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.