Sway have mirrored their their start to 2019 with five straight wins, while Old Basing have won all four of theirs. Defending champions Parley, with three wins, visit winless Hursley Park.
An excellent 69 from the talismanic David Steadman and a four-wicket burst from Hugh Bernard helped Sway make it five wins from five with a win over Fareham & Crofton.
Sway had to battle hard to their total of 217 with several batsmen getting starts before Steadman, with six fours and a six, took centre stage. His mixture of patience and the odd big shot paid off, helped by cameos from Neil Prince (14) and Bernard, before Steadman was finally caught.
Towards the end of the innings the visitors appeared a little frayed, with Jon Grasham (25*) and Sam Nailor adding vital runs and Fareham suffering a huge blow when their key opener Tom Kent dislocated his left ring finger and finished in A & E. He is out for five weeks.
Fareham never got going, with a beauty from Steadman claiming a wicket and the visitors struggling against the disciplined and accurate Jon Waller, whose 2-13 off eight overs included the key wicket of pinch hitting Dan Wimble.
When former England U19 seamer Bernard (4-27) entered the fray he did instant damage, his return including an incredible grab by Noble in the gully before Fareham subsided to 106 all out (James Headen 33).
Grandad Rob Willcocks can take a lot of credit for the way his sons Richard (at Hook & Newnham Basics) and Nick have developed as batsmen; alas, in the latter’s case he’s clearly not taught Nick how to get through the nervous nineties and get to that jug buying 100.
For the second consecutive week Nick was dismissed in the 90s, though his 95 against Andover II (which took his run tally to 251) did played a key part in Old Basing’s 58-run win. They were 57-3 when Willcock joined Darren Turner (44) for a century stand which carried OB to 233-7. Ben Ungaretti took 4-29 as Andover made 175-8.
Hale smacked six maximums and 11 fours in his 118 (Alton made 221-9) while HP were in the box seat at 186-3 after a stand between Flynn (109) and Matt Branford (55). It went down to the last ball, with Tommy Docherty run out with HP 220-8.
Andrew Galliers and Graham Burns were the heroes of Havant’s 95-run win over Lymington – the pair sharing a ninth wicket stand of 68 as the visitors recovered from 151-8 to make 233-9. Galliers was last man out for 73.
Teenager Axel Deem (64) propped up Lymington’s reply, but after Steve Matthews had taken 3-41, fellow left-arm spinner Graham Burns took five wickets in eight balls to send the hosts to 128 all out.
Five middle-order batsmen bagged ducks as Ollie Green and young Joe Huns rolled Compton & Chandler’s Ford out for 106. Parley won by six wickets.
An unbroken century-plus stand between Chris Blake (79) and James Hughes (52) eased a strengthened Burridge II past Portsmouth’s 170-9 (James Palmer-Goddard 72).
Callum Giles (82) underpinned a Longparish total of 197-8 which proved too many for visitors Winton, who made 157, teenager Zac Allen taking 3-40.