Twyford celebrated their 125th anniversary by claiming a second consecutive Hampshire League title, adding the North West 1 championship to the Division 2 crown they won with an unbeaten record last summer.
They lost twice this season, but still finished a comfortable 16 points clear of IBM Hursley, who enjoyed a triple promotion success themselves.
Alex Reidy, with 374 runs (including centuries against Shrewton II and OTs & Romsey IV) and 24 wickets, had an inspirational season.
Jon Bance’s unbeaten 139 against Toton & Eling III was the highest individual score, while Tom Ducker is in contention for a second consecutive bowling prize for his 37 wickets, which included six-wicket hauls against Totton and Langley Manor.

Sway II:
Back (from left): Josh Bailey, Matt Bramwell, FJ Charton, Sam Harvey, Dan Stevenson, Dan Bailey.  
Front: Oscar Marshall, Will Millard, Sam Nailor, Adam Clark, Dave Marshall, Chris Hammond.

Sway seconds are all smiles after beating Lyndhurst & Ashurst by 30 runs in their final match of the season to clinch the Regional Division 1 South West championship.
It was their 13th win in 14 outings and ensured the go-ahead New Forest village club will have two sides playing County Division cricket next summer.
Adam Clark, with 430 runs, and Dan Bailey, who complimented his 308 runs with 25 wickets, five of which came against Lyndhurst, were the star turns for Sway.
Oscar Marshall chipped in with 211 runs, while George Lewis )6-20 v Bramshaw), Sam Nailor, Dan and Josh Bailey all enjoyed separate five-wicket returns.

Four of Portsmouth & Southsea’s title winning side have been ‘selected’ for the Hampshire League’s County Division One Team of the Season, based on this summer’s individual performances.
Batting duo Matt Benfield (pictured), who made over 600 runs, and Jack Davies are included in the batting list, while skipper Keiran Dunstan and Jon Willey, who took one shy of 60 wickets between them, a\re listed among the bowlers, along with Lymington’s 25-wicket Kieran Moors.
Leading run scorer Ben Wadmore, Will de Cani and Hythe & Dibden’s Inam Agha also make the side.
County 1 ‘select’ side is -
Ben Wadmore, Ryde
Will de Cani, Longparish
Inam Agha, Hythe & Dibden
Jack Davies, Portsmouth & Southsea
Matt Benfield, Portsmouth & Southsea
Tom Kent, Fareham & Crofton
Suji Wickramasinghe, Burridge
+ Will Samways, Longparish
Kieran Moors, Lymington 
Jon Willey, Portsmouth & Southsea
* Keiran Dunstan, Portsmouth & Southsea

Longparish run gun Will de Cani jets off to Australia on Sunday evening to spend the winter playing for Melbourne side South Yarra.
De Cani’s 653 runs this summer contained centuries against champions Portsmouth & Southsea (141) and Bishops Waltham (101 not out), helping the promoted Test Valley village club finish third in County 1.
The 22-year old, who hopes to put his First Class BSc degree in City and Regional Planning from Cardiff University to practical use during his six months in Australia, would probably have won a second consecutive HCL divisional batting award had Parish’s match at relegated Sarisbury Athletic not been washed out. The wet weather probably cost Parish the second promotion spot.
He was the County Division 2 batting award winner last year.

The South Wilts cricketing conveyor belt of talent just keeps rolling on – Jody Everett having just led a team of largely Under-21 year olds to promotion into Hampshire League County Division 2 next season.
South Wilts thirds are elevated on account of finishing runners-up to Odiham & Greywell in County 3 North – a remarkable achievement after the opening three matches of the season had all ended in defeat !
“May was a worrying time,” confessed Everett. “But then we put together an amazing run of 11 straight wins to finish a minute 0.02 of a point above Amport. It was astonishing stuff, but credit to such a young side for their achievement.
“Also, you have to remember, we frequently lost players to second team calls, so that makes our feat it even sweeter.”
Champions Odiham were among the clubs South Wilts beat (by 21 runs) in their mid-summer run – promotion meaning that South Wilts will have Bournemouth II, Bramshaw, Ferndown Wayfarers and Sway on a demanding fixture card in 2018.
Darren Sargant, one of the father figures in the South Wilts IIIs, finished top scorer with 412, while Edward Wade made 346 and Wiltshire Under-17s centurion Henry Smith making 323.
Teenager Ben Fisher, who only joined the Bemerton set this season, grabbed 28 wickets in his debut season, while Robert Crossley bagged 19 victims behind the stumps.
In all, South Wilts III won 11 of their 15 matches, losing the initial three and then the very last.
 

Promotion winning Parley
Back (from left): Jamie Hicks, Ollie Green, Alex Cridland, Tom Blackley, Jack Rowett, Keith Clarke (Manager). Front: Harry Beardsley, Alex Nippard, Chris Jennings, Sam Collins, Roshan Embalagama, Shane Green.

Parley are celebrating promotion into County Division 1 next season – ten years after joining the Hampshire League as a Regional Division 4 West club in 2008.
Amazingly, two of the players who turned out in the ‘debut’ match ten seasons ago – Alex Cridland and Jack Rowett – were in the Parley team that clinched the County 2 title with a massive win at Redlynch & Hale, where the visitors racked up 332-7.
It was Parley’s sixth promotion in eight years – the club deciding several seasons ago, after winning the Dorset League three times on the trot, to concentrate its efforts on the ultimate goal of a Southern Premier League place.
“We have lost only six games in the past four seasons,” says skipper Sam Collins, who celebrated his maiden Minor Counties Championship century for Dorset this summer.
“We have the makings of a pretty good side, but having not played or watched any County 1 it is hard to know how the standard will compare next season.”
Collins top scored with 559 runs this season, while Shane Green (483) and Alex Nippard (462) each hit centuries.
Parley’s leading wicket takers were Oli Green (19) and Tom Blakeley (15).
“Eight of the team that played at Redlynch came up through our well established youth set up, all of them showing great commitment and dedication to the club,” Colins added.
“We’ve provide a launch pad for numerous talented young cricketers to play locally and have naturally lot quite a few, especially to the likes of Bashley (Rydal) and Bournemouth.
“But we’re keen not to become a feeder club to the local Premier League sides.”

Easton & Martyr Worthy Back (from left) Adam Kite, Ben Stanbrook, Jamie Banks, Ian Stuart, Brad Hole, Jordon Banks. Front: Jamie Fox, Matt Chamberlain, Mark Dickety, Seb Stannard, Adam Carrick.
 
Easton & Martyr Worthy enjoyed a remarkable winning run to clinch promotion and a return to the top flight of the Hampshire League.
After losing their first two games of the season, Easton won their next 11 in a row to finish runners-up to Parley and one above Andover seconds.
Easton’s promotion was confirmed with a eight-wicket win at Ferndown, who started the final day third in the table.
It was a winner takes all affair and Easton skittled Wayfarers for just 96 with Jamie Banks taking 4-23 and Adam Carrick 3-15.
Easton knocked the total off in 22 overs with Ben Stanbrook (40) and Australian Matt Chamberlain 45 not out.
 

Champions: Portsmouth & Southsea
Standing (from left): Ollie Kanavan, Tom Benfield, Mike Patey, Jake Peach, Jono Willey, Matt Smith, Paul Barsby (coach). Seated: Matt Benfield, Steve Clements, Keiron Dunstan, Tom Farnworth, Ben Saunders.

Portsmouth & Southsea will be back in the Southern Premier League next season after a three-year absence – as will Lymington II, who were relegated just 12 months ago.
The pair finished champions and runners-up, respectively, in County Division 1 this season.
Who they’ll replace won’t be known until after today’s final round of Premier League matches.
Hursley Park are down, for sure, but either Alton II, Fawley or Purbrook could tumble with them.
Pre-season favourites P & S, pictured, wrapped up the title they’d previously won in 2012 with a nervy three-wicket win over St Cross Symondians II.
An unbroken 120-run stand between Kevin Lockwood (61) and Steve Berryman (58) helped St Cross post a tricky 230-3 (Kevin Neave 58).
P & S slipped to 22-2, but powered into pole position through a 147-run stand between Matt and Tom Benfield in only 26 overs.
Matt thumped four sixes and 12 fours in his 111, while Tom hit 55 – but after they were out, P & S wobbled and lost a further five wickets before Tom Farnworth’s timely 18 not out got them home.
Apart from the players themselves, no one will be more pleased with P & S’s success than Ray Benfield and Keith Ward, who have laboured hard to get St James’s Park in really good nick.
Lymington II and Longparish, who finished immediately behind them, were the two sides who beat P & S this season.
Lymington closed five points behind after Tom Atkins (68) and Jack Roberts (86) top scored in a 246-9 fest at Hook & Newnham Basics II (112).
Longparish were dealt a harsh blow when their penultimate match with relegated Sarisbury Athletic II was washed out.  And how they suffered.
The final cut saw them finish third, 11 points behind P & S and five adrift of Lymington – a deficit that, in all probability, wouldn’t have occurred had that game at Allotment Road not been washed out.
Parish laboured to beat Rowledge II, who did so well to avoid relegation, having looked odd-on favourites for the drop most of the season.
With Joe Swan making 58, they made 147 (Scott Sturt 4-33) at Longparish, who looked like losing until Alex Coetzee (32) and James Bevan (21) came together at the end.
Fareham & Crofton took the ‘best of the rest’ credits, thrashing nine-man Ventnor II by 120 runs at Steephill, where retired Surgeon Captain Chris Kershaw creditably helped boost the dwindling personnel.
Chris, now into his 70s, did wonderful medical work in his time at Gosport’s RN Haslar hospital and probably thought he’d be required to administer first aid as Fareham piled up 311-6, with Luke Watson (left, 135) scoring a maiden County 1 century.
To their credit, the Ventnor nine didn’t give up – 16 year old Ben Attrill, who captained, conceding only 37 runs off his ten overs of off-spin.
Phil Mew (44) and Cameron Bartlett (36) top scored in Ventnor’s 191 – a leg weary Chris Kershaw being run out before retiring to the bar, always cheerful, beer in one hand and ready for a chat !   Great bloke.
On a more serious note, it cost Fareham (as it does every island visitor) £300 or more to make the trip to the island – and ask more questions of Ventnor whether they can seriously sustain their second and third teams in the Hampshire League.
It’s certainly been a challenging season for the island club, who have worked so hard to reach their current status, only now to be struggling to field 11 players.
Robert Smith (87) and James Forrest (5-50) caught the eye as Ropley (212-8) swept aside OTs & Romsey (139), while Burridge II chased down Shrewton’s 189 to win by four wickets.
Newly wed Ben Wadmore was the only Ryde player to have much to smile about after Bishops Waltham had piled up 256-8 to beat the islanders’ by 114 runs.
Harry McGhee (77), Andy Wakely (69) and Harry Barrett (55) all made half-centuries for Bishops, but the 37 runs Wadmore scored may have clinched the County 1 batting prize above Matt Benfield and Longparish’s Will de Cani.
United Services saved themselves from relegation with a six-wicket win over Sarisbury Athletic (194-7), but New Milton became the third side to drop when they lost by 34 runs at Hythe & Dibden.
The Watersiders posted 184 (Inam Agha 45) before removing the Green & Golds for 150 (Oli Nicholls 54).

Delighted by his side’s fourth place finish in the Hampshire League, skipper Tom Kent has stressed the importance of his young Fareham & Crofton side staying together and launching a County Division One title challenge, possibly as early as next season.
Fourth is Fareham’s highest placing since they physically won County 1 in 2007 and earned promotion to the Southern Premier League Division 3 for a four-year stay until 2011.
“Our aim at the outset was to improve on last season when we were seventh, so to climb to fourth place was very pleasing indeed,” reckoned Fareham captain Tom Kent.
“We achieved fourth spot with a side with an average age of 22 years, probably the youngest in County 1.”
Fareham lost their opening two matches, but then won ten of their next 13 games, promoted runners-up Lymington II and Longparish being the only sides to beat them during the second half of the season.
“Now, if we want to progress, its essential we all stay together – and continue to move onwards and upwards,” Kent continued.
“Some of the younger lads are bound to get other offers this winter. We will always support the careers of any young prospects, but hope they stay put and establish themselves in County Division 1 first.
“Virtually all the side has come up through the colts section and it would be fantastic if they were to remain at Bath Lane and see the club move up into a higher league next year.”
Kent, at 22 years old CD1’s youngest captain, points out that Fareham’s improvement on the playing field this season has coincided with extensive enhancements to their Bath Lane ground.
“We’ve a smashing pavilion and clubhouse, good net practice facilities and a great spirit in the club.  It’s a superb venue now alongside the water,” he added.
“We want to move on from here and if we can add one or two new faces to the crop of players we’ve got the outlook is very promising.”

IBM Hursley cricketers are celebrating what may be a historical triple Hampshire League promotion triumph.
The first team are County Division 4 North champions, while IBM second and third sides gained Regional Division promotions.
“It may be the first time in the Hampshire League history a club has achieved promotions for three teams in the same season,” said chairman Graham Meech.
[Portsmouth achieved a title double in Couny 3 South and Regional One South East this season and Longparish enjoyed a CD2 championship and two separate promnotions for their 2nd and 3rd XIs in 2016]
All three IBM teams had to win their final matches – and the celebrations rang out after last day opponents Overton, Whiteparish and Easton & Martyr Worthy were all beaten.
“Ironically, all three teams got off to a shaky start,” Meech confessed.
Hursley’s first team could hardly have run it closer – a 102-run win against Overton securing the CD4 North title by 0.06 points per match on average.
Ramsdell, who IBM beat handsomely three weeks ago, were nudged into second place, but also go up.
IBM won eight of their ten matches and will play County 3 North cricket in 2018.
The club’s second and third teams have only been formed in recent seasons – the seconds winning Regional 3 North in 2016 and celebrating a second consecutive promotion.
They finished runners-up to Twyford in R1 North – thanks to an 18-run win which pushed fellow high fliers Whiteparish into third spot.
A 77-run win over Easton & MW III clinched the runners-up position in Regional 3 North behind Aldershot.
“The encouraging aspect of this season’s success filters back to the formation of our junior section back in 2009 – we needed to find a way of creating a stream of new players into the club,” Meech explained.
“IBM would like to dedicate this season’s successes to Bobby Elliott, our scorer, record-keeper and historian, who passed away just before the end of the season.
“He would have been immensely proud.”
* Bobby Elliott's funeral is at Wessex Vale, West End, on Monday, 1pm.

 


 

 

St Cross Symondians gave it their best shot, but were unable to prevent the favourites Portsmouth & Southsea from lifting the Hampshire League, County Division 1 title.
With Kevin Neave, Steve Berryman and Kevin Lockwood all making half-centuries, St Cross posted a handy 230-3.
But after losing two quick wickets, P & S took command, with the Benfield brothers Matt (111), pictured, and Tom (56) sharing a sizeable partnership.
St Cross took seven P & S wickets, gifting their hosts 24 no-balls (four extra overs) before they clinched the title with an over to spare.
P & S finished five points ahead of runners-up Lymington II, who have bounced back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
They thumped Hook & Newnham Basics II by 134 runs, while Longparish had their work cut out in beating Rowledge II by three wickets.
Luke Watson smashed a league best 135 as Fareham & Crofton piled up 311-6 against nine-man Ventnor II at Steephill.  Ventnor are relegated alongside the second teams from New Milton and Sarisbury Athletic.
Parley clinched the County 2 title when they ran up a hefty 332-7 before winning by 149 runs at Redlynch & Hale.
Easton & Martyr Worthy thrashed Ferndown Wayfarers to finish second, while Totton & Eling II and Ellingham are among the teams to go down.
Odiham & Greywell are County 3 North champions, with IBM Hursley take the South crown, the pinnacle of a fantastic season for the entire club (see separate story).
* The various championship successes in the HCL will be reviewed individually in the coming week or so.