What a finish is in store to the Hampshire League, County Division One championship race !
Only seven points separate the top three clubs chasing the Holy Grail, with Parley (251) sporting the yellow jersey just ahead of Hook & Newnham Basics (245) and Gosport Borough, who lie one point further behind.
The final round of matches see Parley at St Cross Symondians III, Hook & Newnham Basics facing Ropley and Gosport hacking their way up the A36 to long relegated Shrewton.
Runners-up last summer, Parley strengthened their top table position with a comfortable eight-wicket win over Shrewton, who were bowled out for 94. Sam Collins (35) and Shane Green (28) did the rest.
Hook had to work a great deal harder to stay in touch – chasing down a formidable Longparish challenge of 265-7 to win by three wickets with 11 balls to spare.
Michael Taplin (41) and Dan Bearmark (40) set up Tommy Trinder (72) to provide Parish with a competitive total, but led by teenager Luke Simpson (74), Hook got in.
Ben Allnutt (42) and Matt Buckingham (34) did their bit.
But Gosport Borough lurk only one point behind after beating Alton II by 16 runs.
Greg Kitchen (44) and Charlie Creal (35) top scored for the Borough, whose progress was slowed by Nathan Vincent’s 4-50 return, but after Jacob Harris had taken 4-42, the Brewers were always going flat. They closed 188-9.
Early season pacemakers Sway won by two wickets chasing down Andover’s 216 (Bertie Lloyd 56) at London Road, where Will Millard (51) and Tim Noble (46) played key roles in the run chase.
Andy Marks kept Hursley Park afloat with an unbeaten 69 after Havant pair Pete Hayward (4-18) and Graham Burns (3-28 had made inroads, but 121 all out was never going to test the hosts.  Andrew Galliers bankrolled an eight-wicket win with 66 not out.
St Cross Symondians stalwart Graham Barrett, affectionately known as G-man, struck a career-best 135 as his side plundered 343-5 against ten-man Ropley.
Josh Merluk (52), Dylan Clark (48) and Charlie Preston (55) weighed in before Brad Easton responded with 103 in Ropley’s 194 all out.
Island visitors Easton & Martyr Worthy were stumbling along at 117-7 when Ethan Brackstone (57) came to the rescue, but Ryde eased past their 208-9 on the back of Kerry Rice (65) and Shaun Tait (43).
Old Basing overhauled OTs & Romsey’s 188 to win by four wickets, while Bedhampton dismissed Burridge II for 142 before winning by seven wickets.

​Teenage twin Dan Bailey [pictured] lofted eight huge sixes, alongside hitting ten boundaries, in a blistering 139 as Havant seconds came under fire from County Division 1 freshers Sway.
Havant had to spread the field far and wide as the 18-year old spin all-rounder lashed 139 in an innings changing 138-run partnership with Oscar Marshall (40) as Sway, from 141-4, totaled 281-5.
A three-wicket spell by Jon Waller (3-27) reduced Havant to 125-7 before Ben Turk hit back with a seven-sixes 129 for Havant, who closed with a respectable 249 all out.

Fasten your safety belts for a photo finish to the Hampshire League, County Division 1 championship race – starting tomorrow !
With two rounds of matches remaining, a mere five points separate Parley (228), Hook & Newnham Basics II (224) and Gosport Borough, with 223.
Games left for the trio are -
Parley: Shrewton (home) and St Cross Symondians III (away)
Hook & Newnham Basics: Longparish (away) and Ropley (home) 
Gosport Borough: Alton II (away) and Shrewton (away)
There was a dramatic twist in the title race last weekend when lowly Bedhampton over-turned Hook & Newnham Basics, who went into the match at the KGV with a seven-point advantage Bedhampton's surprise ten-run win not only allowed Parley (washed out against Alton II) to leapfrog to the top - but let Gosport Borough back into the mix.
Hook could hardly believe what was happening as they progressed serenely to 104-1 after dismissing Bedhampton for 154, teenager Will Gardner taking 4-21 and former Basingstoke seamer Ryan Connor 3-15.
But the efforts of Harry Warner (53) and Dan Moore (35) came to nothing as Hook lost nine wickets for 44 runs, crash landing to 148 all out.
Ali Gardner took 4-19 and the promising Martyn Hovey 3-27, the latter having top scored with 61 for the Mariners.
Gosport cashed in with a handsome eight-wicket win over Old Tauntonians & Romsey, whom they bowled out for 170.
The visitors were inserted and soon found themselves 13-3 with Aussie-bound Jacob Harris (3-24) doing the damage. 
The introduction of Sampath Prathapasinghe (3-29) and teenager Jack Richards (3-41) kept the momentum going as the innings lurched to 87-7, only to be frustrated by a spirited late rally and dropped catches. 
Gus Flack (41) and Alex Bampton (39) struck some good blows to get to a final total of 170, Harris and Greg Kitchin nabbing three catches apiece.
Gosport skipper Lee Harrop smote 60 from 63 balls, including 11 boundaries, at the top of the Borough innings.
Simon Creal (25*) played the ideal supporting role as Harris’s 45* included eight boundaries and the winning six for a maximum 24-point Borough haul.
Mark Padwick’s five-wicket haul saw Longparish lose their last six wickets for 27 runs and earn St Cross Symondians (160) victory. 
Hursley Park were dismissed for 83 and resoundingly beaten by eight wickets by Easton & Martyr Worthy.
Matt Donaldson played a lead role in Old Basing's 74-run win over Andover II, top scoring with 60 before sharing six of the Lions' wickets with Ben Ungaretti.  Basing totalled 200-9 before reducing Andover to 43-6 and later 126 all out.
It's not looking good for Ryde at the foot of County 1, where the islanders' lie third from the bottom of the log some 15 points adrift of Havant.
Kerry Rice made 61 of their 171-8 against visiting Burridge, whose electric fielding led to three run outs.
Sid Wickramasinghe (67) is far too smart and wise to get run out but saw Burridge tumble from 103-2 to 172-8 before Brad Griffiths (43) helped get the mainlanders' across the line.

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​It probably cost them the proverbial arm and a leg in ferry fares and took only 55 overs to complete, but Hook & Newnham Basics returned from their day out on the Isle of Wight with a seven-point lead over Parley at the top of County Division 1 still intact.
It was just as well they took maximum points after shooting Ryde out for 73 (Ashley Goldsmith 25) and winning by eight wickets, because Parley inflicted a 90-run defeat on Old Tauntonians & Romsey II to remain close at hand.
The evergreen Colin Lye took 4-7 as Ryde, already relegated, collapsed. Harry Warner’s unbeaten 34 took Hook home and on an early ferry home.
Dorset U17 prospect Luke Neil (57) hit his maiden HCL fifty as Parley posted a towering 287-9 at the Romsey Sports Centre, where Roshan Embalagama (45), Jack Rowatt (25), Shane Green (36) and Alex Nippard (35) kept the scorers busy.
Nico Newman (64) and Steve Smith (45) were the only OTR batsmen to respond as Nippard completed a fine match with a 4-25 return.
Gosport Borough remain third after a six-wicket haul by teenager Oli Creal (6-22) and Lee Harrop’s 57 not out sealed a victory at Andover.
Sway hit the buffers, suffering four successive defeats after six straight wins had them in nosebleed top-of-the-table nosebleed territory.
But they are up and running again on the back of a 4-12 new ball spell by Dave Steadman, which knocked the stuffing out of Hursley Park, whose modest 144 was easily overhauled. Twin Dan Bailey made 30 in Sway’s six-wicket win.
Exeter University student Jimmy Hawkings was the hero of Ropley’s tense one-wicket win over near neighbours Alton II, taking 4-38 and then hitting a key 41 as the village team narrowly chased down the visitors 155 all out.
Promising Hampshire Seventies’ left-armer Jim Smallbone took 5-47 but was unable to prevent Ben Ungaretti (72) and Nick Willcock (71) from sharing a 131-run partnership, which saw Old Basing to 228-7.
Euan Rixson and Nick Cooper shared six of the wickets as Havant fell well short at 163-8.
Dan Bearpack hit 64 not out as Longparish trimmed Shrewton (137), while St Cross Symondians III enjoyed a comfortable five-wicket win over Bedhampton.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Charlie Gwynn was the star turn as Wickham thrashed Bevois Community by eight wickets to win the Winchester & District CA Tichborne Trophy at Hursley Park.
The left-arm spin all-rounder put the exhaustion of his fresher year at Oxford Brookes behind him to take 4-14 as Bevois were dismissed for 106 (Khan 35) and then hit an unbeaten 41 as Wickham cruised home with ease.  Cousin Pete Gwynn kept things in the family by scoring 25, while Alex Reidy earlier took 3-27.

In recognition of Wickham's feat and Charlie's heroics, Winchester City Council has named one of its new village developments, Gwynn Way.

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The Hampshire League doesn’t have a Young Cricketer award, as such, but if they did there’s little doubt Jacob Harris would be at the top of the list.
The 18-year old Gosport Borough all-rounder celebrated his third century of the season with an undefeated 126 against Havant II – a result which keeps the Turk Town boys still clinging on to Parley’s tails, nine points behind going into a critical third v fourth affair at Andover.
Harris’s 126 included three sixes and 14 fours and underpinned Gosport’s 262-5 against Havant, whose 225 was topped up by Ben Turk (57) and Andy Ruston (44).
The teenager’s previous hundreds this season came with an unbeaten 137 against Ryde and 100 off the Easton & Martyr Worthy.
If Gosport don’t manage to grab a promotion ticket back to the Southern Premier League, Harris can expect a posse of local clubs banging on his door during the long winter months.

Parley came under fire from team manager Keith Clarke after twice allowing Andover II off the hook before suffering a 13-run defeat which could have serious implications on their quest to win Hampshire League County Division 1.
It left Parley eight points adrift of new leaders Hook & Newnham Basics II, who trimmed visiting Burridge II by 42 runs at the KGV.
Parley hardly expected to be drowning their sorrows after Ollie Green (3-8) and Jack Rowett (2-33) reduced promotion outsiders Andover to 32-5 in over 16 and later 107-7.
“Perhaps thinking the remaining wickets would just happen, the intensity dropped and with 38 extras and a decent rearguard they did not materialise,” moaned Clarke. “Complacency, laissez-faire and a lack of determination was all too evident.”
Rory Case, on debut, was Andover’s hero, hitting 69 and adding a vital 70 with Rowan Duckworth as Andover recovered to post a competitive 203 all out.
Sam Collins (above)(48) swept Parley to 40 off six overs and on to 98-1 – only for the next nine wickets to fall for 95 runs, Duckworth and Max Souter sharing six wickets.
“Too many had starts but provided catching practice (there were 9) to the opposition,” Clarke grumbled. “Even at 162-5 with 17 overs remaining, the required 42 runs should have been achievable. A prime example of thinking others will do it if I don’t – but they didn’t. Anyone for self-examination?
“With four games to go an immediate reverse of fortune is required at OTs & Romsey. We are better than this result and need to show that is the case. That responsibility rests with both the team and the individual !”
Hook & Newnham seconds took full advantage, with Harry Warner’s 84 the stand-out player as Kevin Light’s Army ran up 219 (Alex Brown 35) before Josh Balcombe (3-31), Shane Brewer, Will Gardner and the inspirational Light shared the spoils with the ball.   Burridge were dismissed for 177.
So what’s left for the two title contenders ?
Hook & Newnham Basics face a stormy trip to relegation threatened Ryde before taking on Bedhampton (home), Longparish (away) before Ropley visit the KGV on the final day of the season.
Parley go to OTs & Romsey, host Alton II, host relegated Shrewton and finish off with a tricky visit to unpredictable St Cross Symondians III.
There’s everything to play for …