Bashley (Rydal) legend Iain Britton brushed aside the blistering Caribbean heat to strike a tournament best 82 not out for the Hampshire Seniors against the Wanderers at the famous Barbados Police ground in Weymouth, where Sir Garfield Sobers cut his teeth in local island club cricket as a 15-year old.
The mercury sizzled around the 32C mark as the Bashley maestro cut loose – locals in the crowd being struck with awe as Britton ran 68 of his 82 runs.
He explained: “The boundary was massive. I hit one six and two fours and had to run the rest – but the hours I’d spent in the gym and running around the roads of New Milton pre-tour paid off.”
Regulars at the Police club, one of the most famous grounds in Barbados, thought they were watching Sobers in disguise as Britton sublimely too the West Indian bowling apart, without getting the century reward his knock justified.
Wanderers hurried home by six wickets in 29.2 overs to inflict a second consecutive defeat on the sun baked Seniors, who suffered a 16-run defeat by a strong Barbados Cricket League Vets XI the previous day.
Basingstoke & North Hants all-rounder Keith Harsham top scored in the Seniors’ 152 all out after the BCL had posted 168-9.
[The 'crease' regrets that, since the above photograph was taken, Iain Britton has lost his job as Sway's school crossing patrol operative.]
The mercury sizzled around the 32C mark as the Bashley maestro cut loose – locals in the crowd being struck with awe as Britton ran 68 of his 82 runs.
He explained: “The boundary was massive. I hit one six and two fours and had to run the rest – but the hours I’d spent in the gym and running around the roads of New Milton pre-tour paid off.”
Regulars at the Police club, one of the most famous grounds in Barbados, thought they were watching Sobers in disguise as Britton sublimely too the West Indian bowling apart, without getting the century reward his knock justified.
Wanderers hurried home by six wickets in 29.2 overs to inflict a second consecutive defeat on the sun baked Seniors, who suffered a 16-run defeat by a strong Barbados Cricket League Vets XI the previous day.
Basingstoke & North Hants all-rounder Keith Harsham top scored in the Seniors’ 152 all out after the BCL had posted 168-9.
[The 'crease' regrets that, since the above photograph was taken, Iain Britton has lost his job as Sway's school crossing patrol operative.]
