25) put on 45 for the first wicket.   It was middle order pair Ben Walker (37) and Simon Loat (29) who shared the highest partnership, adding 55 for the fifth wicket in a total of 151-6.
Havant return to T20 action on Sunday morning (1030), hosting Totton & Eling in the quarter-finals of the Southern Premier League Cup.  They are aiming to win the competition for the third year running, having last lost to Burridge in 2019.
St Cross Symondians, Bashley (Rydal) and Hook & Newnham Basics - three of Havant’s top flight rivals - are already through to the last four.

​Jack Davies lashed a stunning hundred as Portsmouth & Southsea moved another giant step closer to promotion with a crushing seven-wicket win over relegation troubled Basingstoke & North Hants II. 
He struck an unbeaten 133 as P & S reached their 267 victory target at May’s Bounty with almost 15 overs in hand.
It was the club’s 13th Southern Premier League Division 3 win in 14 games, and they enjoy a whopping 68-point lead over third-placed South Wilts II with just four weeks of the season remaining. 
Shaun Briggs had earlier given the P & S reply a rocket start at May’s Bounty. Opening the innings, he blasted 40 off just 16 balls - with seven fours and two sixes - before Jake Peach, shoved up the order to No 3, hit 28 off 36 deliveries.
Opening bowler Tyler Bradley, last year’s SPL1 bowling award winner, suffered more than most - conceding 58 runs off his four overs. He earlier got a first baller.
That was the prelude to Davies hitting 18 boundaries and five sixes in his scorching 95-ball knock.
Chris Bollom - 39 not out off 38 balls - helped Davies add an unbroken 149 for the fourth wicket as P& S strolled home in the 36th over.
Earlier, Greg Donaldson smashed eight sixes in a blistering 90 for Basingstoke, who face a critical relegation visit to Trojans on Saturday.

Sway’s hopes of taking the second promotion place took a dent when they were hammered by Havant II. The New Forest club were bundled out for 89 to lose by a mammoth 239-run margin at Havant Park.
Simon Loat (85) and county U15 prospect Ben Feeney (78) were the main contributors to Havant’s imposing 328-6 total - putting on 108 for the second wicket - while teenager Harrison Barnard (40) provided support.
University student Henry Pelling-Smith (4-30) removed four of the top five Sway batters as the visitors careered to 35-5. Sid Mutta (3-23) helped mop up the tail.
Two men with famous namesakes played a big part in Gosport Borough’s victory over Langley Manor.
First, Viv Richards top scored with 71 off 92 balls at Knellers Lane as the visitors were bowled out for 203, opening bowler Simon Peters bagging 5-36.   Scott Taylor (31) helped Richards add 90 for the third wicket.
Gosport’s second famous namesake - Muhammad Ali - then claimed 3-26, removing three of Langley’s top four as the hosts slipped to 59-4.  Sampath Prathapasinghe (4-21) ripped out the middle order as Langley slithered to 153 all out, little Tommy Spencer (30) and Nick Jenkin 29.
South Wilts seconds will be firmly in the promotion mix if they can chalk up a seventh successive win and beat off-colour Sway in the  New Forest on Saturday.  The recent win surge has lifted South Wilts into third place, just two points behind Langley Manor.
Canford teen Kit Blomfield underlined his growing all-rounder potential by top scoring with 68 (ten fours) in South Wilts'  202.  He shared a century stand with Charlie Smith (36).  Trojans were dismissed for 127, yellow boot peril Tom Lewis taking 3-25.  

Paul Longland plundered an unbeaten 148 as Paultons overhauled Purbrook's 236 to win by eight wickets - the former OTs & Romsey batsman hitting a six and 28 fours in his knock. He is now the leading Division 3 run maker.

Ryan Bone cracked an unbeaten century and later took four wickets as Hartley Wintney raced past Waterlooville’s 215-9 to win by seven wickets with 10 overs to spare.
The former Eversley all-rounder hit 132 not out which contained two sixes and 18 fours.
Ironically, Hartley’s run chase got off to the worst possible start with Jon Kerr bowled first ball of the innings.
But Angus Brown (31) and Bone steadied the ship before Hugo Hammond (28) shared a century third-wicket stand which set up the win.
Earlier, Ville got off to a flier with Archie Reynolds (75) and Gabe Broadhurst (48) putting on 134 – before Bone stepped in with a 4-34 return which, with Dan Reynaldo’s 3-50, turned the tide

Andover warmed up for Saturday’s top of the table Southern Premier Division 2 showdown with Hambledon by defeating Fair Oak by 94 runs – the gap between the top two being 16 points.
Andover openers Glyn Treagus (47) and talented Sam Ashman (65) complied 109 for the first wicket, setting the tone for the match.  The Fair Oak attack, apart from seven overs with the new ball from Ben Smith, was exclusively spin.  
The visitors then dipped to 149 for 5 as Nick Doubell and skipper Gregor McKenzie took nipped out two batters apiece.  However, Nathan Birks hit 47 not out at the end of the Andover innings off just 33 balls, and with support from Steve Williams (26no) saw his side through to half-time with the momentum in the visitors’ favour.
Oaks lost their first two wickets with just 16 on the board, both to Mike Adams (3 for 20).  Sam Reed (22) and Monty McKenzie (21) staged a partial recovery, but Charlie Ayers then got to work with a decisive spell of 4 for 38.  
The only other Oaks batsman to reach double figures was Gregor McKenzie.  He made a brisk 35 as his side subsided from 64 for 2 to 123 all out, still 94 runs short of their target.

​The wheels came spinning off Old Tauntonians & Romsey’s promotion bid, with a crushing 139-run defeat by Bashley Rydal’s second team a serious setback. 
OTs are 20 points adrift of Andover in the chase for the second promotion spot after Bashley piled up 265-6 against them.
With players back from university Bashley IIs are a different animal now, with Exeter chemistry student James Turner (101) featuring in two hefty stands, initially with Finn Gordon (38) and then twin brother Alex (53). 
Shell shocked OTs sank to 126 all out in reply, Rob Newman adding 43 to his earlier 3-41return with the ball. But, as skipper Charlie King points out, all is not lost in OTs’ promotion challenge.
“Andover play leaders Hambledon on Saturday and if they lose, we’re right back in it,” he says.
Fawley need a miracle if they are to avoid the drop. They are 39 points adrift of the nearest safety rung after a top order collapse sent them spinning to 38-6 after St Cross Symondians II had put them into bat at the Green Jackets.
Callum Earl (36) and West Indian Trishwan Francis (29) rallied, but 137 was comfortably chased down by James Burridge (40*), Steven Hirst (37) and the promising Raj Naik (30).

It's another six weeks before Calmore Sports face Worcestershire opponents Dumbledon in the Voneus Village Cup final at Lord's, but for all-rounder Shawn Johnson a return to batting form couldn't have come quick enough.
The former Bexhill ace has  not been in the best of nick recently, with ducks in each of his last SPL matches and with only two scores of 25 or more since he began the season so positively in May.
But Calmore are hoping Johnson has put that lean run behind him with an unbeaten 64 which paved the way to the Village Cup holders overhauling a Rowledge total of 186 and winning by five wickets at Loperwood Park.
Ben Johns (32), Max Bailey (26) and Ben Fisher, with 25 not out, provided the support package after Zac LeRoux had once again showcased his growing potential with a stylish 75 for Rowledge. The Durham University physics student had batted well at Sarisbury the previous week. 
Last pair Adrian Brown and Matt Griffiths scrambled a dramatic one-wicket win for Basingstoke & North Hants, who just nudged their way past New Milton’s 158 all out.
They came together at 152-9 and had to survive 19 balls from Milton skipper Gorge Watts and skipper Joe Hall.  Brown hit nine not out and Griffiths five, including two runs off the final ball of the 44th over to win the match.
Losing wickets all the way down the line, Basingstoke were never comfortable chasing the target, with the eventual victory owing much to Callum Coombs (31), who took the reply to 133-8 before he was trapped leg before.
Matt Deadman (21), Joe Oates (19) and tenth man Jake Fincken, who hit three important boundaries, provide key support.   Oates (3-23) was Basingstoke’s best bowler.

Matt De Villiers has become the first batsman for 17 years to reach the milestone of 1,000 Southern Premier League runs in a season.
Playing below his ability level in tier three, the South African struck his FIFTH Division 2 century of the campaign - 102 - in a 72-run victory over Hook & Newnham Basics IIs at Ridge Meadow.
It was the Dons’ 12th win in 13 completed matches and keeps them on track for back-to-back promotions, with Saturday’s visit to second placed Andover potentially critical in the silverware stakes.
As for De Villiers, he now needs just 31 more runs to set a new Southern Premier League seasonal record.
The current record - 1,076 - was set in 2005 by Will Prozesky, who played for Havant and Purbrook.
De Villiers, from top Western Province club Claremont, is only the fourth man to reach four figures since Hampshire legend Robin Smith set a new Southern League run record of 1,015 for Trojans 40 years ago.
Smith’s record was beaten twice in 2003, when South African Erasmus Hendriske - also playing for Trojans - hit 1,025 Division 3 runs. But that same year, Kiwi Neal Parlane set a new record with 1,074 for Totton-based BAT in the top flight.
Parlane’s record stood for just two years, before Prozesky topped it by just two runs.
De Villiers is just the second player to score five SPL tons in a single season - Hendriske had achieved the feat in 2003.
De Villiers’ fifth century was made off 90 balls, hitting 17 boundaries, in a team total of 217.  Back to form Henry Glanfield (54) helping him add 124 for the third wicket.
Youngsters Ben Reilly (3-14) and James Restall (3-36) starred as Hook plunged to 87-8 in reply. 
Will Gardner (32) and emerging all-rounder Ollie May (28 not out) put on a defiant 58 for the ninth wicket, a stand which ended when Mark Butcher produced a run out.    Hook are now second from bottom.
• Matt De Villers’ summer with Hambledon was organised by one-time Burridge cricketer Roger Moult of the All Rounder Cricket Academy in Cape Town, who also sent Nathan Schoultz across to play for Burridge.  The ARCA can be approached re potential SPL players for 2023.

Please, please, please ?  Sarisbury Athletic spinner Rob Franklin pleads (unsuccessfully) for a leg before decision. The News.

​Sarisbury Athletic lost by 30 runs to Portsmouth, but with four weeks of the season remaining, enjoy a 14-point lead over Alton - only the Division 1 champions win promotion to the Premier Division.
Asked to chase 238 for victory, Sarisbury reached 105-3 before losing the key wicket of leading runscorer, left-hander Sam Floyd (38).
That brought Nathan Feltham to the crease, whose middle order runs have been a feature of Sarisbury’s promotion challenge.
He struck 61 off 62 balls - with seven fours and three sixes - before Reuban McArdle (3-53) had him caught by James Christian to make the score 187-8. They were eventually all out for 207, to lose by 30 runs.
It had been a consistent batting effort by Portsmouth, who reached 237-9 without any batter contributing a half-century. 
Joe Kooner-Evans (38) and Sujeeth Daini (37) top scored, while Ronan DeGrussa bagged 4-33 to jump into top spot in the division’s leading wicket-takers list with 34 poles. 

​Sarisbury Athletic's defeat keeps the door ajar for Alton, who won by 125 runs at Steephill despite not having been in the best shape early on and later at 148-5 when Tom South (39) fell.
But past Winchester College captain George Egleston (85), who is developing into a decent young cricketer, and Michael Heffernan (68) picked up the tab to take Alton to 293-8.
With no Martin Blackman to bolster their middle-order, Ventnor fell away to 168 all out, with U14 prospect Sam Mills hitting 48.

Ethan Baker was run out off the last ball as the Hampshire Academy tried desperately to score nine runs off Simon Beetham’s final over – the ECB Southern Premier League thriller ending in a tie with both sides totalling 244-9 !
Baker (22) and Louis Pritchard (24) shared a ninth-wicket stand of 45 to get the Academy with striking distance of the St Cross score, having come together in the 43rd over with the Young Hawks an uncertain 199-8.
But run-by-run and extra-by-extra (there were 27 wides among the 32 sundries) the Bashley (Rydal) teens nudged the Academy closer, taking the Young Hawks reply to 236-8 at the start of the 50th and last over.
Two runs came off the initial two deliveries, then a dot ball off the third before Baker hit Beetham’s fourth to the boundary.    Three runs required off the last two balls.
Baker hit two more off the penultimate ball to level the scores at 244 each – but hit the sixth and last delivery to Sam Beer at short cover and was run out by the Australian at the non-striker’s end.
It was a dramatic finish to an absorbing match, which saw both sides disappointed they didn’t win.
St Cross probably felt they should have closed the match down with the Academy 199-8, but to their credit the county youngsters refused to lie down and deserved a share of the spoils. 
With South Wilts’ beaten by Bashley (Rydal), the situation at the top of the Premier Division has become even closer, with just two points separating St Cross from the Bemerton club and the Academy continuing to lurk dangerously close in third place.
Earlier, virtually all the St Cross batsmen made starts, with Tom Foyle (29) sitting a fast pace but only Harry Trussler (35) and Charlie Gwynn (38) made a real impact before Ed Ellis powered a breezy 51 to take the score to 193-4 with ten overs left.
Those final ten overs yielded only 51 runs, Eton’s Finn Calderwood (3-41) and Archie Fairfax-Ross (3-54) bowling decent left-arm sting from the Hilton hotel end.

Joe Eckland (63) steadied the Academy reply, watching as numerous team-mates frittered their wickets away, often unnecessarily, to the point that at 199-8 when Sam Ruffell (21) became Beer’s third victim, victory appeared unlikely.   
But that 45-run stand between the Bashley boys almost swung it round. In the end, honours were probably evenly shared. Great game !

​Bournemouth opening bowler Ollie Breckon (left) boosted his prospects of selection for England's defence of the European T10 Championships in Malaga this autumn with impressive figures in the National Counties' win over the MCC at Banbury.
The right-arm seamer took 4-24 off 6.3 overs as the MCC was bowled out for 150 chasing a NC total of 252, for which South Wilts' pair Arthur Godsal (22) and Josh Croom (15) made useful contributions at the end.
Among his victims was St Cross Symondians captain Ed Ellis, who frustrated the NC bowlers late in the MCC innings.
The showpiece fixture, which was umpired by leading South Coast Panel official Paul Sparshott, is part of the warm-up for the defence of the European T10 Championships in Malaga in October.
National Counties, who represented England, triumphed in the Euros last autumn and will return to the Cartama Oval in Malaga to defend their title in October.  Godsal and Bournemouth's Luke Webb played in that winning England team.
The European Championship will run from September 12 to October 14 and will involve 21 nations. As defending champions, National Counties will enter this year’s tournament in the last week of the competition, starting on October 10. 

East Hants raised Jack Campbell pulled Hampshire to an unlikely comeback victory as the fast bowler routed Northamptonshire Steelback’s lower order on the Isle of Wight.
The Steelbacks needed only 24 runs in their pursuit of 200 with five wickets in hand but collapsed in a heap to lose by 11 runs.
Campbell, who played his embryo cricket at Steep then Liphook & Ripsley, took 3-17, including two in two balls, before John Turner bumped out the last wicket to bowl Northamptonshire out for 188 to continued Hampshire’s perfect start to the Royal London Cup.
Rob Keogh had run the game in front of a sell-out 2,500 strong crowd at Newclose with a career-best three for 32 coupled with an authoritative 74, before Hampshire’s late show.
Northamptonshire had the chase in complete control as Hampshire moved their show over to the Isle of Wight for the first time since 2019.
Ricardo Vasconcelos’ poor form continued when he was lbw to a Keith Barker away swinger second ball. Will Young followed fairly soon after as Scott Currie extracted some bounce to second slip.
But Emilio Gay and Keogh settled the innings with style. The pair adding 52 runs. Keogh was imperious throughout. He cracked three fours in succession off Currie, beginning with a crunching slapped cut shot to get his innings moving. Everything seemed simple for Keogh as he reached his fifty in 57 balls.
Every time Northamptonshire appeared to be cantering to victory, a wicket would add a sense of jitters. Gus Miller had been carefree for 31 but smashed to cover, while Ben Curran stuttered before another ball stopped in the pitch as he offered a simple caught and bowled for Currie.
With 23 runs still needed, Keogh was victim to the stoppy pitch and was caught at mid-off before the previously cheap Campbell snared Nathan Buck and Ben Sanderson in successive deliveries to alter the momentum completely.
James Sales was yorked by Campbell before a short pitch Turner delivery was skied to point to complete a famous Hampshire victory.

​Earlier, Nick Gubbins made no hesitation when he chose to bat on a brilliantly hot day and on a pitch which gave the impression of being perfect for batting. It quickly proved otherwise.
Instead of speeding through, the ball stuck in the wicket to make it hard to time the ball. Aneurin Donald was the first to find this out when he guided the 12th ball of the match to point before Gubbins edged to second slip in the following over.
Ben Brown was leg before to a low bouncing Nathan Buck delivery having put on 45 with Tom Prest before Fletcha Middleton continued to recover the situation with a speedy 51 run partnership.
Prest, on the back of a superb 181 against Kent Spitfires, peppered the offside as he played the ball as late as he dared. His timing was proved with a straight drive early on and continued with late cuts.
His pièce de résistance was a skip and elegant drive over extra cover to bring up his half-century in 54 balls but fell to the following delivery when Alex Russell beguiled him in the flight, as the ball ended up in extra cover’s hands.
Middleton had accumulated 35 before Keogh started to turn the screw. The off-spinner pinned down a concrete-footed Middleton and then had Felix Organ caught and bowled off a full toss four balls later.
Keogh added a third when he bowled the top of Toby Albert’s off stump as Hampshire’s middle order fumbled without finding meaningful partnerships.
Barker, on his white-ball debut for Hampshire, provided some late innings runs with 38 but the Steelbacks refused to let the game get away from them as Jack White had Barker top edging to deep square and Jack Campbell edging behind, while Currie was undone by a Buck short ball. Hampshire bowled out for 199 with 57 balls left unused.   Alex Smith.

The Hampshire victory climaxed another superb day for the Newclose ground which successfully hosted a 4-day County Championship win over Nottinghamshire in 2019. A sun baked crowd of over 2,500 enjoyed a thrilling match. It was well organised and a joy to be at.  An undoubted 'yes' vote for cricket to be played on out-grounds and, ECB note, the public wants 50-ovr cricket to stay.  Take a bow Hugh Griffiths, Andy Butler and the Newclose team !   Photographs Dave Reynolds.

Sparsholt ended a near barren eight-match spell in emphatic manner, thrashing Liphook & Ripsley by 111 runs before beating Hartley Wintney to clinch a place in the Plate T20 semi-finals.
The Winchester club had lost seven of its previous eight Southern Premier Division 1 matches - they tied with Rowledge - and is more or less accepting that relegation is just around the corner.
“The club regards the season as an important learning process for its young players, so pulling off two results like this after not winning a game for two months is a real bonus,” said chairman Andy Worth.
The teenage Williams brothers Ollie (70 not out) and Josh (63) are two players already catching a few eyes at Locks Lane – their century stand pointing Sparsholt towards a winning 240-4 against Lipohook.
Olli followed up his unbeaten knock with a 3-25 return as Liphook collapsed from 62-1 to 129 all out, Ryan Covey (48) top scoring before Tom Ley and Freddie Banks took two wickets each.

​Dave Banks starred with bat and ball in Sunday’s 16 run Plate quarter-final win over Hartley Wintney, top scoring with 58 before taking 4-7 with the ball.   Sparsholt made 183-7 (Callum Doran 45) and pegged HW to 167 (Tom Kirkpatrick 38).

Lymington Kiwi strike bowler James Hartshorn will miss the remaining four weeks of the ECB Southern Premier League season after dislocating a shoulder in Saturday’s 171-run thrashing by Burridge.
He fell awkwardly diving on the Sports Ground boundary in an unsuccessful attempt to hit a four by Alex Damley-Jones, ironically off the very last ball of Burridge’s 266-9.
Unable to bat, he sat in some discomfort as Lymington crumbled to 95 all out and a humiliating defeat.
Hartshorn (above), who has 28 victims for Lymington this season including separate five-wicket hauls against Bashley (Rydal) and Havant, also suffered a freak shin injury in a pre-match football warm-up earlier this summer and missed two matches.
He will return to his home in Wellington, New Zealand next week, having made a massive contribution across the club, with the colts, the kids at Walhampton and Lymington’s 1st XI, where he often shared a formidable new-ball partnership with Northants all-rounder Gareth Berg.
“He is one the nicest, genuine overseas players we have had. It’s extremely sad to see him go in such unfortunate circumstances. Missing six matches is a huge loss to the club,” said team manager Neil Trestrail.
Hartshorn will undergo surgery directly he returns to New Zealand and faces a long battle to regain fitness for Wellington’s Plunket Shield programme.
On the flip side, the result was a massive bonus for Burridge in their bit claw away from the Premier Division relegation zone.
Jack Paskins, with an SPL best 97, batted near on the entire length of the Burridge innings, sharing a century opening stand with interim skipper Joe Collings-Wells (64).  Oli Creal and Will Donald shared six of the Lymington wickets.

Back-to-back defeats by Bournemouth and Bashley (Rydal) have trimmed South Wilts’ lead at the top of the ECB Southern Premier League to a mere two points.
That’s put massive significance on Saturday’s ‘white ball’ showdown with the Hampshire Academy at Bemerton (1230), the county youngsters lying dangerous close in third place, just ten points behind.
They tied with St Cross Symondians 244 runs each last weekend; had they won, it would have been even closer at the top.
South Wilts go into the Academy match with 240 points in the bag from 13 matches, compared with St Cross Symondians’ 238 and the Young Hawks’ 230.   Havant are fourth with 214 points.
Remaining matches for the top four are –
South Wilts: Academy (h), Totton & Eling (h), Havant (a) and Burridge (h).
St Cross Symondians: Lymington (h), Hook & Newnham Basics (a), Bournemouth (h), Bashley (Rydal)(a).
Academy: South Wilts (a), Lymington (h), Totton & Eling (a), Hook & Newnham Basics (a).
Havant: Bournemouth (h), Bashley (Rydal)(a), South Wilts (h), Totton & Eling (h).
South Wilts arguably found themselves 40 runs short of a defendable total, despite posting 272-5 against Bashley (Rydal), who chased the target down in the to win by four wickets with 27 balls to spare.
Michael Porter was the Bashley hero, hitting an unbeaten 115, an innings he declared was “probably my best in the Southern Premier League.”
But Porter shared the praise around: “Our bowlers did seriously well in restricting the runs. I thought South Wilts were probably 40 runs short, so fast was the BCG outfield.”

​Left-hander Jack Stearman underpinned the South Wilts innings with 97 – he went on to make 122 in the T20 win over OTs & Romsey the following day – and featured in two hefty stands.
He put on 94 with Tom Morton (40) and then 104 with Peter Rowe (60) before holing out at 204-2.
South Wilts lost three cheap wickets after that before Jack Mynott hit a quick-fire 30 to get them up to 272-5 off 50 overs.
A double strike by Matt Burton (2-39) put Bashley on the back foot, with Ben Francis and Jacob Gordon dismissed.
Will Tripcony (22) steadied things before Saif Achakzai kick started the run chase with 41, including eight fours.
But it was Porter’s innings that proved the match winner. He brought up his 50 in a lively stand with the Afghan before Josh Digby (22) and Patrick Lewis gave support.
James Trodd arrived at the crease with Bashley 196-6 with work still to do, but 16 overs in which to  polish off the target.  They did it with time to spare, Porter bringing up his century long before Trodd (38 not out) whacked Aaryan Sen to the boundary off three successive deliveries to complete the task.

It’s win or bust for bottom of the table Hook & Newnham Basics, who will be all but mathematically relegated from the ECB Southern Premier League if they lose at Burridge on Saturday, 1230.
They head south to the perimeter of sprawling Whiteley 27 points adrift of Burridge knowing that only a win in the ‘white ball’ contest will keep their hopes of survival alive.
But they’ll leave the KGV with heads held high after putting in a ‘huge’ performance in their last 50-over ball game against Havant – and with spirits lifted by Sunday’s Premier League T20 victory over Alton.
“The lads gave it absolutely everything against Havant, eventually losing by five wickets after posting a healthy 251-9. 
“No one could have asked for anything more, with Havant’s experience, as much as anything, getting them across the line,” said Vince Gardner, Hook’s Cricket Manager.
“Beating Alton in a superb T20 cup tie was just the tonic the boys needed after losing to Havant. It brought smiles back on people’s faces.”
Hook will have been disappointed to allow the sound start Josh Buckingham (73) and Harry Warner (30) built get away from them – 116-1 becoming 122-4 as Chris Stone (6-42) began to create inroads with his spin, which has now claimed 20 league wickets this term.
Matt Buckingham (31) and Charlie Neville (27) rallied, but it was largely due to Rupes Armstrong (34 not out) and Jack Murrell (26) that Hook reached 251-9.
Peter Hopson (57) steered Havant to 79-0, but then three wickets fell in quick succession putting Hook right back in the game.
Harry Gadd seized the initiative with a near century partnership with Basingstoke-raised George Metzger (38) putting Havant back on course.
Hook refused to lie down, but Gadd’s unbeaten 86, aided by the experience of Richard Hindley (32 not out) eased Havant home by five wickets with nine balls to spare.

​Cricket supporters attending Tuesday's sell-out Royal London Cup group match between Hampshire and Northants at Newclose are being told to 'go prepared' for a sizzling hot day in the sun as there is little or no shade on the Isle of Wight ground.
Bring sun tan lotion, appropriate head wear (caps/sun hats), food and plenty of water - plus a fold up chair to sit on - that's the message to everyone planning to go to the match, which starts at 11 o'clock.
Hampshire go into the game full of confidence after winning their opening two group matches against Worcestershire and Kent, teenager Tom Priest having hit 181 in the win at Beckenham yesterday.