With four weeks of the season remaining, it’s developing into a three-horse race for the Hampshire League, County Division 1 title – with Hythe & Dibden looking favourites as they turn into the home straight.
The Waterside club enjoys a 20-point lead over fast rising Parley and 21 over Fareham & Crofton, whom they beat by five wickets a fortnight ago.
All three won their round 13 matches, with individual centuries dominating each of the victories.
Tom Gates led the way with an unbeaten 187 as Hythe ran up a massive 332-3 against relegation threatened Rowledge II at Jones Lane.
The former Fawley and Bashley (Rydal) opener struck 20 fours and nine sixes in a career-best knock and shared a 156-run stand with Matt Howe (53).
Wayne Royan (4-47) and Andy Wakely (3-34) combined to dismiss Rowledge for 191. 

When Parley lost four of their opening five matches, a battle to avoid relegation looked more probable than a title push.
But putting that poor start firmly behind them, Parley have swept to eight successive victories – the latest win at the Green Jackets Ground, where a third wicket stand of 195 between Alex Nippard, pictured left, (133) and Roshan Embalagama (77) pointed them to 316 all out against St Cross Symondians III.
Ollie Green’s 5-32 return sent St Cross tumbling to 125 all out.

Queenslander James Heiniger (pictured above by Chris de Cani) was the hero of Fareham & Crofton’s hefty run chase at Longparish, where the hosts’ 262 all out was trimmed to a manageable 244 by rain.
Fareham’s bowling went around the park as Michael Taplin (64), Dan Bearpark 49) and Ben Gardner (68) put 202-2 on the electronic scoreboard before the innings collapsed.
Longparish had no answer to Fareham’s Australian Heiniger, who oozed class as he hit 18 fours in his match winning 130 not out.
Ropley (119) appear in freefall after a ten-wicket thrashing by Burridge, for whom Chris Blake made 89 not out.
Despite only managing a modest 162 (Paul Marks 46), Hursley Park looked likely winners against Andover II – until Ali Hooper emerged from The Quarters pavilion to turn the game on its head with a key 60.  Andover won by one wicket to boost their prospects of survival.
OTs & Romsey II are just off the pace after a 112-run win over Shrewton, who sit uneasily on the lip of the three-down drop zone.
Australian Matt Giumelli hit an unbeaten 117 as Easton & Martyr Worthy racked up 342-3 at Ryde, who came back with 186, Stuart Robertson making 71. Adam Kite, with 53 and 3-21, was Easton’s key man.
Ben Allnutt (60) top scored as Hook & Newnham Basics II totalled 205-9 to out-score Alton II (149), the promising Kevin Light taking three Brewers' wickets.
Winless United Services are down after a 60-run defeat by Bishops Waltham, who won their fourth successive game.

Hythe & Dibden have taken a firm grip on the Hampshire League, County Division One leadership race.
A comfortable five-wicket win at Fareham & Crofton coincided with Hursley Park, Longparish and Ropley all losing – and the Watersiders opening up a 21-point gap at the top.
Despite an unbeaten 53 by Luke Cornish and a resolute knock from skipper Tom Kent (46), Fareham were unable to recover from early setbacks and could not defend a modest 175-9 at Bath lane.  Andy Wakely’s unbeaten 72 carried Hythe to victory.
Hursley Park stumbled to an unexpected defeat at relegation threatened Rowledge II, while Longparish found themselves on the receiving end of a 270-run grilling at Bishops Waltham.
Openers Ian Budd (64) and Haider Khan (54) provided the platform for Simon Culmer (45) to hit out.   Sam Trinder (64) responded in LP’s 148 all out.
Ropley, whose South African’s run gun Tim Niemand is sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, crashed to a third defeat in four weeks when OTs & Romsey (182) beat them by 18 runs.
Those losses have enabled Parley, last season CD2 winners, to leapfrog into second spot and become Hythe’s chief championship challengers during the run-in.
Parley hammered Burridge II by 159 runs after Ollie Green (85) [pictured left by John Beasley] and Alex Nippard (77) had shared a 141-run stand to guide the Dorset side to 280.
St Cross Symondians III made round 12’s highest total, 290-5 off the Hook & Newnham Basics II attack at the KGV, where Tom Fay (74), the promising Graham Barrett (63) and Harry Trussler (42) led the way.  Ben Allnutt (52) and Harry Robson (45) helped Basics to 174 all out.
Ryde made hay at Burnaby Road, where Cam Mitchell (84) and Julion Jayerjah (81) led the islanders’ to 277-7 before Sam Mallinson (70) top scored in United Services’ 221 reply. Ben Wadmore took 4-40.
Andover II boosted their survival hopes with a Harry Blackburn (80) inspired four-wicket win over visiting Shrewton (215), while Alton II’s 204-9 proved enough as hosts Easton & Martyr Worthy fell 17 runs short on 187.

Seventeen points separate the top five teams in Hampshire League County Division 1 after an amazing sequence of results which saw the leading three sides crash to defeat.
The race for the title and potential promotion into the Southern Premier League for the top two took a significant twist as –

• overnight leaders Fareham & Crofton were shot out for 138 and beaten by eight wickets by Hursley Park;
• lowly Bishop’s Waltham upset the apple cart by beating second placed Hythe & Dibden; and
• Ropley were smashed for a massive 305-5 and resoundingly beaten by Andover seconds, who had lost eight of their previous ten games.

Fareham & Crofton paraded transfer deadline day signing Steve Berryman (St Cross Symondians) at The Quarters.
He was among five top-order batsmen to make double figures before Fareham collapsed to 138 all out, losing their last six wickets for 33 runs, Scott Hills taking 3-13.
Paul Marks hit an accomplished 60 to see Hursley Park home and into a threatening fourth place.
To add to Fareham’s woe, Australian James Heiniger injured his forearm sliding into a sightscreen and was unable to field. He expects to be fit for the Hythe & Dibden showdown on Saturday.
Sam Medhurst was the star of Bishop’s Waltham’s surprise 25-run win on Waterside, top scoring with 75 before taking 3-47.
Medhurst and Phil Baldock (51) guided Bishop’s to 268 all out – a total Hythe & Dibden were unable to match, despite Tom Gates (63), Matt Howe (46) and Tom Richards (41).
Andover’s crushing 192-run win over Ropley was unquestionably the shock result of the season, so far.
Cardiff University economics student Harri Williams, pictured, went on a number crunching spree, hitting three sixes and 19 fours in a stunning 152 not out at London Road.
Babu Veetil (88) gave support as Andover piled up 305-5 before shooting Ropley out for 113.
Longparish and Parley are in the top six after wins – Michael Taplin (57) and Dan Bearpark (39) putting on 116 for the first wicket before Jack Levy (40) saw them to 262-7 against winless US Portsmouth.
John Brazier (55) dug in for US, but Sam Trinder (6-27), pictured above, and Chris Clarke (3-31) took wickets as the other end as the visitors subsided to 117 all out and a 145-run defeat.
Alex Nippard and Sam Ayres each made 44 as Parley posted 234 (Stu Shapland 5-38) at OTs & Romsey before bowling their hosts out for 168 (Ian Woodall 78). Dave Elrick and Spencer Savage shared six of the wickets.
Easton & Martyr Worthy and Ryde both posted 300-plus totals, while Archie Ayling, teenager son of former Hampshire all-rounder Jon Ayling, took 5-22 for Burridge II against Hook & Newnham Basics, who were shot out for 98.
Suman Shreshtra (101) and Matt Giumelli (96) got two-thirds of EMW’s runs. Hosts St Cross Symondians were dismissed for 112, Brad Hole taking 3-14.
Julian Jayerajah (66), Cam Mitchell (60) and Ben Gregory (43) led Ryde to 303-9 against visiting Alton II, who came back with 257-5, Dave Evans (75) and Alex Hughes (59) both unbeaten.

County Division 1 leaders Fareham & Crofton have swooped to sign St Cross Symondians’ batsman Steve Berryman, who will make his debut against Hursley Park at the Quarters today.
Berryman, left, has scored over 2,000 runs for St Cross in the past five seasons and won the CD1 batting prize with 709 runs in 2016.
Fareham captain Tom Kent explained: “Steve phoned me last weekend to say he’d left St Cross and enquired about coming to Fareham.
“Conveniently, we had a space in the top order for a batsman. With holidays coming up player availability is certain to be affected, so having a player of Steve’s experience join in mid-season is an enormous boost.”
His new team-mates at Bath Lane were busy completing car insurance damage claim forms after Chris Davey ended the CD1 win over Shrewton with a volley of sixes.
Three times he launched the ball high over the long-on boundary rope – and each time he picked out a parked car.
“I managed to take out a car windscreen, break a wing mirror and also dented another car,” the Fareham hockey and cricketer admitted.
“I’m not sure who the cars belonged to, but they were all people involved in cricket at the ground.”
Luke Cornish, one of Davey’s Fareham hockey  playing team-mates, watched on from the non-striker’s end, content with his 56 not out which helped the County 1 leaders to a six-wicket win.
Shrewton collapsed to 225 all out after Rich Barnett (56) and Stu Cruse (42) had put the visitors in a promising position.
Four points separate the top three clubs in Hampshire League, County Division 1 after ten rounds of matches.
Fareham & Crofton (186) take a narrow lead over Ropley (183) into today's testing visit to Hursley Park, while Hythe & Dibden are lurking only just behind.
Beaten by Fareham a week earlier, Ropley ran up 255 before beating Rowledge II (196) by 59 runs.
Matt Young (62) and Tom Gates (53) pointed Hythe & Dibden to a six-wicket win over United Services, who made 200-9 at Burnaby Road.
Paul Marks (61) and Lee Wateridge (41) combined to guide improving Hursley Park to victory over lowly Bishops Waltham (194), where Jan Solanki and Tom Burns each took four wickets.
Longparish went down by three wickets on the Isle of Wight, where teenager Will Samways (60) and Martin Bearpark (58) shared a century opening partnership.
But with Cam Mitchell (71) at the helm, Ryde calmed the wicket-taking influence of Harry Martin (4-34) to win the game.
Easton & Martyr Worthy’s 294-6 against Burridge II (150) was the highest total of the day, while Harry Trussler was able to celebrate a maiden 116 as St Cross Symondians III ran up 261-5 at Alton.
Steve Fryer was influential with bat and ball scoring 61 before taking 4-27 with his left-arm swing.
Teen Jack Robson fired 80 as Hook & Newnham Basics posted 281-8 before Kevin Light’s 5-40 return saw Alton II dismissed for 194.

It may be Wimbledon fortnight and sweltering hot, but the forward thinking Winchester & District CA is already planning for the winter months ahead by organising the popular River Park Sunday evening indoor six-a-side indoor league, which runs from early October to March 2019. 
If you (or more specifically your club) is interested in participating, then Steve Vear ([email protected]) is the chap to contact - but don't leave it too long because places are being snapped up already ...

Hythe & Dibden’s stay at the top of Hampshire League County Division 1 ended almost as quickly as it began.
Seven days after leapfrogging to the CD1 summit for the first time in 42 years, they were rushed out for 95 and roundly beaten by 135 runs at fourth-placed Longparish.
Harry Martin, pictured, returned from a school teaching assignment in China to wreck the Watersiders with a spell of 6-17 – Jack Levy (91) and Barry Blackmore (55) having earlier helped Longparish to 230-5.
Hythe’s first defeat of the summer enabled Fareham & Crofton to take over the leader’s yellow jersey.
A week after being bowled out for an all-time low 40 at Parley, Fareham bounced back to post 308-9, a total which proved 21 runs too many for visiting Ropley.
Australian James Heiniger (83), Dan Wimble (75) and Tom Kent (47) led the way for Fareham, who were in danger of being beaten while South African Tim Niemand (81) and Robert Smith (64) were together.
Later it was the run out of Chris Rait (39) that tipped the scales, Fareham’s Ben White (pictured) finishing their innings at 287 with a hat-trick.
Hursley Park snatched a thrilling one-wicket win at United Services (193-7), while teenage duo Josh Balcombe (5-17) and Jack Robson, with an unbeaten 57, led Hook & Newnham Basics II to a nine-wicket win over Andover II.
Parley’s rise continued with a five-wicket win at Rowledge (203-9), where Sam Ayres (67) and Alex Nippard (47) saw the long distance travellers home.  The inspirational Sam Collins (broken finger) remains sidelined for Parley.
Morgan Smith (69), Steve Fryer (50) and Steve Berryman (49) paved the way as St Cross Symondians III posted 273-9 before seeing off Ryde for 273-9, Cameron Mitchell scoring 84.
Shrewton were architects of their own demise at Bishops Waltham, gifting their hosts a staggering 74 extras, 38 wides and 24 byes !
Gratefully received, Bishops piled up 285-8 (Suhaib Ahmad 61) and then bowled Shrewton out for 214, Will Harries top scoring with 62.
Alton II’s 256-6 (Tommy Green 65, Howard Gadsby 62) proved to many for Burridge 180 (Dam Damley-Jones 50, Andy Field 40), while Easton & Martyr Worthy (175) bowled OTs & Romsey out for 129 (Matt Easton 47*) to win by 46 runs.  

The historic Bemerton village churchyard and the adjoining Salisbury Golf Centre driving range came under fire as Adam Prescott, pictured, rained a non-stop bombardment of sixes and fours off the Sarisbury Athletic bowlers from South Wilts’ academy ground.
He hit six maximums and 17 fours on his way to a career-best 177 as South Wilts’ undefeated third team piled up a massive 350-7 before winning their County Division 2 match by 114 runs.
Birthday boy Edward Wade (31) and Ben Richards (60) joined in the run fun, while a sullen faced Darren Sargant sat and watched having been bowled for a second ball duck !
Sarisbury Athletic made 236-9 (Toby Mitcheson 60) before South Wilts celebrated an eighth successive win.
Leaders Bedhampton, meanwhile, remain three points ahead after a tight nine-run win over Ferndown Wayfarers, who made 214 in pursuit of 223-9.
                                                                                    RAM RUN RAID
Opener Inayat Khan smashed an unbeaten 269 as unbeaten County Division 3 North leaders RAM ran up a colossal 443-5 against ten-man Chawton at Winchester’s North Walls.
Khan carried his bat, sharing a double-century third-wicket partnership with Liaquat Hussain (107) as RAM sped to an eventual 286-run victory.
But Khan’s day wasn’t finished.  He took up the ball and in five overs took 5-35 as Chawton were dismissed for 157.