Evergreen Andover seamer Babu Veettil (pictured above) produced a career-best return of six wickets for nine runs off his eight over to send Southern Premier Division 1 leaders Totton & Eling crashing to a crushing defeat at London Road.
His spell, which included the first four wickets, had Totton rocking at 22-7 before teenager Tommy Cheater hit a superb 65 to lift the total by 100 to 122 – a target Andover nonetheless knocked off to win by seven wickets.
With Calmore beating New Milton, Totton’s lead at the top is down to seven points, making Saturday’s Southern Gardens showdown with the Lord’s Voneus Village Cup a potential title decider.
The result, in contrast, has given Andover the chance to escape the drop. Still in the relegation zone, they’ll go into Saturday’s home match with a much changed Basingstoke & North Hants with a 12-point leeway to make up on Sarisbury Athletic, who face a tough challenge at Sparsholt.
Veettil 6-9 return was only his five-wicket plus return in Southern Premier League cricket – his previous best being against OTs & Romsey back in July 2016, his debut season with the Lions.
“Babu’s bowling better than ever, he’s a different bowler now with the experience. He’s bowling like he is a lot younger than 40-plus and he’s training/practising as hard as ever.
“He just bowled really well and got on a roll against Totton and looked like he could get a wicket any ball,” said Andover skipper Matt Hooper.
The fact that Totton recovered to add another 100 owed much to Tommy Cheater and Oxbridge student Sam Beer, who added 59 for the seventh wicket.
The Brockenhurst College-bound Cheater is making quite a mark for himself locally and has just turned in some decent performances for Hampshire Under-18s, including 76 against Middlesex this week.
Opening the batting, he saw seven Totton partners come and go, grounding it out for two shy of 100 balls, with six fours and two sixes in his 65. Beer scored 24 as the pair battled it out for over an hour under serious Andover pressure.
They were eventually parted at 88-8, Beer being caught – needless to say by Babu Veettil !
Cheater was eventually last man out at 122, having come close to carrying his bat through the entire innings.
It took Andover into the 26th over to knock off the runs, Nathan Birks (23) providing a lively start and fellow opener Sam Ashman seeing the job through with an unbeaten 37.
• Babu Veettil’s golden performance wins the Andover seamer the round 16 Player of the Week award, sponsored by this website.
His spell, which included the first four wickets, had Totton rocking at 22-7 before teenager Tommy Cheater hit a superb 65 to lift the total by 100 to 122 – a target Andover nonetheless knocked off to win by seven wickets.
With Calmore beating New Milton, Totton’s lead at the top is down to seven points, making Saturday’s Southern Gardens showdown with the Lord’s Voneus Village Cup a potential title decider.
The result, in contrast, has given Andover the chance to escape the drop. Still in the relegation zone, they’ll go into Saturday’s home match with a much changed Basingstoke & North Hants with a 12-point leeway to make up on Sarisbury Athletic, who face a tough challenge at Sparsholt.
Veettil 6-9 return was only his five-wicket plus return in Southern Premier League cricket – his previous best being against OTs & Romsey back in July 2016, his debut season with the Lions.
“Babu’s bowling better than ever, he’s a different bowler now with the experience. He’s bowling like he is a lot younger than 40-plus and he’s training/practising as hard as ever.
“He just bowled really well and got on a roll against Totton and looked like he could get a wicket any ball,” said Andover skipper Matt Hooper.
The fact that Totton recovered to add another 100 owed much to Tommy Cheater and Oxbridge student Sam Beer, who added 59 for the seventh wicket.
The Brockenhurst College-bound Cheater is making quite a mark for himself locally and has just turned in some decent performances for Hampshire Under-18s, including 76 against Middlesex this week.
Opening the batting, he saw seven Totton partners come and go, grounding it out for two shy of 100 balls, with six fours and two sixes in his 65. Beer scored 24 as the pair battled it out for over an hour under serious Andover pressure.
They were eventually parted at 88-8, Beer being caught – needless to say by Babu Veettil !
Cheater was eventually last man out at 122, having come close to carrying his bat through the entire innings.
It took Andover into the 26th over to knock off the runs, Nathan Birks (23) providing a lively start and fellow opener Sam Ashman seeing the job through with an unbeaten 37.
• Babu Veettil’s golden performance wins the Andover seamer the round 16 Player of the Week award, sponsored by this website.
Tom Cheater - making his mark locally [Owen Morris picture]
