 Marvin Williams (5-42) wrecked Basingstoke top order. |  Joe Oates celebrates his maiden Premier Division fifty. |
Billy Mead was a yard or two short of the Green Jackets boundary rope as he attempted to bring up his match winning century against Basingstoke & North Hants with a six.
Instead, the St Cross Symondians batsman had to be content with an unbeaten 99 as the Winchester side cruised to an eight-wicket win which bedded Basingstoke deeper still into the ECB Southern Premier Division relegation zone.
But for Joe Oates, who made an SPL best 63, and Chris Jolley (31) St Cross wouldn’t have been chasing anything like 171.
Basingstoke’s top order was ruthlessly dismantled by Marvin Williams, nicknamed the Ocean Express by his teammates at his native Constantia club on the outskirts of Cape Town.
Williams took 5-41 and Simon Beetham 2-24 as Basingstoke sank to 43-6 before Jolley hit back with a breezy 31 off 25 balls, which included a six and four fours.
Maiden fifty
After his departure, the visitors enjoyed their best partnerships of the game thanks to Joe Oates and Ash Neal. The pair added 66 for the eighth wicket, before Neal (16) was trapped leg before by Felix Organ.
Oates and Matt Thankachan moved the score past 150, as Oates recorded his maiden Southern League Premier Division half century before the Hampshire 50s all-rounder was run out by Tom Foyle.
In the end, Basingstoke were all out for 171 with Oates (63) the last man out, as Williams returned to the attack. Oates hit seven fours.
St Cross were rocked when Jolley bowled Foyle with his first ball and South African Brad Porteous then dismissed Max Curtis leaving the defending Premier Division champions on 13-2.
That was as good as it got for the visitors as Hampshire second XI prospect Harry Came (65) and Billy Mead (99) added 159 to steer St Cross to an eight-wicket victory. Mead, who has been in good form for the MCC YCs recently, hit two sixes and 11 fours.
The win lifted St Cross into second place, some 40 points adrift of leaders Bashley (Rydal), with the defeat leaving Basingstoke 36 points adrift of the nearest safety rung with four 50-over ‘white ball’ matches left.
Instead, the St Cross Symondians batsman had to be content with an unbeaten 99 as the Winchester side cruised to an eight-wicket win which bedded Basingstoke deeper still into the ECB Southern Premier Division relegation zone.
But for Joe Oates, who made an SPL best 63, and Chris Jolley (31) St Cross wouldn’t have been chasing anything like 171.
Basingstoke’s top order was ruthlessly dismantled by Marvin Williams, nicknamed the Ocean Express by his teammates at his native Constantia club on the outskirts of Cape Town.
Williams took 5-41 and Simon Beetham 2-24 as Basingstoke sank to 43-6 before Jolley hit back with a breezy 31 off 25 balls, which included a six and four fours.
Maiden fifty
After his departure, the visitors enjoyed their best partnerships of the game thanks to Joe Oates and Ash Neal. The pair added 66 for the eighth wicket, before Neal (16) was trapped leg before by Felix Organ.
Oates and Matt Thankachan moved the score past 150, as Oates recorded his maiden Southern League Premier Division half century before the Hampshire 50s all-rounder was run out by Tom Foyle.
In the end, Basingstoke were all out for 171 with Oates (63) the last man out, as Williams returned to the attack. Oates hit seven fours.
St Cross were rocked when Jolley bowled Foyle with his first ball and South African Brad Porteous then dismissed Max Curtis leaving the defending Premier Division champions on 13-2.
That was as good as it got for the visitors as Hampshire second XI prospect Harry Came (65) and Billy Mead (99) added 159 to steer St Cross to an eight-wicket victory. Mead, who has been in good form for the MCC YCs recently, hit two sixes and 11 fours.
The win lifted St Cross into second place, some 40 points adrift of leaders Bashley (Rydal), with the defeat leaving Basingstoke 36 points adrift of the nearest safety rung with four 50-over ‘white ball’ matches left.
Billy Mead 'stranded' on 99 [Roy Honeybone]
