Jack Bransgrove [Roy Honeybone]
Jack Bransgrove cracked 60 off 46 balls and later weighed in with three wickets as St Cross Symondians celebrated their first win in the ECB British Gas Southern Premier League Time pennant.
His all-round ‘man of the match’ performance earned St Cross a 106-run win over relegation favourites Andover – the Winchester club’s first success since the Jimmy Adams inspired victory over Havant in late May.
St Cross ultimately won with some comfort, but the match was at an uncertain stage when Bransgrove arrived at the crease.
Earlier, two new-ball strikes by Mike Adams, who finished with 4-69, had St Cross rocking at 4-2.
Matt Stokes (30) and Harry Came (30) repaired the early damage and, alongside Billy Mead (33) and Robbie Hadfield (33) also made decent starts.
But Andover gradually chipped away with Mike Adams and spin duo Danny Foy and Matt Hooper taking wickets two each as St Cross slipped to 175-7.
Bransgrove quickly took the initiative away from Andover, initially in an eighth-wicket rally with Harry Foyle (20) but more emphatically with Charlie Ayres (27 not out) at his side.
The Hampshire chairman’s son plundered four sixes and four boundaries, adding 56 quick-fire runs with Ayres, who beat the rope twice himself.
St Cross finished with an imposing 274-9 –and then gradually worked their way through the Andover reply, Dutch all-rounder Logan Van Beek (3-21) quickly trapping Glyn Treagus leg before.
Will Arnold (26), Max Romar-Lee (21), former Sparsholt cricketer Stuart Tognarelli (22) and Sri Lankan Chamika Karunaratne (20) all came and went, as spinner Ayres (4-66) and Bransgrove (3-26) made deepening inroads into the Andover reply.
Harry Blackburn (23) and Matt Knight (18) also put some runs on the board before Andover were eventually dismissed for 168.
His all-round ‘man of the match’ performance earned St Cross a 106-run win over relegation favourites Andover – the Winchester club’s first success since the Jimmy Adams inspired victory over Havant in late May.
St Cross ultimately won with some comfort, but the match was at an uncertain stage when Bransgrove arrived at the crease.
Earlier, two new-ball strikes by Mike Adams, who finished with 4-69, had St Cross rocking at 4-2.
Matt Stokes (30) and Harry Came (30) repaired the early damage and, alongside Billy Mead (33) and Robbie Hadfield (33) also made decent starts.
But Andover gradually chipped away with Mike Adams and spin duo Danny Foy and Matt Hooper taking wickets two each as St Cross slipped to 175-7.
Bransgrove quickly took the initiative away from Andover, initially in an eighth-wicket rally with Harry Foyle (20) but more emphatically with Charlie Ayres (27 not out) at his side.
The Hampshire chairman’s son plundered four sixes and four boundaries, adding 56 quick-fire runs with Ayres, who beat the rope twice himself.
St Cross finished with an imposing 274-9 –and then gradually worked their way through the Andover reply, Dutch all-rounder Logan Van Beek (3-21) quickly trapping Glyn Treagus leg before.
Will Arnold (26), Max Romar-Lee (21), former Sparsholt cricketer Stuart Tognarelli (22) and Sri Lankan Chamika Karunaratne (20) all came and went, as spinner Ayres (4-66) and Bransgrove (3-26) made deepening inroads into the Andover reply.
Harry Blackburn (23) and Matt Knight (18) also put some runs on the board before Andover were eventually dismissed for 168.
