Ben Thane hit an unbeaten 147 and spinner Charlie Neville took four wickets on first team debut as Hook & Newnham Basics banked an invaluable 11 points from a high scoring draw against ECB Southern Premier League high-fliers Hampshire Academy.
Struggling for runs in recent matches, Hook must have feared the worst when the county youngsters piled up a towering 340-9, but there was no white flag of surrender being waved by Josh Buckingham’s side.
Thane’s 147, the second highest of his 12 Premier League hundreds, led Hook to 230-2 and ensured they remained five points ahead of bottom-of-the-table Bournemouth, whose visit to the KGV on Saturday (11am) promises to be critical in the battle for survival.
Thane hit two sixes and 25 fours in his marathon 165-ball innings – his 115-run opening partnership with Harry Warner (42) denying the Academy a breakthrough until the 30th over.
Thane later featured in an unbroken century stand with Matt Buckingham (35 not out) as a flagging Academy attack ran out of ideas. Quite a number of the Young Hawks had been playing in Hampshire’s four-day Second XI County Championship match in midweek, so were understandably jaded.
Earlier, Winchester College batsman Wilf Fortesque-Jackson, who has been in good nick recently, top scored for the Academy, just missing out on a second SPL century to place alongside his 107 against St Cross Symondians in 2021.
He hit 97 with two sixes and 11 fours, sharing a near century partnership with Alton’s Jude Wright (50) after Charlie Mumford (79) and Dom Kelly (34) had made their respective marks in the morning session.
Charlie Neville, who has been in good form for Hook seconds recently, wheeled away for 14 overs, taking the wickets of four of the Academy’s top five in a 4-103 return on a flat Ageas Bowl surface.
Struggling for runs in recent matches, Hook must have feared the worst when the county youngsters piled up a towering 340-9, but there was no white flag of surrender being waved by Josh Buckingham’s side.
Thane’s 147, the second highest of his 12 Premier League hundreds, led Hook to 230-2 and ensured they remained five points ahead of bottom-of-the-table Bournemouth, whose visit to the KGV on Saturday (11am) promises to be critical in the battle for survival.
Thane hit two sixes and 25 fours in his marathon 165-ball innings – his 115-run opening partnership with Harry Warner (42) denying the Academy a breakthrough until the 30th over.
Thane later featured in an unbroken century stand with Matt Buckingham (35 not out) as a flagging Academy attack ran out of ideas. Quite a number of the Young Hawks had been playing in Hampshire’s four-day Second XI County Championship match in midweek, so were understandably jaded.
Earlier, Winchester College batsman Wilf Fortesque-Jackson, who has been in good nick recently, top scored for the Academy, just missing out on a second SPL century to place alongside his 107 against St Cross Symondians in 2021.
He hit 97 with two sixes and 11 fours, sharing a near century partnership with Alton’s Jude Wright (50) after Charlie Mumford (79) and Dom Kelly (34) had made their respective marks in the morning session.
Charlie Neville, who has been in good form for Hook seconds recently, wheeled away for 14 overs, taking the wickets of four of the Academy’s top five in a 4-103 return on a flat Ageas Bowl surface.
