
South Wilts tossed the old adage of 'catches win matches' aside before a half-century by skipper Ben Draper swept them to a four-wicket win over a Hampshire Pathway XI on the Ageas Bowl Nursery Ground last night.
Tom Grant (3-20), teenager Kit Blomfield (3-27) and Tom Lewis (2-12) took the lion's share of the wickets as the Hampshire youngsters posted 115-9 (Dubs Wood 43), but their out-fielding wasn't of the highest order as quite a number of catches went down.
South Wilts were facing defeat at 46-6 - the county kids seemingly catching everything and twice hitting the stumps with direct-hit run outs - but Ben Draper took the situation in hand, hitting an unbeaten 51 and sharing an unbroken 70-run stand with Tom Grant (27 not out), which got them home with three balls to spare.