SWAY’S unbeaten season – and probably their Division One title hopes - went up in smoke at Winton – as the top of the table visitors were upset in challenging conditions.  
Having been put into bat, Sway made slow progress with openers Tim Noble (48) and Alex Hall (22) batting valiantly against some accurate bowling and putting on 45.
From then on Sway struggled to a disappointing 98 amid a combination of indifferent batting, decent bowling and the tricky surface. 
Sam Thomson, the former Bashley (Rydal) and Dorset offie, with 3-6 off six overs and Charlie May (3-20) excelled with the ball.
When Winton were reduced to 24-3 – that’s one more than the entire team scored at & Crofton the previous week - through Hugh Bernard and Jon Waller, the visitors had a sniff; however, despite an excellent showing from Dan Bailey, with two wickets, and smart catches from Noble and Neil Prince, it ended up being a dispiriting away day for the deposed HL leaders. 
Joe May (27) stepped in before John Duke (21) and Nick Nineham (26) got Winton across the line.
Sway’s first defeat enabled Havant II to climb to top place – a position they could easily hold on to with only Longparish and Easton & Martyr Worthy left to play.

The cancellation of their key match with second placed Parley – no surprise after the deluge that hit PO-land in the early hours of Saturday – meant both clubs held their respective 20.88 and 20 points per match averages, compared with Sway’s now reduced 19.58.
Fareham might well have complicated matters further had their home match with Old Basing gone the distance.  They were flying at 232-7 at Bath Lane when play was abandoned an over before the tea break.
A Wimble, run out with 91, and Sam Stoddart (78) shared a 154-run stand.
So, after 14 rounds of fixtures, Fareham & Crofton have still only managed to complete FOUR matches.  If they win their last three games against Lymington II, Burridge II and St Cross Symondians III they could feature in the promotion race !
Sam Collins struck a timely and back to form 83 not out as a strengthened Bournemouth chased down Longparish’s 196 to win by seven wickets.
Mike Taplin hit 80 for Parish, with Tom Robinson taking 4-37 for Bournemouth, who included Dorset left-hand all-rounder Simon Woodruff in their ranks and struck a boundary strewn 78.
Have kit, will play Jonny Coombs (24) opened. His ambition this season is to play in all five of Bournemouth’s Hampshire League sides.  Only the fourth team have so far gone without his charismatic input.
Lymington II also called up Southern Premier Division personnel for the trip to soggy Hursley Park, where Dan Cox made the most of his trip from the Isle of Wight to make 69 before the rains came.
St Cross Symondians III found themselves in the drop zone for the first time ​when Easton & Martyr Worthy beat them by seven wickets.
Wobbling at 46-6, St Cross reached 142 through James Burridge (35) and Brad Aldridge, but saw their reduced target score of 122 blown away as Nick Boulton (48*) and Ben Stanbrook (37) swept EMW home with stacks of time to spare.
Desperate for win points, Andover seconds were denied at Alton, where the Brewers were 67-5 when play was abandoned.
Compton & Chandler's Ford were washed out completely against Burridge II. 

Fareham & Crofton waited 41 days to kick start their ill-fated Division 1 campaign - they have suffered seven either weather hit or covid related cancellations, plus a welcome abandonment at Parley - but when they eventually took the field again, their match with Winton was all done and dusted in a mere 16.4 overs !
That's how long it took Fareham to bowl their Bournemouth visitors (who pitched at Bath Lane with only ten men and no umpire or scorer) out for a paltry 23 and knock off the runs to record a ten-wicket victory.
Only five Fareham players were able to make a meaningful contribution.
Skipper James Headen ran Winton's opening batsman out for nought, then Ben White weighed in with a 6-16 return and new signing Conor Clark took 2-8 and caught the last wicket. 
​Six Winton dismissals were bowled. Five batsmen bagged ducks. Their innings was all over in 13.3 overs.  Their 23 ao was the second lowest Division 1 total behind Longparish with 21 in 1996.
It took Fareham 19 balls to complete the formalities - Dan Wimble hitting 19 of the runs they required.

It’s crunch time for champions Parley as – weather permitting - the Hampshire League Division 1 title race reaches its business phase.
Two games in the next three weeks - starting at Havant on Saturday and then Sway on August 21 – will decide if they can make the jump into Southern Premier Division 3 cricket in 2022.
With four rounds of matches remaining, its tight at the top, with Sway – despite having won all 11 games – only three points of Havant, with Parley tucked into third place, ten points behind.
But the weather, which has so far claimed 31 postponements in addition to four rain abandonments, is clearly going to play a key role in who goes up – and who doesn’t.
Havant were hit by the rain at the Jubilee, where they looked a good bet to win after bowling Alton seconds out for 107.  They were 21-1 when the elements struck.
Rain also interfered with Sway’s home game with relegation threatened Andover seconds – D/L calculations creating a closer game than the New Forest club might have envisaged.
A century partnership between Alex Hall (47) and Will Crossley (63) largely set up Sway’s 212-9 – Hugo Chandler (24) giving things a late biff, 20 of his runs coming in boundaries.
Aiden Jansen took a creditable 5-34 for Andover, whose target was reduced to 155 off 27 overs.
With Huw Bernard and Jon Waller absent, Sway’s attack lacked its usual bite and Andover came within 26 runs of the target, finishing with 128-5.
Ever popular left-hand bat/wicketkeeper Roshan Emblagama celebrated his first HCL century since June 2014 – 103 at Verwood in County 4 South – as Parley racked up 249-5 against visiting Portsmouth II.
He shared a century fifth-wicket stand with Oli Green, whose unbeaten 58 included two sixes and seven fours.
Beaten by 107 runs, Portsmouth II mustered a modest 145, with Green swapping bat for ball and taking 3-20.
Hursley Park reached 87-2 before a 4-17 return by Sat Pal sent them stumbling to 111 all out and an eventual five-wicket defeat at Old Basing.
But the Basingstoke club were indebted to Ben Ungaretti, whose unbeaten 54 steered them through choppy waters created when Hursley’s Tom James took 4-12 to reduce them to 16-4.
St Cross Symondians III, having been 21-6, were dismissed for 90 by Longparish, who won by six wickets with Will de Cani making 38 not out.
Easton & Martyr Worthy are easing their way out of relegation trouble – their 44-run victory planting Burridge firmly in the bottom two.
Will Wickham (70) top scored as they made 210-8 (Alex Spearing 36, Adam Kite 33), while former Gosport Borough cricketer Simon Creal (48) made his mark as Burridge made 166 in reply.
Compton & Chandler’s Ford made round 13’s highest score, 257-6 against Lymington II, who used NINE different bowlers – Simon Naylor being the only out-fielder not to be invited to turn his arm over !  
In-form Andy Gorty cashed in with a 13-boundary 94 not out, while Liam McCory (45) was the only Lymington batsman to shine.  He’s the wicketkeeper, so also didn’t bowl …

Bournemouth seconds have put a significant dent in Parley’s Division 1 championship defence - and the prospects of their near neighbours playing in the Southern Premier League next summer.
They beat the 2019 winners by 56 runs and so pile the pressure on Parley, who will probably have to win at both Havant (August 7) and at leaders Sway a fortnight later to fulfil their double dreams.
Bournemouth, now fourth in the log, batted consistently up top with fit-again Tom Robinson (39) building on the solid start by Sam Collins (35) and Martin Miller (24), and Sarang Urankar (42) chipping in later to ease Jonny Coombs’s lions to 180-5.
Turning out against his old Parley club, where he enjoyed a lot of past success, Collins was playing his first match since dislocating a finger.
Teenager Marcus Bragginton (29) caught the eye for Parley, but the evergreen Paul Garlick (3-20) and spinner Conor Smith (4-36) proved too much for the visitors, who slipped to 124 all out and a first defeat in eight.

Parley’s loss was compounded by Sway’s visit to Havant being called off, leaving the New Forest club with an unblemished ten-match winning record and a five-point lead at the top.
The remaining games for the top three, separated by 14 points, are –
Sway: Andover II (h), Winton (a), Alton II (a), Parley (h).
Havant II: Alton II (a), Parley (h), Longparish (h), Easton & Martyr Worthy (a).
Parley: Portsmouth II (h), Havant (a), Sway (a), Alton II (a).
Early season pace setters Old Basing continue to slide down the table, Compton & Chandlers Ford chasing down a reduced target to win by four wickets at the Memorial Ground.
Andy Gorty was MVP for CCF, following up his 4-25 return with the ball by making a key 34 with the willow.
Old Basing fell from 65-1 to 129 all out but then had Compton in a pickle.  Chasing a rain reduced target they plunged to 47-5 before Gorty and Scott Spearing got CCF home with 16 balls to spare.
Alton's Mike Salmon, with a miserly 3-8 off eight overs, and Nathan Vincent (3-22) shared six Portsmouth II wickets to leave the Southsea club wobbling at 110-7 before Paul Hungerford (36) gave the bowlers some defence.
Alton lost three for 21, but Michael Heffernan hit an unbeaten 74 and, aided by Ben Weatherall (25) and Salmon (25), secured the 21 point that lifted the Brewers to eighth place.
Lymington strengthened their second team with leading Premier League bowler Matt Metcalfe and left-hand opener Terry Crabb at bottom side Easton & Martyr Worthy.
The visitors made 162 – Liam McCrory (33 and Ollie Elliott (26) top scored – and dismissed Easton for 138 (Will Wickham 46), Crabb’s spin earning a 3-26 reward and Metcalfe 2-29.
The win inched Lymington out of the immediate danger zone, but Andover II are deep in it despite Thanura Watta Wadnge’s 70 against Winton, who chased down 187-7, with Joe May (46) adding the icing to earlier knocks by Sean Wienand (41) and former Bashley (Rydal) and Dorset spinner Sam Thomson (32), who earlier took 3-20. 
So, going into tomorrow’s round 13 matches, Andover and Easton & MW occupy the bottom two places, with Burridge II sitting precariously above them.
With Bedhampton’s place to be filled, three will go up from Division 2, where Bramshaw are currently undefeated, but (Ryde apart) still have Bishop’s Waltham, Ferndown Wayfarers and second placed Odiham & Greywell still to play.   Ryde are third with a posse of clubs in heir wake.

A rare event is scheduled for tomorrow - Fareham & Crofton playing a Hampshire League, Division 1 match .. for only the fourth time this season and only the second at Bath Lane !
That's assuming nothing untoward happens between now and Winton's scheduled visit.
Fareham have had EIGHT of their 11 matches this season wiped out, six through washouts and two others postponed due to covid issues. After two wins and a loss, they lie fifth in the log with a healthy 16.67 points per match average.
​Fareham & Crofton will join the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) celebrating Rainbow Laces alongside Stonewall this weekend. 
It's the fourth year the game has come together to celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusion in cricket, and this year the activity will take in the Royal London One-Day Cup and The Hundred - with The Hundred matches live on Sky Sports and the BBC.
ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison said: "I'm proud to see our game standing squarely behind inclusion.   We're driven by our desire to open up the game to as many people as possible. We want cricket to be a game for everyone and we want the LGBTQ+ community to both feel welcome and able to be themselves in our sport.
"The rainbow laces (which all Fareham teams will wear tomorrow) and the rainbow stumps are a powerful symbol of support, and it's good to see the players and the wider game reaffirming our desire to be a sport that everyone feels they can be involved in."

In July 2021, St Cross Symondians – and sport in Winchester generally – lost one of its great and much loved characters with the sad passing of Bill Postle, who played a lot of cricket and football in the city. He was 74, having bravely battled illness for some time.
It’s a little known fact that Bill, who joined St Cross in the 1970s, once took all ten opposition wickets in a match, playing a Sunday game for Bartley in the heart of the New Forest.   A rare feat indeed.
He opened the bowling for St Cross, playing alongside Alan Rowe for many summers in the Hampshire League. It was always lively and competitive, without fail ending up in the Queen, where the match would be ‘replayed’ over the odd glass of ale.
Cricketers played on Saturday’s and Sunday’s in Bill’s days and it would often be no surprise to find three Postles, all left-handers, playing in the same St Cross team.  Mum and dad would do the teas, making it a real family outing.
Keen on his soccer – he played for Hyde United in the Winchester & District League – he was an avid Winchester City supporter and followed the club home and away, seldom short of a joke and a smile on the sidelines.
Professionally, he left school to work for the Ordnance Survey, but scaled the heights at the BBC in London, where he worked for 18 years, finishing as a director.  He was responsible for the publication of the Radio Times, along other BBC reading material. St Cross Symondians have lost a much loved character.

Ellingham’s cricket ground alongside the main A31 trunk road at Picket Post, east of Ringwood, has been seriously damaged after a group of travellers set up camp on the square.
The group have since moved off the site but now damage has been caused to the pitch including holes being dug in the turf, litter being dropped, and damage to the ground where it appears “doughnuts” have been done around the square.
A game was planned to be played on the pitch last night, but now the Hampshire League Division 4 West club is being forced to look at other options and depending on the level of damage, may have to play away instead of at home until repairs can be made.  They are due to host near neighbours Burley this Saturday.

​Ellingham chairman Lee Penycate claimed the group broke the padlock on the gate to enter the ground and added: “It’s going to have a massive impact on our club.
“The outfield looks okay but the problem is they’ve moved our railings around the square and they’ve parked on the square. That’s the most important bit of the pitch.
“It’s the bit that we have railings around to protect it from animals in the forest, so we don’t really want hoof prints on there and the last thing we need is a bunch of caravans, quad bikes, kids, holes being dug up.”
“There’s a lot of work for the groundsman to do. It may take a few weeks to repair, it may be that there’s a couple of pitches that are untouched that can be used.”

Fareham & Crofton’s cricket starved players are almost dreading pulling back the curtains on Saturday morning as the threat of yet another postponement looms.
They have only completed THREE matches all season and, if tomorrow’s threatened thunderstorms and heavy rain materialize and Hursley Park is called off, they will chalk up a staggering EIGHTH unplayed Division 1 game.
It feels a long time ago (it was June 12) that Fareham last played and were heavily beaten by Sway. Since then, their visit to Parley was abandoned by rain and the last two games against Longparish and Compton & Chandler’s Ford were called off due to covid self-isolation in the opposition camps.
Fareham won two of the three games they have played, so boasted a healthy 16.67 points per match average since mid-June and lie fifth in the log.
They have trained religiously twice a week since early April, but seldom seem to put their whites on.
Realistically, it’s a three-way shoot-out between top two Parley and Sway and third placed Havant II for the two promotion places – the first of the three matches between the clubs set for the Park and Havant’s duel with Sway tomorrow, 12.30.
Parley recorded their seventh win on the trot when a double century stand between Shane Green (108) and Alex Nippard (72) pointed them towards 244-5 against a seriously weakened St Cross Symondians, who rolled over for 122.
Sway six hitter Dan Bailey smashed Portsmouth II to pieces (see separate story) while Faizan Tahsin (93) top scored in Havant’s 255-6 against Andover, who were dismissed for 183 (Max Souter 77).
If only he could play more regularly, Ollie Shrubsole (pictured above) might be knocking quietly on Chris Park’s door asking for a Bournemouth first team game.
Ollie’s made 62 and 77 in Bournemouth IIs last two HL matches, but has to combine cricket with selling exclusive homes at Sandbanks on the shores of Poole Harbour, which he does once every three weeks.  
Shrubsole, still tip-toeing back from serious knee surgery, and Tom West (69) top scored in lions’ 217 against Alton, who sank to 77-6 before Mike Salmon (39) and Dan Scott (32) added an air of respectability to their 148 all out.
Winton, who copped a 21-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player in a recent match, lost by four wickets to Hursley Park after being bowled out for 130 (Tom James 4-38).
Nick Willcock (89) raised his season’s run tally to 464 with top score in Old Basing’s 237-8, which proved too many for relegation threatened Easton & Martyr Worthy, who went under for 126.
It’s looking very dodgy for Easton and Lymington (beaten by seven wickets by a Will de Cani inspired Longparish) at the bottom, though Andover II have yet to win a game … 

A MAGNIFICENT 137 by Dan Bailey, which included 11 sixes, set up Sway for their 10th Division 1 win on the spin, with his astonishing hitting spree seeing him bludgeon 87 of his runs off his last 34 balls. 
Sway had set a platform at 130-5 when Oscar Marshall was out for 27 in the 31st over, and ‘skipper Tim Noble sent out Hugh Bernard to join Bailey – who by that time had brought up his fifty off 77 balls – with the instruction the two had to ‘get on with it’. 
What happened next was simply awesome as former England U19 international Bernard, who now works for the Hampshire Cricket Board, smacked four massive sixes in blazing his way to 37 off 14 balls before Bailey took apart the visiting Portsmouth attack, hammering 11 sixes – which included him hitting three maximums in a row three times. 
The pair brought up their 100 partnership in just 42 balls and by the end Bailey had players from both sides in awe before being out the last ball of the innings for 137 off 111 balls, as Sway posted an unassailable 267-5 off their 40 overs. That included an excellent early contribution from Will Crossley (24) as he stewarded Sway through an early difficult spell – the home side having been 4-2 at one stage. 
Grilled in the New Forest sunshine, Portsmouth sank to 15-3 – star man Jordan Palmer-Goddard was out for a second ball duck - to Steadman (2-20).  There was stubborn resistance from Dan Wallis and Indy Chakrabati, the pair batting nicely before Josh Bailey (2-35) got the latter and Nicky Wyatt for 25. 
As Sway searched for maximum points, Noble introduced Jon Grasham and his very fiery spell brought instant reward as he shot out Wallis for a good 48 on his way to returning an excellent 3-13, while Bernard (1-14) got a scalp.  
Fittingly, the final word of the day went to teenager Dan Bailey – who produced a terrific direct hit to claim the last wicket.  

A MATCH WINNING unbeaten 59 from Burley’s Alec Moorman ensured the hosts reclaimed the New Forest CA Stone Cup trophy with a five-wicket win over Sway. 
Moorman smacked a boundary to get Burley home with three balls of the 18-overs a side final to spare in what had been a see-saw contest that saw ball dominate bat for most parts, writes Jon Waller of the Lymington Times. 
Having been put in, Sway were soon in trouble, being reduced to 37-4 in the face of accurate bowling by Burley’s Dan Mepham (1-28) and Jim Burry, who claimed 2-8 off four overs. 
But Will Millard stood firm, striking a fine 41 off 35 balls, crushing five boundaries along the way. His steadying of the ship was helped by a handy contribution from Dan Stevenson (13) as Sway rallied on what was a tricky surface to post a competitive score. 
There was still time for nice cameos from Will Baughan with an unbeaten 15 and Dave Marshall (11) to help Sway to a relatively decent 110 off their 18 overs.  James Roberts (3-25) was the pick of the Burley bowlers, Mike Wetherall (1-12) and Jonny Blundell (1-33) also getting scalps. 
                                                                                    Dangerous
Needing wickets to pile the pressure on the hosts, Sway’s FJ Charton (1-16) and Freddie Pearson (2-13) obliged, the latter getting the dangerous Keiron Hudson early and Pete Stacey, before a superb catch from Steve How off Charton dismissed Alex Martin and left Burley in the mire at 13-3. 
Moorman, who survived a close lbw shout, bedded in against the tidy bowling of Sway’s Oscar Silva-Perez before opening out as the spinners came on and hitting eight boundaries in the process. But at the other end his partners struggled, Steve How (2-33) chipping away. 
With the game edging towards Sway, Moorman found a partner in James Roberts – who struck a vital 21 that included two huge sixes. Burlkey were now favourites, until Roberts holed out off How.
With Burley needing 11 off two overs Moorman struck a maximum to get that into single figures; but with nerves jangling on the boundary Moorman then skied the next ball to midwicket – where the catch was dropped as the batsman scrambled two.  
Adam Clark bowled the last over for Sway, and started with a dot, but a quick leg bye next ball saw Moorman return to the strike to land the crucial final blow.  
The NFCCA Presidents Cup final on July 30 will be between Fawley and either Bashley (Rydal) or New Milton, who play their delayed semi-final at the BCG on Monday evening.

The delayed Winchester & District CA Tichborne Trophy semi-final ties are being played this (Thursday) evening - within barely five miles of each other on the A32, south of Alton.
The quaint rustic East Tisted ground hosts Rotherfield Park v IBM Hursley, while just down the road Chawton entertain Pothwar Lions. Both T20 matches start at 6pm.
Fair Oak will play Wickham in the Igglesden Trophy final.

Last season's All-Wight double winners RYDE are all set to launch a bid for promotion back up to Hampshire League Division 1 from which they were relegated as the third from bottom placed club in 2019.
Four wins (and two defeats) from six matches has them fourth in the Division 2 log behind unbeaten leaders Bramshaw, and Odiham & Greywell and Ferndown Wayfarers whom they've beaten quite convincingly of late.  Ryde also beat sixth-placed East Woodhay, which means they've played the current 'top six' and have only the teams below them left to play.
Ben Shannon (75) shared a century stand with Ash Goldsmith (31) and enjoyed another useful partnership with Sam Rockley (31) as Ryde posted 200-9 against Odiham & Greywell, who were unbeaten until they crossed the high seas to Vectis isle. They were rushed out for 97, Goldsmith (2-14) producing a mean new ball spell and spinner Julion Jayerajah mopping up the mail with a 4-15 return.
SHANKLIN, meanwhile, lie bottom of Division 1 after only one win in seven outings, ironically over Bishop's Waltham, who beat Ryde !  They have taken some fearful beatings, including Bramshaw by 201 runs and Ferndown Wayfarers by a 142-run margin
Here's a selection of the photographs Dave Reynolds snapped at the Ryde match -

Fareham & Crofton chairman Charlie Stubbs admits everyone at the club is ‘really frustrated’ by one of the wettest summers in living memory.
The local cricket season, which started in early May, has been hit hard by continual wet weather.
And no club has suffered more than Fareham. Following on from last weekend’s cancellations, the club’s four Hampshire League teams have had more games called off between them than they have actually played.
In all, the four teams have only completed 16 matches - that’s an average of four each in a season which began on the second Saturday in May. Between them, the four teams have had 17 matches postponed due to wet weather and a further four abandoned after they had started.
The club’s 1st XI have only played three of their nine fixtures. Four were postponed due to bad weather, one was abandoned, and another - against Longparish - was cancelled due to positive Covid-19 Tests among their opponents.
Though the season began on May 8, Fareham’s 1st XI didn’t play a game until May 29 - their first three matches all being cancelled. Their last outing was a month ago, on June 12 when they beat Alton seconds.
The 2nd XI, which Stubbs captains, has played five games - just 50 per cent of their scheduled fixtures. Four have been cancelled and another was abandoned.
The 3rd XI have played four games, winning three of them, but seen another four cancelled and one abandoned.
The 4ths are another team who have only played 50 per cent of their games - playing four and having four cancelled.
                                                                                          Financial woes
Fortunately, Fareham firsts did manage to win two of their three games against Andover and Alton, losing heavily at Sway, where left-hand opening batsman and gloveman Tom Kent badly dislocated his left ring finger.
“Apart from the Parley game, where I did the scoring, I’ve not missed a single match, but hope to play against Compton & Chandler’s Ford at Bath Lane on Saturday,” he said.
Though rain is hardly a new problem for amateur cricketers, this season will certainly go down as one of the wettest in modern times.
And following on from last year’s truncated campaign - the local cricket season didn’t begin until mid-July due to the pandemic - the rain has created more financial woes for grassroots clubs.
‘All the members are really frustrated,’ said Stubbs. ‘After last season, everyone was raring to go, the restrictions had been lifted.
‘There’s nothing we can do about the weather, though.
‘It does have a financial impact. All our players pay £10 per game, so that’s £450 in match fees every weekend. Then you’ve got the bar revenue on top of that.
‘We’ve got lots of patio furniture, we get people who wander up, see there’s a game going on and have a drink as well.  I’d say, as a quick calculation, it costs the club around £600 every time there’s a wet weekend with no cricket.  It’s very frustrating.  We’ve got fantastic ground staff but there’s not much you can do when the weather hits.’
                                                                                           Immaculate
Groundsmen Mike Steel and Tony Tucker (now in his 52nd year with the club) have spent countless unpaid hours at Bath Lane preparing pitches that have seldom been used. The ground, though, looks immaculate, probably the best its ever been.
Even if the sun shines from now until the end of August, local clubs have already lost a sizeable portion of their fixtures.
‘We only play 17 league games a season,’ said Stubbs. ‘It’s not like football where you have 38/40 games and can rearrange those that are rained off.
‘We’ve only got four months - May, June, July and August - in which to fit our games in.’
Stubbs said the club’s ambition, prior to the start of this season, was for both the 1sts and 2nds to try and win promotion.
That would take the 1sts back into the Southern Premier League Division 3 and see the 2nds move up to Division 3 South - the third tier of the county league.

Elsewhere in local cricket, Portsmouth & Southsea 1sts have only played five of their scheduled 11 Southern Premier League Division 3 matches. Last weekend they suffered their fifth cancellation while a sixth match was abandoned.
In the same division, leaders Hambledon and Gosport Borough have also seen five matches cancelled.
Across the whole fourth tier of the SPL, a remarkable 18 matches have now been cancelled or abandoned due to wet weather - compared to just 16 having been played!
Welcome to an English summer ...
* In a complete turnaround, weathermen reckon mercury will top the 80f mark this weekend, so Fareham & Crofton and friends should get a game in ... that's provided covid doesn't interfere !

Defending champions Parley have made a perfect start to the rain dogged season, taking a maximum 132 points from the six Division One wins to date.
They maintained their 22 points per match average with an eight-wicket win over weakened Lymington II, whom they shot out for 64 – Spencer Savage taking 4-23 and Ollie Green 3-6 off his eight overs – before polishing off the target, with Tom Rose hitting 27 not out.
Encouragingly, the outfield at their West Parley base (previously a thorn in their accreditation bid), is looking much better due to the absence of soccer all last winter.
Composed innings from captain Tim Noble and former New Milton ace Will Crossley, from New Milton, saw second placed Sway to a comfortable victory against a depleted St Cross Symondians III’s outfit to record their ninth win on the bounce. 
Chasing 105 in a rain reduced 35-over a side game, Sway got home two wickets down, with Noble hitting an assured, unbeaten 40 and Crossley notching a handsome 31 before he was out with just five runs required.  
The falling rain had threatened to scupper the contest, but in the end Sway had it done by 6pm, with Dan Bailey clipping the winning runs off his legs. 
It came after the bowlers had set up the win; Dave Steadman (1-20) and Jon Waller (a miserly 2-7 off nine overs that was aided by a terrific, sharp stumping from Alex Hall) hitting their straps quickly and pinning the visitors down to 105-8 (Tom Moore 35) 
The going was slow throughout, with Hugh Bernard (1-15) getting a wicket thanks to a good catch from Dan Bailey, twin brother Josh Bailey grabbing another scalp amid a nice spell and Jon Grasham (2-14), looking very good. 
Third placed Havant IIs, whose games against the two top sides are going to be crucial, trimmed their Portsmouth counterparts by 97 runs – Andrew Galliers (72) and Oli Jones (62) sharing a century stand to set up their 225-6.
Indy Chakrabarti (37), who has moved to the Southsea club from SPL3 title chasers Hambledon, top scored in Portsmouth’s 128, Ali Gardner returning 4-19 and Mark Martin 3-27.
Fareham & Crofton and Winton had contrived to finish three games each by the mid-point of the season.
Covid issues in Longparish causing their trip to Bath Lane to be cancelled, while Winton played only five overs before rain washed out Compton & Chandler’s Ford's visit to Castle Meadows.
Near neighbours Bournemouth II, aided by Surang Urankar’s half-century, chalked up 193-7 (Jamie Elviss 39) before Andover rolled over for 108 (Roe 3-19).
Past Winchester College captain Freddie Egleston, who led Alton to the Hampshire Under-19 T20 title last season, scored 64 as the Brewers posted 175-5 against Burridge II, who fell to 152 all out against Toby Salmon 4-30 and left-armer Gemma Porter’s 3-13 spell.
Easton & Martyr Worthy remain bottom, although they boosted their hopes of surviving the two-down drop zone (remember Bedhampton withdrew pre-season) by beating fellow strugglers Hursley Park by six runs in a Quarters nail biter.
Top three Steve Poole (54), Jordon Banks (33) and Seb Byers (43) scored a large chunk of Easton’s 211-8.
Tom Flynn (65) and Paul Davies (38) platformed Hursley to 151-2 before the Banks brothers Jordon (4=52) and Jamie (3-59) reduced the hosts to 186-9.  Jai Solanki hit two sixes in a brisk 32, but could only manage to get Hursley’s reply to 205-9.

​With the season at the halfway point, five points separate unbeaten pair Parley and Sway at the top of Division 1.
Leaders Parley have played only five times (and won them all) three less than Sway, who romped to an eighth successive victory Burridge.
Once again HCL fixture secretary Stewart Frazier has written a perfect script – the potential title decider all set for the penultimate weekend of the season !
Parley’s latest success was a six-wicket win over Old Basing, who suffered a third successive defeat in the process, that after making such a fine start.
Nick Willcock (50) rattled off his fifth half-century of the season – and took his run aggregate to 375 from seven knocks – as Old Basing posted 161-8.
But an unbeaten 56 by Tom Saunders, aided by skipper Shane Green (40), eased Parley home with time to spare.
Tim Noble (63) took his season’s tally to 298 and with middle-order support from Dave Steadman (35) and Will Crossley (46) took Sway to a winning 223-5 against Burridge II, who were pegged to 154-9, Dan Bailey taking 4-19 after a miserly opening spell by Jon Waller (2-19).
Ben Walker was unable to travel to Chapel Gate for Havant’s Southern Premier Division defeat by Bournemouth, but he turned out for the club’s second team with devastating effect.
He made 90 of Havant’s 205-5 and alter took 4-13 as Bournemouth, given a great lift by Ollie Shrubsole (62) and Freddie Oldfield (44) tumbled from 124-1 to 186 all out and a 19-run defeat. 
Winton, promoted from CD2 in 2019, were badly hindered by the weather early doors, but are now fifth after Matt Clark’s unbeaten 88 inspired a 63-run win over Portsmouth II.
Jamie Mitchell (60) responded for Portsmouth, who were rolled out for 124, Charlie May taking 4-18 and former Bashley (Rydal) offie Sam Thomson 3-20.
Free from teaching commitments, Alan Whitman inspired St Cross Symondians’ 40-run victory over Andover, initially with the bat then the ball.
His 91 rescued St Cross from a tricky 85-5 (Aiden Jansen 3-18) and guided them to 196 – a total Andover looked like passing after Max Godson’s 66 had taken their reply to 111-3.
But triple wicket returns by Steve Fryer (3-22) and magic man Whitman (3-13) saw seven poles go over for 45 runs and Alton collapse to 156 all out.
Tom Sykes hit a league best 82 and shared a 110-opening stand with Axel Deen 54 as Lymington II chased down Alton’s 220-6 (Joe Paul 89*) to win by five wickets.
Compton & Chandler’s Ford and Hursley Park both celebrated their first wins.
CCF dropped from 117-4 to 138 all out before skittling Easton & Martyr Worthy for a meagre 59, Matt Scorey taking 4-9 and Andy Gorty 3-19.
It didn’t look as though Hurley Park’s 178-6 would be enough when Longparish advanced to 116-2,  but the Test Valley visitors lost their way and finished 12 runs adrift at 166-7.
Hursley’s total was based around Paul Davies (66) and Matt Branford (42), with Tom Trinder (37), Ben Gardner (34*) and Scott Sturt (32) unable to do enough to get Parish across the line.   

This is the catch they've been talking about all week in Bournemouth - and probably miles beyond - the one where the club's evergreen opening batsman and specialist first slip Martin Miller takes a stunning one-hander to bring the socially distanced Chapel Gate 'crowd' to its feet.
It happened in the first over after tea as Portsmouth set out in pursuit of Bournemouth's 185-9, a total that owed much to fifth-wicket pair Freddie Oldfield (49) and Sarang Urankar (40) who lifted the score from 45-4 after a four-wicket burst from Joe Eales (4-19).
Fit-again Tom Robinson (2-19), who has earned a call-up for Bournemouth's Premier Division match with Havant tomorrow, quickly nipped out prolific Portsmouth opener Matt Shaw, the scalp the lions really wanted, then produced an unplayable delivery which Eales was good enough to get a touch to. It flew high to Miller's right, but the silver fox leapt like Emiliano Martinez (he's a Villa fan) to pluck a wonder catch out of the sky.  Portsmouth collapsed to 86 all out with first team hopeful Robbie Pack and Tom Stannard sharing six wickets.

Sway are stacking up the points in a relentless push for Division 1 honours – a seventh straight win at near neighbours Lymington taking their tally to 148 in all.
That’s 50 more than Havant (98 from five) and defending champions Parley (87 from four), who have both played less games.
Sway captain Tim Noble returned to haunt his former club, hitting an accomplished 61 on a damp Sports Centre track and helping the visitors make it seven wins from seven. 
Having had to wait for an hour for the pitch to dry and been invited to bat first on a tricky surface, Noble (left) and Alex Hall (29) gave the visitors an excellent start.  
Striking seven balls in his 114-ball knock, Noble was aided by cameos from Dave Steadman (11) and a fine 30 from Oscar Marshall before Hugh Bernard crushed two huge sixes on his merry way to a quick 16 and Will Crossley struck a maximum on his brief, unbeaten debut as Sway racked up 184-7, a decent total on the challenging surface but one that was not out of reach. 
Sway soon set about Lymington’s top order, with Steadman (2-20) and Jon Waller (2-21) making early inroads.  
Hugh Bernard (2-23) struck two important blows with two absolute beauties and Lymington looked out of it at 81-6, only for some uncharacteristically sloppy fielding and bowling – not helped by a wet ball – meaning the hosts got an outside sniff. 
However, Dan Bailey (3-44) firmly shut the door on that, aided by a Hall stumping that removed top scorer Guy Layman (28), and Josh Bailey bowled nicely and claimed the last wicket as Sway ran out winners by 34 runs.  Lymington were 152 all out.
Parley appeared on course for a fifth straight win when heavy drizzle caused their match with Fareham & Crofton to be called off at the 18-over break, with the visitors struggling at 57-4 and way behind a 155-run target.
Teen Marcus Bragginton (27) and Shane Green (28) provided a sound base for Parley, with Alex Nippard (31) and later Chris Williams (25) pushing the total towards 155, left-arm spinner Morgan Frost returning 3-19.
With the dangerous Dan Wimble gone for a second ball duck and three others back in the tent, Fareham were wobbling at 57-4 when the rains came. On paper, they didn’t appear to have the clout to chase down the target.
Although they were two overs away from a fifth win, Parley weren’t entirely unhappy as their average would have dropped – but the more points you get, the better your chances of taking titles.
Havant II are clearly a major threat to Sway and Parley, though pencil in July 24 and August 7 when they go head-to-head with the top two, significantly perhaps at Havant Park.
They made short work of duffing up St Cross Symondians III, whose team changes so frequently skipper Graham Barrett must be contemplating a pre-match bonding session.
With left-arm spinner Steven Matthews (4-14) and Mark Martin (3-23) doing the damage, St Cross fell to 74 all out (Kevin Neave 25) and an eventual seven-wicket defeat, Southern Premier League regular Harry Gadd helping himself to an unbeaten 40 after elated Kiwi Stephen Fryer had struck two early blows.
Old Basing, who surrendered their unbeaten start at Sway a week earlier, were rushed out for a meagre 47 by Alton II, for whom Derek Footit took 5-21.
Alton were earlier rocking at 47-5, but Andrew Pearce (41) and Michael Salmon (38) ensured the Brewers would make 152-6.
Longparish successfully defended 116 in rolling winless Compton & Chandler’s Ford out for 97, the visitors having been 51-2 at one stage.  Chris Clarke (5-25) and young spinner Zac Allen (3-13) did the damage.

Shanklin crashed to a massive 201-run defeat against  Hampshire League Division 2 leaders Bramshaw at Westhill - probably the heaviest loss in their long history - after losing their first NINE wickets for only THIRTEEN runs !
Skipper Benji White could hardly have anticipated such a post tea horror show after an unbeaten 101 by former Hartley Wintney cricketer cricketer Danny Plume (pictured by Dave Vokes) had piloted Bramshaw to 238-8.
But then bit by bit and wicket by wicket Shanklin fell to pieces, with Michael Kingston (whose figures of 5-9 included four wides) taking his first wicket with two runs on the board.
Shanklin then lost three more wickets with the score at 7, compounded by another five wickets for one run (Joe Coombes 4-5) to stagger to 13 for nine !  Six batsmen made ducks.
Evergreen all-rounder Andy White, who has seen a thing or two in his long and creditable island career, emerged from the smart, fully renovated Westhill pavilion to almost double the Shanklin total himself by making 12, including one of the two boundaries his side hit.  
White and last man Nathan Moore denied Bramshaw for a combined total of 94 balls, adding 24 before the the New Forest visitors clinched their double-century victory in the 29th over.
To compound island misery (and there was plenty of that with car ferries breaking down), much fancied Ryde suffered a thumping eight-wicket defeat by Bishop's Waltham at Hardings Shute.
Ryde sank to 51-6 before Ben Gregory (50) and Julion Jayerajah (44) took them to 155 - a total Bishop's Waltham polished off with Luke Carvey hitting 75 not out.

Old Tauntonians & Romsey had egg on their faces after sticking five of their regular Southern Premier League Division 2 table topping side into their second team at Ferndown Wayfarers.  They lost by 16 runs.
The early postponement of the scheduled SPL2 match with Hartley Wintney at the Romsey Sports Centre enabled OTs to send Harry Tulk, Joe Vaughan (pictured), lead left-arm spinner Matt Bampton and opening bowlers Lewis Allen and Ed Davies off down the A31 and across the Dorset county boundary to Dolman’s Farm.
The trip began well enough when Ferndown, third in Hampshire League Division 2, lost two early wickets and were restricted to 169-8, Jordan Ponting taking 3-21 and Liam Poolman snapping up four victims behind the stumps.
The strengthened OTs team began their reply well enough but having reached 41 without loss promptly lost three wickets for one and never really recovered.
It was left to first team regular Joe Vaughan (53) to glue the innings together but when he became one of Freddie Pittway’s four victims at 127, OTs lost another three wickets for one run and were eventually all out for 153.  Pittway finished with 4-21.
OTs expect their normal first team to reassemble at Paultons for a 12.30pm derby against their near neighbours, who are bottom of SPL2.

The Island has lost one of its legends after the death of Shanklin’s Bill Jenkins, the Godfather of Isle of Wight cricket, at the age of 101.
Club players and officials paid tribute to the club president, who had been a member of the Westhill club for 61 years. During that time he served as player, captain, committee member, chairman and, latterly president.
‘Jenks’ had been a Portsmouth schoolboy footballer and went on to be on Aston Villa’s books in his native Birmingham before the Second World War intervened.
After the war, when he served in the Army Rifle Brigade, he had a trial for Southend but played non-league football for Hampshire, Havant, Newport and Ryde before breaking a leg in a Boxing Day charity game.
It didn’t stop him playing cricket though and he scored more than 10,000 runs for Havant Rovers in between working for the Inland Revenue on the mainland. 
He chose Shanklin as his Island club and he was quickly made captain, playing alongside fellow greats of the Island game such as Bob Welch and Bill Palmer.
He scored more than 13,000 runs for Shanklin and always relished the encounters with big rivals Ventnor.  Bill was made president of the club in 1996 and continued in the role until his death.  He was also captain of the IW county side at the age of 50.  Alan Marriott, Editor, IOW County Press.

Hursley Park and Winchester neighbours Easton & Martyr Worthy share bottom spot in Division 1 after losing their opening three matches.
Alongside Lymington seconds, who tied 219 runs each with Alton, they are the only sides yet to get off the mark.
Defending champions Parley are back in a familiar top spot an emphatic 135-run win over Hursley Park at The Quarters.
Alex Nippard (60), supported by Rosh Embalagama (35), teenager Marcus Bragginton (32), Jack Rowett (26) before a breezy 37 not out from Alex Cridland (37) eased Parley to 255-8. Ollie Green (4-16) and Rowatt (4-33) rushed Hursley out for 120.
The sight of Hursley Park joint bottom of the table must be a sore one for the stalwarts who recall the glory days of Lord’s and lifting the National Village Cup and subsequent success in the old Southern League.
The club boasts one of the nicest, if not the nicest, ground in the Hampshire League at The Quarters (top left) and pre-season spent a small fortune on constructing new practice facilities.

Easton & Martyr Worthy were dismissed for 130 and beaten by four wickets by Longparish at Cockets Mead, with Scott Sturt hitting an unbeaten half-century for the visitors.
Easton collapsed once Jamie Fox (58) and Seb Byers (27) were parted. The other nine batsmen mustered 35 runs between them, Chris Clarke taking 4-25.
Old Basing surrendered their unbeaten start in the scorching New Forest sunshine – but skipper Darren Turner will be pleased with the fighting spirit his side showed before table topping Sway clinched a three wicket victory.
Basing had won all four of their previous games, but found themselves rocking at 14-4 after a three wicket blast by Dave Steadman (3-29) and a fine run out by Dan Bailey.
Nick Willcock, who had made 91 and 95 in his previous knocks and now has a season’s aggregate of 315, struck ten fours as he kept Old Basing afloat, but was largely kept in check by the Sway bowlers, as wickets tumbled at the other end.  
Jon Grasham (1-34), and Hugh Bernard (2-29) bowled nicely in tandem to restrict the visitors before Dan Bailey (3-29), ushered out the lower order as Old Basing closed on 156.  
Sway’s Tim Noble (34) and Alex Hall (12) gave the hosts a 55-run head start and all seemed well. However, when both perished in quick succession and the in-form Steadman was out to a good ball Sway’s good start went to 69-3, Cameron Hall (3-21) creating inroads. 
Dan Bailey (42) crushed a few boundaries to asset his authority alongside Oscar Marshall (13), but both fell in quick succession, followed by Neil Prince, and after Hugo Chandler went for seven, Sway needed some calm thinking.  That came from Grasham (12*) and was aided by some brutal hitting by former England Under-19 international Hugh Bernard, who smacked 16 off six balls to ensure Sway won a keenly contested game.

Dan Wimble and Dan Reader were the standout performers as Fareham & Crofton recorded back-to-back victories.  Wimble top scored with 76 and Reader returned his second best set of league bowling figures as Fareham handed Alton seconds a 114-run drubbing at Bath Lane.
Wimble - who had scored 103 and 73 in pre-season friendlies against Hook 2nds and Gosport Borough respectively - was involved in two half-century stands. 
He put on 51 for the first wicket with Morgan Frost (19) and 55 for the third with Steve Berryman (16) before he was second man out at 116 - having scored 76.
Sam Stoddart (23) and Angus Southon (52) - his third highest league innings - added another 55 for the fourth wicket. Past Winchester College captain Freddie Egleston collected 4-45 as F & C slid from 200-4 to 208-8.
That was a total way beyond Alton’s scope as Reader bagged 4-28 to send them crashing to 94 all out in 26.2 overs.
They were his second best league figures - his career best remains the 6-20 against Hook 2nds three years ago.  Opening bowler Ben White (back from a broken hand) took 2-20 and Wimble completed a fine afternoon’s work by coming on as his side’s fifth and final bowler and claiming 2-12 in 20 balls.
Burridge II lost nine wickets for 63 runs as they collapsed from 103-1 to 221-6 against Havant II, who continue to go well in third spot, with three wins from four.
Jack Slaughter (48) and Jack Paskins (39) got the visitors into a challenging position at 103-1, but the chase went horribly wrong as Ali Gardner, Faizan Tahsin and Steve Matthews took three wickets each in demolishing them for 166.
Havant’s total had been built around a maiden league half-century by Charlie Whitfield (61), Tahsin (40), Stu Ransley (31) and Oli Jones (28).
Portsmouth's Ishafaque Ahmad and Lee Hungerford combined to skittle a much depleted St Cross Symondians thirds for just 59 at St Helens.
Six of the last eight visiting batsmen failed to score with last man Gavin Buckle going down in the scoreboard as ‘timed out’.
Portchester raised Hungerford bagged new league best figures for the second time in three games. After taking 3-17 against Lymington II on May 29, he took 4-8. Ahmed dismissed four of the top five in his 4-23 haul as St Cross were all out in the 23rd over.
In reply, the hosts won by eight wickets in just 7.4 overs, with Matt Walton belted seven fours in his unbeaten 29.
Sam Ashman carried his bat through the Andover innings, making an unbeaten 107, but wasn’t quite able to get his side across the line in a tied match with Lymington II, who defended 219-8 (Jack Morris 72).  Andover were five down on the same score.

Back in the day, a teenage Paul Garlick opened the bowling for Cambridge University, shaping his right-arm medium pace deliveries at the likes of Graham Gooch, Javed Miandad, Alvin Kallicharran and Alex Stewart (his prize dismissal) before bowing out with a Blue in the 1984 Varsity Match defeat by Oxford at Lord’s.
Hundreds of overs later, close on 90 victims for Dorset in Minor Counties cricket and loads more for his home town club, Garlick skippers Bournemouth thirds in Hampshire League Division 4 West.
He may be in the twilight of his career of 56 years of age, but Garlick still knows how to bowl line and length – and take wickets, as Redlynch & Hale seconds found to their considerable cost.
Although they lost a wicket without a run on the board, Redlynch were going along quite nicely at 52-1 when Garlick brought himself into the attack.
His impact was sensational to say the least.
In the space of 34 deliveries (5.4 overs), Garlick ripped through the Redlynch middle-order, taking six wickets – without conceding a single run !
He clean bowled four batsmen and had two others caught as Redlynch capitulated to 61 all out – their last nine wickets crashing for just nine runs. Bournemouth went on to win by nine wickets.
“At the start of the game my main aim was to come through without getting injured and be sidelined for a few weeks, but I found a nice rhythm and hit a perfect length, with quite amazing effect,” he smiled.
“Earlier in my career I took 7-20 and another six wickets for three runs, but to not concede a single run off 34 balls was remarkable.”