Crumbs !  Delegates attending next Thursday’s Hampshire League AGM (Shane Warne Suite, Ageas Bowl, 7.30) are going to have to use their loaves when it comes to voting on another proposals to scrap teas.
Two years ago Fair Oak’s plan to bring an end to the traditional cucumber sandwich break went stale after clubs had chewed over the fat; now Waterlooville are on the case, backed by Southampton Travellers.
If the Ville get their way, clubs visiting Rowlands Avenue and/or Cowplain won’t be getting tea – that’s unless they bring a picnic or tucker bag along – or anywhere else in the Hampshire League, save may be County 1, come to that ! 
Waterlooville’s proposals read -
Amendment 1: Provision of teas: The home team shall NOT be required to provide a tea in ALL Divisions. Players may bring their own individual tea if required. Tea may be provided if both teams agree to share the cost.
Amendment 2. if amendment 1 is defeated
Provision of teas: The home team shall NOT be required to provide a tea in County Divisions 2 to 4 and ALL regional Divisions. Players may bring their own individual tea if required. Tea may be provided if both teams agree to share the cost.
Amendment 3, if amendments 1 & 2 are both defeated.
Provision of teas: The home team shall NOT be required to provide a tea in ALL Regional Divisions. Players may bring their own individual tea if required. Tea may be provided if both teams agree to share the cost.
Thursday's AGM now has plenty on its plate ...

This past year has been a testing one for the Management Committee (MC) and the Clubs with earlier starts, loan players and other rule changes. 
The weather was very kind with almost a full programme every week. The majority appear to have taken on board the new Rule changes and hopefully have seen improvements. We have lost fewer clubs and have five new entrants for 2019. 
I must congratulate the various champion clubs, as I know that had to be a great effort to win a League over many games. We wish Hythe & Dibden and Fareham & Crofton the best of luck as they return to the Southern Premier League.  I know they will do well: they have been there before, Hythe many years ago.  We welcome relegated pair Havant II and Gosport Borough to County Division 1, both doubtless anxious to make a quick return.
I also congratulate the Women’s Division Champions, Aldershot and Ropley, even though Women’s League fixtures were fragmented due to the ECB demands. The ECB wanted them to repeat last season’s later start but they have told their Committee that they will return to a normal fixture pattern in 2019 with 18 teams divided into 3 Divisions.
The two autumn Presentation evenings at the Southampton Novotel and the Apollo (Basingstoke) were, once more, well attended and enjoyed by all. We have to thank our Secretary, Anne Craft whose superb organizational skills ensured the functions ran smoothly. Mike Vimpany spends many pre-dinner hours preparing his MC scripts to make the evenings all the more enjoyable and his efforts are greatly appreciated.
Fewer teams withdrew throughout the season and as the 2019 season approaches we have gained 5 additions to the HCL. There were, however, a lot of matches not played where clubs were unable to field sides. In excess of 40 were lost and many when Hampshire reached the Royal London Cup final at Lords, and when England played in the soccer World Cup. This is not fair on the teams that play every week, but also shows a lack of commitment by players.  The Cricket World Cup will encroach on our forthcoming season and we could lose more matches. 
Due to the difficulties we experienced in 2018, the MC have put forward a proposal to take away Rule 22.3 and have no forced withdrawals of 3 or 4 failing to fulfill fixtures. The teams will still be punished with 20 points deduction and a game played at zero points.  This will help with League statistics and make relegation and promotion clearer. 
We have also decided we have to change with the times and we have reduced our Ground Standards in County 3 and County 4 Leagues. A few years ago, County 4 was our 5th bottom division, but for 2019 with our new format it is our 3rd bottom. This is also to help teams that are unable to improve their facilities such as the New Forest.  If we do not make these measures we will lose some of our village and smaller sides and players will either leave or be swallowed up by the larger clubs.
The Committee does listen and we have to get players back into cricket - but that does not mean wholesale changes immediately.  Travelling is another issue and Andy Stevenson has always done his best to keep travel to a minimum.  I believe he has done a brilliant job with travelling in the Regional Divisions much less. Regional 2 Divisions are now our entry points and we have gone back to 17/18 teams per League as last season the 9 team leagues had fewer games as teams withdrew and two fixtures were lost each time.  Some teams only had 9 or 10 fixtures. We are always going to have problems with the size of our County with some of our clubs out on a limb. We have again declined an application from an Isle of Wight Club and out of County teams thinking about travelling costs for our teams. We have provided teams with a concessionary rate for trips to the Isle of Wight which has been welcomed.
The pilot of Loan players have been used by some and successfully on the whole but there have been a few misuse so we have decided to propose that we tighten up and not allow Southern League cricketers from foreign teams to be loan players and pilot this for another year.
A special mention must also go to our Fixture Secretary [Stewart Frazier] who in conjunction with Andy gets the fixtures circulated before the end of the calendar year. I would like to thank all the Committee again for all their hard work throughout the year.  They spend many hours, with administration, ground reports, results, discipline, the format of the League and Fixtures, and sorting out your complaints and problems.  Our new members Clare Taylor [Treasurer] and Paul Turner [Rules & Discipline Chairman] settled in well and they have been kept on their toes throughout 2018.  Anne Craft and my Vice Chairman, Philip Wilson keeping the system ticking along.  Will George, our Media expert, is working on Result and Ground Report being submitted on-line and hopefully be up and running for the coming season.
Our Grounds Sub Committee worked tirelessly all season to ensure the standard of our pitches does not drop. Clubs have to be responsible in marking the grounds as we cannot get around hundreds of matches each week to see if pitches and facilities are acceptable.  As times change the Ground and Management Committee have revisited the Ground Standards as mentioned earlier.  The Standards now put the onus on the state of pitches and less on facilities.  That is why the collation of Ground marks is so important.
The Discipline Sub-Committee has continued to be busy with a number of cases,  chairman Paul Turner having a hectic first season.  I must remind all Clubs it is their responsibility to control their players and at times their spectators. Umpires need to be supported, as many are leaving the game.  We have dealt with a number of disciplines some very serious and given out the appropriate punishments. There have been other complaints that although reported there was no evidence provided. I urge all teams to report all discipline matters and follow that up with the evidence. Several serious incidents have not been dealt with because the evidence was not forthcoming.  We must back our Umpires, and as a Committee we will do so even though one club threatened to sue us last season. 
I hope the weather is kind again and wish all teams a successful and enjoyable 2019 season.
Denis Emery, Chairman.

Lymington 4th team captain Chris Tollerfield, Dinton opener Ben Coombes and Carl Delaney of Crown Taverners added their names to the illustrious list of cricketers – now numbering 16 since 1994 – who have scored 1,000 or more runs in a Hampshire League season.
Tollerfield chalked up 1,043 runs in Regional Division 3 South West, including a career-best 232 not out against Hordle Village. He also made centuries against Parley, Sway and Verwood, plus four scores of fifty or more.
Dinton’s Ben Coombes hadn’t made a century in eight seasons – but once he made 100 against Damerham on the opening day of the 2018 season, he couldn’t stop scoring runs.  In all, he struck five centuries, plus six 50-plus scores and ended the season with a 1,011 run aggregate in Regional Division 2 North East.
Carl Delaney’s 1,006 runs for Crown Taverners included a top score of 157 not out against Easton & Martyr Worthy. His other hundreds in Regional Division 2 North East came against Bentworth, Littleton & West Hill, Ramsdell and Sparsholt.
Hampshire League Batting Hall of Fame -
* denotes overseas player
1264: Charlie Forward [Romsey, C1, 1995]
1263: Peter Tugwell [Burridge, C2, 1995]
1138: Scott Dyer [Silchester, 3NE, 2009]
1122: * H.Majid [Sarisbury Athletic, C2, 2000]
1110: Mike Covill [Farley, 1W, 2015]
1103: * Byron Haycock [Waterlooville, C1, 2013]
1092: * Hugo Nel [Hungerford, C2, 2015]
1081: Chris Powell [Poole OG & Poole, C4, 1994]
1080: I.Agha [Peartree, 4C, 2009]
1077: * Adrian Greyvenstein [Hythe & Dibden, C2, 2003]
1065: Matt Hardy [Cadnam, C3S, 2015]
1043: Chris Tollerfield [Lymington, 3SW, 2018]
1031: Max Smith [Romsey, C1, 1995]
1011: Ben Coombes [Dinton, 2NW, 2018]
1009: Richard Pleace jnr [Liss, 3NE, 2011]
1006: Carl Delaney [Crown Taverners, 2NE, 2018]

Patience has become a great virtue for Breamore, who were refused promotion from Regional South West 1 three times in the past ten years before a change in Hampshire League policy relating to New Forest clubs has allowed them entry into County Division 4 West in 2019.
In fact, its third time lucky for Breamore, who finished in promotion places in both 2016 and 2017 before this year's third place behind champions Hyde and runners-up Lyndhurst & Ashurst got them their long overdue promotion ticket.
It's good news for the prolific Marlow brothers, Shaun and Steve, who have dominated SW1 attacks for the past decade or more and bowling pair Andy Bennett and Tom Marlow, this season's leading wicket takers.
Breamore's picturesque ground, a few miles north of Fordingbridge, is illustrated above.

County Division 4 North winners Oakley were the only team in entire Hampshire League to boast an unblemished 100% record in 2018, all  16 matches played and won. 
It was the 106th occasion since league’s formation in 1973 that a team had gone through the season with a perfect record, although Oakley had a close call in their penultimate match, beating Ashford Hill by a solitary run.
Dan Sumner enjoyed a fine all-round season, with 572 runs (including an unbeaten 117* v Wherwell) and 25 wickets, as did team-mate Chris Welsman, who pouched 24 wickets in addition to scoring 342 runs.
Gerry Dique made 410 runs , while Tom Barnes (22 wickets ) and  Rob Wood, with 18 victims despite bowling off only 44 overs, played key roles.

Hyde’s near clean sweep of south-west regional division cricket in the Hampshire League over the past two seasons has been rewarded after all.
The New Forest club has won 25 of its 28 league matches in the past two seasons, romping away with the South West Regional Division Two and One titles in the process.
But they feared that despite winning back to back championships, promotion into the County Divisions – and potential progress further up the pyramid – would be blocked due to the bumpy outfield on Hyde Common, a popular grazing spot for Forest cattle, donkeys and ponies, not meeting Hampshire League criteria.
In fact, shortly after clinching the SW1 title in late August, Hyde were told by the HCL that they were not being recommended for promotion to County Division 4 West next summer.
But league chairman Denis Emery has led a move to unlock the promotion door for not only Hyde, but Breamore and Lyndhurst & Ashurst, whose grounds also fell short of HCL requirements.
“We have ensured that New Forest clubs are not penalised by Forest Laws and restrictions and will help any club that needs it to continue playing.  Times change and we must change with it,” he explained.
Tom Morris’s 473 runs and 24-wicket hauls by Rob Morey and Will Alvis ensured Hyde would play CD4 West cricket next summer with a host of tasty derbies against Burley, Ellingham, Farley, Mottisfont, Pylewell Park, Redlynch & Hale, and Sway on a mouth watering menu.

OLD NETLEY & HIGHFIELD won 13 of their 15 matches to secure a first HCL title – the most significant victory coming on the penultimate week of the season when they beat Southampton Community by 96 runs.
Twice, against Ryde Cavaliers and Trojans, they posted 300-plus totals, with Dan Czaicki hitting an unbeaten 138 among his 495 runs.  John Powell clocked up 389 runs, Adam Comber complemented his 470-run tally with 18 wickets.  Luke Cherrett’s 35-wicket haul included a spell of 7-17 against Trojans.
Old Netley are reaping the benefits of their investments.
Some years back they completely re-laid their square at Portsmouth Road and generally enhanced the facilities they share with Sholing FC.   There is a very healthy junior section at the club, providing cricket for teams from nine years of age upwards.

The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal received a £100 boost from the Hampshire Cricket League following the first of this winter’s presentation awards dinners.
“All the award winners who came to the Southampton Novotel without wearing a poppy in their lapel was ‘fined’ a pound. It created a lot of fun,” explained HCL chairman Denis Emery.
“This is the third year we have supported the Royal British Legion and we’re delighted to back such a wonderful cause.”

Oakley were not only unbeaten Hampshire League County Division 4 North champions this season – but were also crowned ECB’s Vitality Under 19 Club T20  Club of the Year, having been invited to Lord’s to receive the award. 
The club, based in the countryside a mile or two outside of Basingstoke, built on a magnificent NatWest CricketForce showcase day by entering the T20 for the first time.
Their policy of only recruiting new members who want to help out with club life has bred a culture of mucking in together, so the whole club threw itself into the new tournament, capturing a spectacular match-day experience on video : www.facebook.com/oakleycricketclub/videos/2331550923538074
Their season culminated in an evening of fireworks, the unveiling of a new electronic scoreboard (funded by an ECB Small Grant), and a secondary scoreboard for ease of spectator viewing.
Spectators enjoyed the local brewery’s beer tent, BBQ, music, raffle, spectator catch of the match, spectator seating.  The club laid on man of the team prizes, a players’ match time area and local press and social media coverage.
The new team didn’t win any games but won many friends in the Vitality Under 19 Club T20 ‘Edwards’ development group, and inspired the club’s first team to a 100% record and promotion to its highest ever level.
The club is to start a third team in Regional 3 North East in 2019 after senior players (led by the club chair) regularly stood down to give young talent the chance to flourish.
*Oakley’s youngsters are pictured at the ECB’s Vitality Awards presentation at Lord’s receiving their prize.

Redlynch & Hale, County Division 3 North champions
Back (from left): Alan George (Umpire), Andy Soutar, Ben Brown, James Taylor, Ian Tanner, Kevin Hopkins, Russ Church, Lin Church (Scorer). Front: Will Hewlett, Ben Vincent, Glenn Willoughby, George Hayes, Dave Webber.  Picture Jim Hewlett.

Redlynch & Hale probably thought they had blown their County Division 3 North title hopes when RAM beat them so convincingly three weeks from the end of the season. 
But the championship race took another dramatic twist seven days later when RAM themselves were beaten by Michelmersh & Timsbury – a result which opened the door for Redlynch to eventually claim the title by six points.
Redlynch batted themselves into winning positions with seven separate totals in excess of 260, Glenn Willoughby (568) and the promising Ian Tanner (533) each scoring over 500 runs.
Lead all-rounder Kevin Hopkins complemented his 454 runs with 25 wickets, while Dave Webber (381) and Andy Soutar (301) made their respective marks.  Russ Church weighed in with 19 wickets, including 5-27 v Steeple Langford.

Parley, runners-up to Hythe & Dibden in County Division 1.

Parley’s aspirations of a successful debut season in HCL County 1 were fairly high. However losing four out of the first five games (having lost only six in the previous four seasons) was not the way it had been planned. Subsequently, winning 11 out of the remaining 12 matches showed the ability and resolve within the side which, remarkably, finished runners-up, only one point behind champions Hythe & Dibden.
By the time those first five games had been completed, finger and hand injuries to captain and Dorset Minor Counties opening batsman Sam Collins and opening bowler Tom Blackley meant they would miss the next 17 games between them. What a season it might have been if they had not played in the first five !
A total of 25 players were used during the season with their ages ranging between 14 and 63. Individual honours are easy to identify with Alex Nippard winning the County 1 batting award, with 758 runs and Ollie Green finishing as top bowler, with 35 wickets. Other notable achievers were Shane Green (502) and Roshan Embalagama (500). With the ball, Harry Beardsley took 25 wickets and Dave Elrick rolled back the years taking 18 wickets.
After such a poor start, to finish as runners up in County 1 ranks as a pretty good effort. However, Parley have been denied promotion to the Southern Premier League due to various accreditation issues.

Harry Hovey led the way as Bedhampton Mariners strolled to the Hampshire League, County Division 2 title, winning all bar one of their 15 matches.
A Southern Premier Division winner with Havant in 2016, Hovey returned to the area after scoring over 500 runs to help fuel Bickley Park’s promotion into the Kent Premier League last year.
Included in his 828 runs tally for Bedhampton this summer were four separate centuries – Portsmouth II (130), New Milton II (129), Old Basing (106) and Hayling Island (119) – on top of which Hovey took 21 wickets.  In support, Scott Chilton made 426 runs, while Sam Robinson (32) and Ali Gardner (30) were the most successful bowlers.
Bedhampton are joined in County 1 next season by runners-up Sway and Old Basing.

Parley pair Alex Nippard and Ollie Green have won the Hampshire League County Division One batting and bowling awards, respectively.
Nippard cracked 758 runs for the Dorset club, who finished runners-up, a solitary point behind champions Hythe & Dibden, while Green’s 35-wicket haul included a CD1 best 9-15 against Fareham & Crofton in June.
The pair will receive their awards at the Hampshire League’s first presentation evening at the Southampton Novotel on November 9.
County Division award winners -
County 1:
Batting: Alex Nippard (Parley) 758 runs. Bowling: Ollie Green (Parley) 35 wickets. 
County 2:
Batting: Nick Willcock (Old Basing) 857 runs. Bowling: Josh Bailey (Sway) 34 wickets
County 3 North:
Batting: Paul Longland (OTs & Romsey) 742 runs. Bowling: Inayat Khan (RAM) 39 wickets.
County 3 South:
Batting: James Swaine (Emsworth) 526 Runs. Bowling: Ant Norris (Emsworth) 33 wickets.
County 4 North:
Batting: Sam Miller (Overton) 757 runs. Bowling: Shay Bradley (Silchester) 30 wickets.
County 4 South:
Batting: Sayeed Shahid (Portsmouth & Southsea) 503 runs. Bowling: Warren Turner (Railway Triangle) 36 wickets.
County 4 West:
Batting: Kieron Hudson (Burley) 883 runs. Bowling: Shiv Choudhury (Southampton Travellers) 35 wickets.

Teenage Sway spin all-rounder Josh Bailey has won the Hampshire League County Division 2 bowling award - at just 15 years of age !
With five separate four-wicket returns under his belt, Bailey took 34 wickets and helped Sway finish runners-up behind champions Bedhampton .
Bailey (alongside his twin brother Dan) was also a member of the Hampshire Under-15 side which reached the quarter-finals of the ECB 50-over Cup.

Ben Coombes blasted 1,011 runs at an average of 101.10 as Dinton carried off the Hampshire League Regional 2 North West title, winning all but one of their 15 matches.
His highest of 148 was among five hundreds and six scores of 50 or more he made in 12 knocks. He shared a club record double-century partnership against Ashford Hill, batting partner Rich Pearce (483) hitting an unbeaten 108. Ironically, when Coombes made a ton v Damerham on the first day of the season, it was in his first HCL century in eight years !
Rob Middlecote (22 victims) was leading wicket taker for Dinton, whose hopes of finishing the season with an unblemished record were shattered when Totton & Eling III beat them by four wickets in their penultimate game.  Coombes brought up his 1,000 runs for the season that mid-August day.

Dinton title winners
Back (from left): Sean Howell, Richard Pearce, Simon Rawlins, Nick Gale, Ben Coombes, Andy Nuttall.
Front: Rob Middlecote, Tom Patrick, Richard Cridge, Alfie Cridge, James Nuttall.

The Hampshire League imposed suspensions on the under-mentioned nine players during the past season, three of which overlap into 2019 –
Jason Ford, Fawley - 17 completed matches wef 14th July 2018
Josh Romer, Hursley Park - 3 completed matches wef 28th July 2018
Jon Burton, Farley - 1 completed match wef August 4th 2018
Biju Bahanan, Solent Rangers  - 2 completed matches wef August 4th 2018
James Holgate, Pautons - 2 completed matches wef August 11th 2018
Scott Sturt, Longparish - 2 completed matches wef August 11th 2018
Dan Millward, Folland (Hamble) - 2 completed matches wef August 11th 2018
Jasmine Rampton, Cove - 2 completed matches wef August 25th 2018
Richard Blake, Mottisfont , 2 completed matches wef start of 2019 season
* Information downloaded from Hampshire League website.

Laverstock and Ford, winners of Hampshire League Regional North West One.
Back (from left): John Shears, Shaun Hartley, Gary Shears (Captain), Shaun Little, Jamie Key, Mike Fiddy.
Front: Paul Hemming, Jack Vincent, Dave Vincent, Brad Rouse, Andy Budgell.
 
Laverstock & Ford stormed to the Hampshire League Regional North West 1 championship, winning all bar one of their 16 matches and rattling up a cool 360 points in the bargain.
The finished comfortably ahead of runners-up Shrewton II, whom they beat by 95 runs in mid-season.
It meant a second consecutive promotion for Laverstock, who finished second to Wellow & Plaitford in RNW2 in 2017.
Shaun Little led the way, his 713 run tally including a double-century against Langley Manor.
He also took 24 wickets, while Rae Hughes (373) and Andy Budgell (347) batted consistently, Hughes hitting a 147 maximum against Shrewton.
Shaun Hartley (34) and John Shears (33) took 67 wickets between them, Shears wrecking Andover with one spell of seven wickets for five runs.
 

Alex Nippard (112) scored his second century of the season as Parley, the eventual County Division One runners-up, chalked up 260-7 against Ryde at Hardings Shute.
His 758-run tally for the season makes the former Poole Grammar academic favourite to win the County 1 batting prize.
Parley went on to bowl Ryde out for 203 and secure a comfortable 57-run win.
Promotion to the Southern Premier League’s third division isn’t automatic for either champions Hythe & Dibden or Parley, whose respective grounds and youth set ups have to meet the SPL’s accreditation requirements.
The pair both face an anxious autumn wait as a decision is unlikely to be made until November.
Hursley Park bungled their chances of finishing third when lowly Alton II beat them by 12 runs at the Jubilee Ground.
Fareham & Crofton nipped into their place by beating relegated Rowledge (188-9) by seven wickets – Steve Berryman (74) and Tom Kent (44) sharing a century stand.
Andover’s four-wicket win at the Albany means that Bishops Waltham are relegated alongside Rowledge and United Services.
Runaway CD2 winners Bedhampton, Sway and Old Basing will replace them.
County Division 3 winners are Redlynch & Hale and in CD3 South Winton, who beat Emsworth (136) by six wickets in the final day shoot-out for the crown.

Hythe & Dibden are Hampshire League County Division 1 champions – but only by a solitary point from Parley !
They only needed three points from their last match against St Cross Symondians’ thirds to secure their first title in 42 years – and almost blew it.
Quickly reduced to 19-4 at the Green Jackets Ground, they recovered to post 128 (Richie Froggett 37), collecting two batting points in the process.
But it wasn’t until St Cross fell to 24-4 themselves that Hythe secured the points they needed to win the league.
That was as good as it got for the Watersiders as Brad Aldridge hit 54 not out and Graham Barrett a sturdy 36 to guide St Cross to a six-wicket victory over the new CD1 champions.

Hythe & Dibden stand on the brink of a memorable Hampshire League County Division championship double.
The Watersiders are within three points of the County Division One title - which they will surely clinch at St Cross Symondians on Saturday - while Hythe seconds go into their final match with Southampton Travellers top of County 4 West.
A 93-run win over Burridge II put Hythe within touching distance of the CD1 crown - Tom Gates (114) underpinning his side's 240-7 before the hosts were dismissed for 147.
With George Wilson taking 4-25, probable runners-up Parley were able to defend 179-8 against Hook & Nenham Basics II, who fell 20 runs short.
Fareham & Crofton's prospects of a top two finish disappeared with an untimely collapse, which saw them crash from 106-1 (Sam Stoddart 54) against Ryde, for whom Cam Mitchell took 5-21.
Ryde lost three early wickets, but skipper Stuart Robertson cracked a 17-four 89 not out to get them home without further loss.
Hursley Park leapt above Fareham into third place with a successful 250-run chase against St Cross Symondians III at The Quarters.
Charlie Harden hit an undefeated 111 for St Cross (248-4), who lost all four wickets to Rory Tennant (4-42), who dropped a belated reminder to past Hampshire junior rep team selectors.
Paul Marks (77) and Scott Hills (61) provided a launch pad for Lee Wateridge (37) and Tom Flynn (33) to finish the job.
Bedhampton are all but home and dry in County 2, but Sway are celebrating promotion after an 82-run win over Portsmouth II - Alex Hall cracking a superb 144.
RAM's hopes of the C3 North title all but disappeared with an untimely 37-run defeat at Michelmersh & Timsbury - a result which allowed Redlynch & Hale to take over top spot with one game left.
Whoever wins Saturday's Winton-Emsworth will be CD3 West champions.
Old Netley & Highfield have a firm grip on the County 3 South title after defeating Southampton Community, the overnight leaders, by 84 runs at Wide Lane.

Hythe & Dibden have tightened their grip on the Hampshire League County Division One title race – without actually playing !
Their scheduled home match with OTs & Romsey II at Jones Lane was cancelled due to heavy overnight rain.
But leading challengers Parley played – and lost by 34 runs to Easton & Martyr Worthy !
The result caused a shuffle of the pack at the top, with Hythe taking a handy 13-point lead  into the last two games at Burridge (on Saturday) and St Cross Symondians III, both of which they should win.
Fareham & Crofton, seven-wicket winners at Bishops Waltham, are now second.
Parley’s defeat in the Cockets Mead rain brought an angry reaction from their coach/manager Keith Clarke.
He described it as “one of our worst fielding performances of the season, with vital and timely dropped catches and 45 extras conceded.
“There was disappointment throughout the side, but we came second because much of the damage was self-inflicted.
Only skipper Alex Nippard (55), who made almost half Parley’s 126, chasing an abridged 160 off 39 overs.  Easton earlier made 204-8.
Asked to make a weather trimmed 186 off 31 overs, Fareham found themselves in a spot of bother at 48-3, but Steve Berryman (72) and hockey star Luke Cornish (68) shared an unbroken and match winning stand of 139.
Former leaders Ropley crashed by nine wickets to Alton II, regular first team opener Michael Heffernan hitting an unbeaten 72.
Andover’s first five batsmen all bagged ducks as the Lions’ seconds unsuccessfully chased a Longparish total of 235-9 in the Test Valley derby.
Andover II are in the relegation bottom three with Rowledge II and United Services, who won a second consecutive match, beating the Surrey county border side by seven wickets.
Bedhampton Mariners will be crowned County 2 champions if they beat South Wilts III at Bemerton on Saturday.
Progressive New Forest village side Sway are eyeing second place after a five-wicket haul by teenager Dan Bailey (5-23) and Alex Hall’s 68 not out secured a comfortable win at Fair Oak.

Nerves appear to be getting the better of the clubs chasing the Hampshire Cricket League silverware.
Heading into the four-match home straight, leaders Hythe & Dibden and second placed Fareham & Crofton crashed to shock defeats against teams in the relegation zone.
Fast rising Parley lost six wickets for six runs before their last pair got them across the line against Alton.
As a consequence, Hythe’s lead is down to nine points over Parley, with Fareham now lagging 17 off top place.
Hursley Park and Ropley are now back in the promotion frame, albeit as outsiders.
Hythe were bundled out for 146 by Andover (171-9) while Fareham & Crofton were unable to defend 271-4 against United Services, who had lost all 11 previous games.
Steve Berryman (61), Tom Kent (51) and Luke Cornish, with a quick fire 57, looked to have batted Fareham into a winning position, especially when US dropped to 126-4.
But Josh Collighan smashed an unbeaten 87 and Sameen Mahboob 49 not out to take US home.
The match ended in controversy with Fareham unsuccessfully appealing for a late run-out – a player/umpire was standing at square-leg – and bowler Angus Southon storming off the field in protest, leaving his ten team-mates out on the pitch !
Ropley ran up 308-7 against St Cross Symondians III (185), while Hursley Park’s 218-6 proved too many for OTs & Romsey (186).
Parley appeared in comfort zone with fit-again Sam Collins (34) and Rosh Embalagama (27) taking them  to 108-3 and in sight of Alton’s 127 all out.
But spinner Lee Partner (5-30) sparked a remarkable collapse, which saw Parley lose six wickets for only six runs – and creep over the line at 131-9 with their last pair at the crease.
Earlier, Jack Rowatt (5-32) had reduced Alton to 65-7 before the Brewers’ tail almost doubled the total.

Sixes and fours flew all over Hartley Wintney’s historic Cricket Green as the local County Division 3 North side pulled off what is to be believed to be the highest run chase in Hampshire League history by chasing down Steeple Langford’s 364-5 – to win by two wickets with ten balls to spare !  
Tom Kirkpatrick, left, was HW’s hero with a boundary laden 167.
Another teenager hitting a sizeable treble was Fareham & Crofton’s Ryan Fitsell, who smashed the Purbrook III attack for an unbeaten 195 (believed to be the club’s highest individual score) in a one-sided Regional 2 South East affair on the St John’s College playing fields at Farlington.
Purbrook thought they were on a good thing when they snared the prize scalp of XL Club run gun Steve Dean, but spent the remainder of the afternoon fletching the ball from the boundary as Fitsell and hockey starlet Will Raymond (73) cashed in.  Fareham made 342-2 before dismissing a field-jaded Purbrook for 58.

Hursley Park and Ropley will both be without their overseas recruits for the remaining four weeks of the Hampshire League season.
Hursley are believed to have parted company with Queenslander Josh Romer, who is returning to his Brisbane haunts. He contributed a modest 124 runs in ten County Division 1 knocks.
Ropley's Tim Neimand, left, dislocated his shoulder in a recent defeat at Andover and is returning to his native South Africa, having made 551 runs, including a top score of 168.
Both Hursley Park and Ropley have slipped out of the CD1 promotion race in recent weeks.