The main A31 road to Bournemouth is to remain closed all weekend due to the serious New Forest fires. Westbound traffic will exit the M27 at J2 (A36 to Salisbury and Waterside).
Clubs should explore alternative routes if they are Bournemouth postcode bound.   Good luck !

George Metzger rescued Portsmouth from a horror start with his highest ever ECB Southern Premier League score.  He made his individual record 133 at Burridge with Portsmouth rocking at 30-5 !  They went on to win by 26 runs and go fourth.
The visitors plunged into trouble from the off with Ben Duggan run out third ball. He was quickly joined back in the pavilion by Nazim Saddiqui, Harry Gadd, Sam Caddy and Ray Reynolds.
Metzger, who still lives in his home town Basingstoke, led the fightback with a 134-run stand with Dan Wimble (64) before Ali Zaidi (26) helped him add a further 102 for the seventh.  
Metzger, fresh after an SPL enforced week's rest, went on to hit two sixes and 15 fours as Portsmouth closed on 276-8.
Former Australia U19 gloveman Toby Snell was hoping to say his Burridge farewell in style - he returned to Brisbane after Sunday's T20 Cup win over Lymington - but having made 34 was outfoxed by Ben De Laszlo, (3-54), the Radley College captain, who has 10 SPL poles to his name in quick time.
Alex Brewer (62) and Sachin Suresh (43) top scored before Dan Stancliffe made a late 32.  Burridge closed 250-8.

​A thrilling Southern Premier League second tier title race looks certain to go down to the final day on August 29 2026.
With just three games remaining, Hambledon occupy the sole promotion place – but they are just two points ahead of Fair Oak.
Both sides have won 10 of their 13 completed matches as they both seek what would be a first-ever season dining at the top table of SPL cricket.
Hambledon maintained top spot with a 92-run victory over rock bottom Langley Manor, while Oak defeated second-bottom OTs & Romsey by 44 runs.
The Dons have Havant (seventh), Calmore Sports (fourth, away) and Ventnor (sixth) left to play, while Oak take on Calmore, Totton & Eling (third) and Basingstoke (eighth).
Western Province CC all-rounder Justin Behrens ​above compiled a fourth successive half-century as Hambledon posted 292-8 after winning the toss at Knellers Lane.
The South African followed up scores of 67 (v Oaks), 92 (v Totton & Eling) and 53 (v Basingstoke) with 57, putting on 119 for the third wicket with Henry Glanfield (57).  Mark Butcher provided late acceleration, hitting an unbeaten 60 off 49 balls with seven boundaries.
Chris Pratt (3-28) then blew away most of Langley’s top order. First he had Nick Doubell caught by Ben Harding off the second ball of his first over. Then, he dismissed Jack Budd and skipper Conor Browne in successive deliveries in his fifth.
James Restell then removed South Australian Tejas Gill with the third ball of his sixth over as Langley collapsed to 23-4.
Steve Harris (50), Jack Campbell (37) and William Budd (27) provided middle order resistance, but Elliot Lewis (2-24), Behrens (2-49) and Greg Chaplin (2-54) were also among the wickets as Langley were bowled out for 210.
As for Fair Oak, they amassed 297-7 against OTs with opener Sam Reed hitting 77 and sharing stands of 77 for the first wicket with Ayinan Ramanan (37) and  70 for the second with Dan Wheble (36).
In reply, Charlie King hit 53 at the top of the order, before Alex Mills (55) and Hakim Peruzi (34) help up Oak’s victory charge with an eighth wicket partnership of 91.
There was a dramatic finish at Southern Gardens where Totton & Eling defeated Rowledge by one run.
Needing eight for victory, Will Ryman lifted the fourth ball of the 40th over, bowled by Aaryan Vinod, over the ropes. From the very next ball, though, he was caught by Leo Taylor. That saw Vinod end with 4-44, while it was also Taylor’s second key contribution to the game.
The first was dismissing New Zealand run machine Archie Redfern for 24, only the third time in 14 innings he had failed to reach at least 50.
The Kiwi now needs 169 runs from a maximum of three innings to beat the 1,234 all-time SPL seasonal record set by Hambledon’s Matt De Villiers four years ago.

We’re on the lookout for an enthusiastic ECB Core Coach / Level 2 equivalent to lead our coaching programme.
With 4 senior teams and 11 junior teams, this is a fantastic chance to make a real impact at a growing, ambitious club.
What We’re Looking For
ECB Core Coach / Level 2 qualified
Around 6 hours coaching per week (indoor & outdoor)
Passion for developing junior players and building a pathway into senior cricket
Ideally able to play and commit to Saturday matches (not essential)
Competitive Pay
Based on experience, plus opportunities for paid 1‑to‑1 coaching for additional income.
Interested? Email us at [email protected] for more information.

Skipper Rob Franklin watched in horror as Sarisbury Athletic lost their last two wickets in three deliveries - just as they appeared on the brink of pulling off a remarkable 300-run chase against the Hampshire Academy at Allotment Road.
Chasing the Academy's 299-9, Sarisbury were within a boundary strike of winning when, crucially, at 296-8 Franklin lost the strike.
But he and spin tailender Sam Hill (16) had already put on 36 for the ninth wicket, Hill having launched one leg-side six out of the ground. No panic then.
Suddenly, Hill lost his cool and went for the big decisive hit off seamer Freddie Gillett ​left (3-59) and picked out Abdullah Iqbal at deep mid-off.  Sarisbury 296-9.  
Two balls later and with Franklin (32*) still marooned at the non-striker's end, Gillett re-arranged last man Josh Cox's stumps.  
Sarisbury Athletic 296 all out.  Hampshire Academy win by three runs.
It was a dramatic end to a pulsating ECB Southern Premier Division match which yielded five shy of 600 runs - no wonder Andy Oliphant's deck is so highly rated, though probably not by the bowlers !
Sam Ashman (65) and Samand Khan (63) top scored for the Academy, with Adam Bourne (40), Gillett (38), Alfie Appleby Ingram (35) and Oli Webster (31) all making their marks. The Academy allowed the initiative to slip and ought to have totalled 350.
A six an over run chase isn't that difficult at The Hollow and, while Nathan Feltham (63) and the hobbling Jack Robson (61) were enjoying themselves, Sarisbury (at 154-2, Nathaniel Hlabangana 35) looked a good bet.
Scoreboard pressure told. Spin duo Tom Wellings (4-44) and Ingham (2-38) continued to make inroads, creating a fascinating finish. It was a great watch.

Guy Layman's first five-wicket haul since 2018, which included four poles in 14 balls, set up an away day ECB Southern Premier League win for Lymington on Alton's Jubilee Ground.
He returned figures of 5-20 as Alton rallied from a desperate 55-7 to post 154 and then have Lymington on the hook at 68-4 before Jovan Dhariwal hit an unbeaten 48 to turn the tide.
Alton were 53-2 when Layman joined the attack with devastating effect, taking four wickets to leave the Brewers reeling.  
The last three Alton wickets produced 99 runs with Bash Walters (41*) and Zach Gadsby (26) to the fore.
It transpires that Layman's last 5-wicket haul came back in September 2018 against Fair Oak ... at Sparsholt !   Lymington's team that day included six Isle of Wight based cricketers : so much for 'home grown' policy !
An inspired spell by Gadsby (2-33) left Lymington four down, but Dhariwal's 48 not out got the side home. 

Conor Smith clouted Louis Prichard for a six off the last ball of the match to give Bournemouth a thrilling four-wicket win over now relegated Bashley (Rydal). The Lions had needed 15 off the last over - and got them !
Having chased down Bashley’s 280-7, the hosts needed that boundary from the final delivery and found a six to complete a remarkable finish and leave Bashley empty-handed despite having been in control for much of the run chase.
Bashley had posted a competitive total after Michael Porter rolled back the years with a superb 94 from 97 balls. Porter struck 13 fours and a six, providing the backbone of the innings after Cameron Basey had earlier made an excellent 50 from 54 balls.  The pair helped Bashley recover from 87-2, although wickets continued to fall around Porter.
Saifullah Achakzai added 24 before falling with the score on 200, while George Wilson provided late impetus with an unbeaten 29 from just 22 balls, including three fours and a six. Sammy Laurent finished 11 not out as Bashley reached 280-7 from their 50 overs.
Bournemouth’s reply initially appeared to be slipping away as Bashley reduced the hosts to 148-6. The fast emerging Basey was instrumental in the fightback, producing an excellent spell of 4-37 from his 10 overs, while Wilson and Laurent also claimed wickets.
But Cole Rushforth kept Bournemouth alive with a superb unbeaten 91 from 88 balls, joining Connor Smith, who finished 58 not out, for a decisive partnership.
With the match going down to the final delivery, Bournemouth needed to find the boundary to win – and duly found it, the last-ball maximum completing an extraordinary victory at 283-6.
For Bashley, it was a desperately frustrating ending to a match they had appeared to have within their grasp.            pHOTOGRAPHS WILL BE ADDED LATER

St Cross Symondians are within touching distance of a second consecutive ECB Southern Premier League championship and will expect to wrap things up by beating bottom-of-the-table Bashley (Rydal) at the BCG on Saturday, 11am.
A crushing ten-wicket win against a totally outplayed South Wilts at the Green Jackets has left them requiring 15 points from their remaining three games to retain the title.
St Cross were at their impressive best against South Wilts, dismissing the Salisbury club for 93 in 29 overs and polishing off the target in a flurry of sixes and fours, 60 of their runs crossing the boundary rope.
St Cross are on the brink on retaining the title having won 10 of their completed matches. Sarisbury Athletic beat them in early May.
"They are an outstanding team, with a superbly balanced pace and spin attack, backed up by a formidable batting line-up," praised South Wilts skipper Ben Draper.
"Opening pair Byron Langley and Dom Kelly (2-24) made us play at everything. There were plenty of nicks. We were 28-5 and 93 all out, with eight batsmen caught."
Langley (3-14) has made a real impact since joining St Cross from Putney, taking 23 wickets, the bulk of them top order batsmen.
Young left-hander Archie Fairfax-Ross (27) staged a mini fightback before Ben Jack and Tom Grant launched a six and a four each to lift the South Wilts total to 93.
Spin pair Charlie Gwynn (3-29) and Felix Organ (2-25) added their names to the wicket taking list.  
If South Wilts weren't demoralised enough, Archie Pascoe's opening delivery was belted back over the Green Jackets pavilion for a huge six by McKenzie.  
St Cross weren't going to dally about.  McKenzie added another six to tally, his alongside hitting seven fours in his 53 not out.   Organ was 27 not out at stumps. 

Bournemouth, Burridge, Portsmouth and South Wilts have won through to the Southern Premier League T20 Cup semi-finals.

Results -

Burridge 184-6 (Snell 69, Chowdhury 46, Ullah 26, Dhariwal 3-32)
Lymington 142 (Royan 40, Baker 38, Ullah 4-27)
Burridge won by 42 runs.

Bournemouth 201-5 (Appleby Ingham 89, Van Der Merwe 68, King 4-39)
Old Tauntonians & Romsey 140 (Tulk 46, A Smith 3-29)
Bournemouth won by 61 runs.

Portsmouth 159-9 (Siddiqui 47, Zaidi 34, Metzger 26, Cavell 3-28)
Alton 123-6 (Myers 44, Egleston 20)
Portsmouth won by 36 runs.

Rowledge 118-8 (Harris 34, Redfern 21, Degg 2-8, Pittman 2-24, Allom 2-24) 
South Wilts 120-3 (Degg 40*, Broderick 29, Francis 24)
South Wilts won by seven wickets.

A major late Saturday night blaze has ravaged the Hursley Sports Club (formerly IMB Hursley), where South Winchester have been playing their Hampshire Cricket League matches.   
Crews from Eastleigh, Andover, Winchester, Romsey, Hightown, Redbridge, St Mary’s, Botley, Sutton Scotney, Portchester, Beaulieu, Fareham, Bishops Waltham and Stockbridge arrived to find the building "well alight".
Around 70 firefighters in breathing apparatus used hose reels, jets, an aerial ladder platform, water carriers and other specialist vehicles to stop the blaze spreading.
Crews began returning to their stations around 3am, but two fire engines came back on Sunday morning to check the site and dampen down hotspots.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is taking place. 

ECB SOUTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE
ROUND 14: 8 August 2026

ECB PREMIER DIVISION

Alton 154 (Walters 41*, Gadsby 26, Layman 5-20)
Lymington 157-5 (J Dhariwal 48*, Wilson 37)
Lymington won by five wickets

Bashley (Rydal) 280-7 (Porter 94, Basey 50, Smith 3-48)
Bournemouth 283-6 (Rushworth 91*, Smith 58*, Rogers 46, Van Der Merwe 34, Basey 4-37)
Bournemouth won by four wickets

Hampshire Academy 299-9 (Ashman 65, Khan 63, Bourne 40, Gillett 35, Ingham 35, Webster 31, Clark 3-57) 
Sarisbury Athletic 296 (Feltham 63, Robson 61, Hlabangana 35, Franklin 32*, Wellings 4-44, Gillett 3-59)
Hampshire Academy won by three runs

Portsmouth 276-8 (Metzger 133, Wimble 64, Zaidi 26, Stancliffe 3-29)
Burridge 250-8 (Brewer 62, Suresh 43, Snell 36, Stancliffe 32, De Laszlo 3-63)
Portsmouth won by 26 runs.

South Wilts 93 (Fairfax-Cox 27, Langley 3-14, Gwynn 3-29)
St Cross Symondians 96-0 (McKenzie 52*, Organ 27)
S Cross Symondians won by ten wickets

​DIVISION 1

Fair Oak 297-9 (S Reed 77, H Reed 46, Ramanan 37, Wheble 36, Vaughan 3-65)
Old Tauntonians & Romsey 253 (Mills 55*, King 53, Peruzi 34, S Reed 3-35)
Fair Oak won by 44 runs

Hambledon 292-8 (Butcher 60*, Behrens 59, Glanfield 57, LeClercq 35, Chaplin 30, Peters 3-58)
Langley Manor 210 (Harris 50, Campbell 37, W Budd 27, Pratt 3-28)
Hambledon won by 82 runs.

Havant 215-8 (Hindley 57, Hopson 31, Perry 3-53)
Calmore Sports 81 (Allaway 24, Morgan 3-14, Hindley 3-20)
Havant won by 134 runs

Totton and Eling 215-8 (Taylor 37, Holbrook 35, Merlino 35, Southon 3-35)
Rowledge 214 (O Ryman 53, Sebborn 37, Chilcott 25, Redfern 24, Vinod 4-34)
Totton and Eling won by one run

Ventnor 238-7 (Edwards 101*, Short 43*, Hailes 28)
Basingstoke & North Hants 239-5 (Philp 90, A Neal 82)
Basingstoke & North Hants won by 5 wickets.

DIVISION 2

Andover 268-6 (Martins 55, Reynolds 51, Hooper 45, Nyumbu 44*)
Liphook & Ripsley 230-9 (Farndale 102, Harvey 30, Zawoda 27*, Bishop 5-24)
Andover won by 38 runs.

Fawley 214 (Singh 55, C Earl 53, Munir 28, Bartlett 3-42)
New Milton 170 (Gawler 27, Bartlett 26, Denham 24)
Fawley won by 44 runs.

Parley 239-9 (Saunders 80, Collins 54, Green 27, Bernard 5-21)
Sway 210 (Steadman 82, J Bailey 32, Blackley 3-27)
Parley won by 29 runs.

Portsmouth & Southsea 123 (Davies 40, Rockett 24)
Hook & Newnham Basics 124-3 (Armstrong 26, Buckingham 26, Virji 26)
Hook & Newnham Basics won by seven wickets

Waterlooville 250 (Birch 112, Shephard 28, Ley 3-42, Gurney 3-52, Willcox 3-61)
Sparsholt 236-7 (Berzins 81, Willcox 51*, Berrill 37, Gurney 33)
Waterlooville won by 14 runs.

DIVISION 3

Alton II 256-8 (S Bridger 90 Gonella 50, W Bridger 31)
Odiham & Greywell 147 (Hill 30, Turner 28, Andrews 3-28)
Alton II won by 109 runs.

Hook & Newnham Basics II 129 (Vynatheya 36) 
Trojans 130-1 (Sriram 60, Agha 49*)
Trojans won by nine wickets.

Hursley Park 199-8 (Rosier 80, W Flynn 43, Pittaway 3-28) 
Ferndown Wayfarers 85 (Bishop 5-19)
Hursley Park won by 114 runs.

St Cross Symondians II 292-9 (Hawkesworth 137, B Foster 33, Cordery 31, 
Fareham & Crofton 164 (Frost 35, Kent 34, Eddie 24, Hawkesworth 6-32)
St. Cross Symondians II won by 128 runs

Sarisbury Athletic II 240 (Bolton 55, J Hill 31, Asmat 4-32, Ali 3-27)
Hartley Wintney 230 (Philpott 82, Gunson 44, Nightingale 26, Bolton 3-4)
Sarisbury Athletic won by ten runs.

Promotion rivals Hursley Park and Odiham & Greywell crashed to defeats as the Southern Premier Division 3 race swung into the home straight.
Hursley lost at Alton II, while Odiham plunged to a four-wicket defeat against in-form St Cross Symondians II, the results strengthening Ferndown Wayfarers' promotion prospects. 
Round 14 results -

Alton II 189 (Mike Heffernan 82, Rosier 4-32, Holden 4-39)
Hursley Park 123 (Spink 25, Sharma 23, Flynn 22, Appavo 3-28)
Alton II won by 66 runs.

Hartley Wintney 111 (Kirkpatrick 39, Hayes 3-9)
Ferndown Wayfarers 112-3 (Norman 51)
Ferndown Wayfarers won by seven wickets.

Hook & Newhnam Basics II 211 (Virji 54, J Hall 43, D Corbett 34, Lovelock 32, Gillam 3-31)
Fareham & Crofton 213-5 (Barnwell 54, Richards 34, Kent 25)
Fareham & Crofton won by seven wickets

Odiham & Greywell 133 (Hill 38, Hawkesworth 5-29)
St Cross Symondians II 135-6 (Haworth 39, Hockey 36*, Mcgaughrin 32)
St Cross Symondians II won by four wickets.

Trojans 364-5 (Agha 106, Sriram 102, Bhome 54, Mishra 4)
Sarisbury Athletic II 242 (Hill 58, Bond 46, Orr 45, Williams 3-32, Kopparambil 3-49)
Trojans won by 122 runs.

​Dan Birch rescued Waterlooville from a dismal start with his maiden century in another Southern Premier League third tier victory.
Batting at five, the skipper probably didn’t expect to be coming in at 21-3 against bottom club Liphook & Ripsley.
But with Dylan Grimes (4-43) having removed Charlie Whitfield (0), Harry McBride (5) and Alex Shephard (4), that was the scenario that faced him.
With 10 balls of his side’s 50 overs remaining, Birch was on 85.   He then took 11 of the next four, including two boundaries, to retain strike.  After taking three runs off the first two balls of the last over, Ashan Silva’s single allowed Birch to reach three figures with another single.
Birch dominated Ville’s 201-7 total, with Alex Whitfield (23) the next highest scorer.
In reply, Liphook collapsed from 66-1 to 120 all out to give table-topping Ville a ninth win in 11 completed Division 2 fixtures.
Luke Anderson bagged 4-25 – his best figures for Ville – while Charlie Whitfield took 3-26.

Sanka Purna’s maiden Southern Premier League century helped keep Portsmouth & Southsea in the third tier promotion places.
He reached three figures in the final over against Sway at St James as the hosts posted 230-7.
Purna ​left was only on 21, though, when teen Henry Ferrett had departed to leave the scoreboard a sickly 69-5.
Wicketkeeper Tom Benfield (52) helped Purna add 113 for the sixth wicket as momentum swung.
Sway advanced to 46-0 in reply, whereby they lost three wickets for one run – captain Jake Peach taking two in two balls followed by Jono Willey trapping Keegan Fortune leg before.
Willey would go on to take 4-22 – his third haul of four of more wickets in the league this year – as Sway fell 47 runs short.
Onetime England U19 cricketer Hugh Barnard (35) and  Jon Grasham (19) held up P & S’ victory charge, adding 52 for the eighth wicket.
P & S enter the last four games of the season with a points per game average of 16.18, compared to third-placed New Milton’s 15.08.
Only the top two go up and there will easily be more twists and turns – especially since New Milton must travel to Portsea Island on the final day, August 29.

Andover 226 (Mitchinson 95, Williams 33, C Hall 5-56)
Hook & Newnham Basics 207 (C Hall 43*, Lockwood 42, Campbell 40, Morris 37, Veetill 4-26, Hooper 3-52)
Andover won by 19 runs.

New Milton 215 (C Golding 72, Wooster 26, Green 3-21, Blackley 3-34)
Parley 205 (Morris 32, Bragginton 30, Collins 28, K Laird 24)
New Milton won by ten runs.

​Sparsholt 208 (Gurney 51, Fuller 38, Stanbrook-Tompkins 28)
Fawley 209-8 (Munir 58, Coxall 40*, Singh 28, Willocks 3-29, Emslie 3-35)
Fawley won by two wickets

Totton & Eling kept themselves firmly in the SPCL Division One promotion hunt with a hard-fought 10-run victory over Ventnor at Steephill.
The success leaves Totton level on points with third-placed Calmore Sports, who also recorded a victory, ensuring the race for promotion remains finely balanced.
After losing Billy Lightfoot in the second over, Totton rebuilt impressively through Joe Merlino (41) and Josh May (35), whose partnership steadied the innings after the early setback.
The decisive momentum shift came courtesy of Jimmy Taylor, who struck a superb 64 from 73 balls, sharing a vital stand with Brighton Mugochi (28) to carry Totton beyond 130 before Josh Taylor’s unbeaten 27 guided the visitors to a competitive 220-7. 
Ventnor’s reply never truly recovered from Totton’s excellent new-ball spell. Matthew Simms removed teen Ian Hailes after Aaryan Vinod had trapped Dineth Thimodya lbw, before Josh Taylor ripped through the middle order with three wickets to reduce the hosts to 68-6.
Ventnor threatened an unlikely turnaround thanks to Ethan Short’s explosive 62 from just 52 deliveries, while Oliver Morgan blasted 24 from 15 balls to keep the chase alive.
However, Totton held their nerve. Lightfoot removed Morgan before claiming the crucial final wicket of Short, while Vinod finished with two wickets and Freddie Leamon also struck as Ventnor were bowled out for 210 with more than five overs unused.

Havant claimed a potentially priceless win over fellow strugglers Langley Manor to move out of the Southern Premier League second tier drop zone.
Robert Woolley top scored with 46 and also took three wickets in his much-changed side’s Havant Park victory.
But the hosts were eventually indebted to their seventh wicket partnership of Thomas Wragg and Simon Taylor after Langley had set alarm bells ringing.
Asked to chase 129 for victory, Woolley – one of five changes from the previous week’s defeat at Basingstoke & North Hants – hit five fours and a six in a 55-ball innings.
Havant were 91-6 upon his departure, though, and facing an unthinkable defeat against the division’s bottom side, who had beaten them earlier in the season.
That brought together second team captain Wragg, playing only his SPL Division 1 match of the season, and Taylor, who was playing only his third game for any side and his first for the 1sts.
Wragg finished unbeaten on 17 and Taylor on 12, the duo sharing a match-winning stand of 38 in eight overs.
In all, Havant were without Stuart Ransley, who hit a career best equalling 143 at May’s Bounty. 
Having inserted Manor, the hosts started well when Peter Hayward had Oscar Binns caught from his first delivery – the seventh of the innings.
Woolley then removed  Aussie Tejas Gill (7) and Elliot Ponting (0) as Manor dipped to 23-3.
They struggled to 91-8 due to diver Noah McLellan – a regular in the Royal Navy XI this year, hitting five unbeaten half-centuries – taking 4-16.
Woolley (3-43) returned to dismiss Cam Darling before Stone wrapped up the innings with a wicket at the end of his only over.
Three of Havant’s remaining four matches are away, at Calmore, table—topping Hambledon and Rowledge on the final day (August 29). They host Ventnor, who have lost their last five matches, on August 22.
Havant's win has plunged Old Tauntonians & Romsey into second from bottom spot.  They were thrashed by 122 runs by visiting third placed Calmore Sports.
Prominent Casey South Melbourne all-rounder Evan Allaway scored 46 and later routed OTs with a 6-36 return.
Teen gloveman Freddie Williams (40) shared a critical stand with Allaway as Calmore recovered from 14-3 to make 188.  Only James Trodd (45) responded in OTs dismal 76 all out.

Hambledon have opened up a two-point lead at the top of the Southern Premier League’s second tier over Fair Oak.
The top two won for a ninth time at the weekend as they both chase what would be a first ever season in the top flight.
For the second week running, Western Province spin all-rounder Justin Behrens impressed with bat and ball, this time in a comfortable win against Basingstoke & North Hants at Ridge Meadow.
Having struck 92 and taken three wickets in victory over Totton & Eling, the South African hit 53 – his third successive SPL half-century – and bagged four wickets.
Batting on down, Behrens was taking guard early due to opener Mark Butcher collecting a duck.
He hit seven fours and a six off 94 balls before his departure left the scoreboard 108-4.
Skipper Spencer Le Clercq, in good form too, was second highest scorer with 46 as the Dons posted 222-9 off their 50 overs.
Chris Pratt struck with the first ball of Stoke’s reply, bowling captain Matt Deadman.
Pratt (3-33) went on to remove three of the top five, before Behrens (4-22) ran through the tail, the visitors dismissed for 103.

Fair Oak, meanwhile, have a happy knack of coming out on top in nail-biting finishes.
The started July with a one-wicket victory over Langley Manor, before going on to pip Hambledon by two runs and Ventnor by seven.
At the weekend they claimed another one-wicket win, when last man Andy Mash took a single off the very last ball of an absorbing fixture against Rowledge.
That was after Oak had been asked to chase 273, having lost the toss and fielded.
The SPL’s leading run scorer, Kiwi Archie Redfern, top scored with 80 – his 11th score of 50 or more in 13 second tier innings.
He now needs 197 runs from a maximum of five innings to beat Matt De Villiers’ 2022 record of 1,234 scored while playing for Hambledon.
Olly Ryman belted four sixes in an unbeaten 49 off 37 balls as Rowledge posted 272-4 (Zac Le Roux 40, Jonty Sebborn 41).

Sam Reed (68) and Connor Gibson (58) shared a third wicket stand of 118 as Oak’s reply advanced to 158-2.   Teenager Tom Clark then put his foot on the accelerator, with five fours and four sixes in a 37-ball 58.
Oak were sitting pretty on 249-5, but Clark’s dismissal was the catalyst for four wickets to fall for 17 runs – leaving the last wicket pair of under-17 debutant Wilf Voaden and Mash to score seven runs.

​Jude Wright made his maiden Alton ECB Southern Premier League century and shared an innings defining partnership with Scott Myers as the Brewers built a substantial 299-7 without, eventually, being able to force a victory against rock bottom Bashley (Rydal) at the Jubilee Ground. 
Bashley responded with 231-9, teenager Cam Basey making a best yet 86 before Michael Porter battened down the hatches and forced a 'losing' draw.
Wright had made one previous SPL hundred (Academy 2022) and joined Myers at the Jubilee crease with Alton 109-4 and wobbling a bit after Louis Prichard (4-71) had interrupted a promising 71-run start by Abhay Gonella (48) and Sam Ruffell (31).
The pair added 184 before Myers fell for a run-a-ball 80, having hit two sixes and eight fours.  Alton closed at 299-7 immediately after Wright had made his 102, which contained 15 fours and two maximums. 
Alton's prospects of a win effectively disappeared when Walker (33) and Basey responded with a 140-run opening stand.  The 16-year old Basey batted beautifully for his 15-four 86.
Bashley didn't have sufficient back-up to push for a win, allowing the influential Wright (3-25) to create middle-order inroads. Porter, who made the SPL's fastest  century a few weeks back, showed another discipline to his game by hitting an unbeaten 35 to keep the wolves at bay. 

Lymington put some important win points on the board with a two-wicket victory over Sarisbury Athletic, but had to overcome an awkward finale to their 130-run chase before ending a barren four-match ECB Southern Premier Division sequence.
Despite losing four wickets before their reply reached 40, Lymington appeared to have matters under control at 94-4, but the departure of Conor Moors, one of a nap hand of victims for Zimbabwean gloveman Nathaniel Hlabangana ​left (who now has 18 for the summer), saw them lose the initiative  
Josh Royan (20*) came to the rescue but not before three wickets fell for 10 runs. Royan eventually hit a four and Lymington were home by two wickets. Sarisbury could have won it at the death had they not spilled key catches.
Captain Gareth Berg commented the “batting was a bit negative at times and the side need to improve on that” while a “few dropped catches made it difficult but the energy was there” 
The game the first XI debut for 14 year old Lymington spinner Freddie Naylor, who two wickets.
Having won the toss, Lymington got off to a flyer as Sarisbury’s Joe Baker (5), the Premier Division’s second highest run scorer this season was caught behind by stand-in keeper Conor Moors off the bowling of Charlie Wilson (1-16). Moors marked his debut this season with a professional all-round performance both behind the stumps and being top scorer in the Lymington innings. 
Thereafter, Lymington held the initiative as wickets fell regularly. Guy Layman (4-34) then proceeded to rip out the middle order including bowling both Sam Cooper (13) and the dangerous Nathan Feltham (33). Asad Abbas (2-13) then put further pressure on the Sarisbury batters with the wickets of Jordan Wright (4) and Connor Clark (6). Sarisbury captain Rob Franklin (24) then did his best to hold the tail together until Freddie Naylor (2-19) polished off the innings with Sarisbury falling well short of a competitive total and only batting for 35 overs.
In reply, Lymington did not make it easy for themselves and  Joshua Williams (4-52) and Connor Clark (2-41) were always going to be a handful being in the top three wicket takers in the Premier Division this season. Opener Domic Hand (16) was run out after Terry Crabb (8) had a rare failure. Wilson (23) and Moors (32) then stabilised the innings for a while putting on 35 for the fourth wicket.

Bournemouth celebrate after beating Colwall and Bridgwater to win the ECB Vitality Under-13 Cup south and west regional finals at South Wilts.
The victories have taken them to within one win from treading the hallowed Lord's turf in the junior national finals day on 12 September 2026.
They now go through to the semi-final - probably against Surrey giants Esher - at Wokingham on 17 August 2026. If they win this game, they will play in the Final at Lord's.​
Bournemouth's young lions had already won the Dorset U13 title and beaten Eversley before chasing down Colwall's 101-9 to win their semi-final by four wickets, Stan Dearing (3-7) and Felix Steel (3-8) doing the damage with the ball. Bournemouth slipped to 76-6 (Dhanush PILLAI 22) before Kaeshiyann Prasana (14*) and Steel (13*) steadied nerves with an unbroken seventh-wicket stand.
Ojas Lalbundre and Ed Woodage each made an unbeaten 30 before Bournemouth defended a modest 103-8 to beat Bridgwater by 24 runs in the regional final. Well placed at 53-2, Bridgwater lost eight wickets for 26 runs and were 79 all out.  Dearing and Steel again shared six of the wickets.

Hampshire Academy secured a nail-biting win against Burridge in the top flight of the ECB Southern Premier League, ensuring their immediate future in the competition after a summer flirting around its nether regions. 
Asked to chase the Academy’s 215 all out total, Burridge were a boundary away from winning with their last-over pair at the crease.  But Tom Wellings pouched a catch off his own bowling to remove tailender Ben White, leaving Burridge 212 all out.
Having inserted the Academy, Burridge skipper Dan Stancliffe removed counterpart Sam Ashman for a golden duck as the hosts slumped to 99-6.
They were initially in debt to Ollie Webster, who is captain of the renowned Charterhouse school in Surrey.
Webster, who has scored over 1,700 in all cricket this summer, top scored with 74.
Tailenders Abdullah Iqbal (45*) and Barney Overton (15) then added what proved to be a crucial 35 for the last wicket.
Burridge looked favourites at 177-5 with Toby Snell having scored 64 and Azimunnoor Chowdhury (43 not out) going well.  But Dylan Kettle dismissed  Inayat Ullah and Rocky Singh in successive balls, and Chowdhury (56) was leg before to Wellings – leaving Burridge 200-8.  Stancliffe and White  were unable to complete the job.

Archie Pascoe celebrated a second consecutive five-wicket haul, ripping out Bournemouth's top order to set up a convincing ECB Southern Premier Division victory for South Wilts at Bemerton.
The Cornishman's figures of 5-21 included the five of Bournemouth's top six batters - the Dorset visitors crumbing to 98 all out before waving the white flag and conceding a nine-wicket defeat inside nine overs.
The victory means that South Wilts, 29 points off top spot, will finish at least runners-up, although if they beat champions and long time leaders St Cross Symondians at Winchester's Green Jackets ground on Saturday, 11am, there could be a final twist in the title race.
Pascoe, who returned to South Wilts in April after two seasons at Sarisbury Athletic, was pumped up after taking five Bashley (Rydal) wickets a week earlier.
"He has been excellent in the past fortnight. Archie bowls with a lot of heart and shows great effort and dedication on the field," praised South Wilts skipper Ben Draper.
"He has trained hard and his endeavours are starting to pay off."  
Matt Falconer struck the first blow on the parched Wilton Road surface, clean bowling Ben Rogers in the fourth over, but after that Pascoe ruled then roost.
By the 21st over, Bournemouth were 26-6 - and Pascoe, now with 27 Premier Division wickets under his belt, had got five of them. 

​Cole Rushforth (42) struck some valiant late-order runs as Bournemouth scrambled to 98 all out.
It took South Wilts 9.3 overs to knock off the runs - James Degg plundering 72 off 33 deliveries !
He cleared the Bemerton boundary rope four times, in addition to hitting 11 fours.  He only had to run four singles !!  
Harry Broderick finished with 28 not out. 

Hampshire teenagers Veer Patel (left) and Kit Morris shared a 207-run opening partnership in the ECB Under-16 County Cup mauling of Cornwall at Lord Wandsworth College.
Patel hit two sixes and ten fours  in his 113, while in keeping with best Hook & Newnham Basics traditions, KGV raised Morris kept the ball on the ground hitting 21 fours in his 142 as Hampshire posted 353-5.
Cornwall were dismissed for 112. Hampshire top the nine-county group ahead of visiting Somerset on Sunday and hosting Glamorgan at South Wilts on Wednesday.

St Cross Symondians will be virtually assured a second consecutive ECB Southern Premier League championship - and a fourth in nine seasons - if they beat South Wilts when 50-over 'white ball' cricket returns to the Mike Adams Field at the Green Jackets ground on Saturday, 11am. 
Already winners of the Time pennant by a colossal 66 point margin, St Cross take an overall 29-point Premier Division lead into the South Wilts match.
"If we win, we'll be more or less there but we've had some epic past duels with South Wilts and after thrashing Bournemouth, their confidence will be sky high,  " warned St Cross captain Ed Ellis.
South Wilts skittled Bournemouth for 98 before racing to a nine-wicket win, while St Cross were inflicting a crushing 211-run defeat on Portsmouth.
St Cross dominated from start to finish, posting 276-6 before shooting Portsmouth out for a paltry 65 - the third successive occasion they have been bundled out for less than 100 by the league champions.
Felix Organ, now the SPD's lead scorer with 522 runs, complied his fourth 50 in six innings and featured in three half-century stands, initially with Gregor McKenzie (38) and Dom Kelly (43). Radley College spinner Ben De Laszlo took two wickets in two balls before Organ (75) joined Jack Bransgrove (66). 
Byron Langley (3-17), who has proved quite a find since joining from Putney, quickly rearranged Portsmouth's top order as the Southsea club lurched to 28-4.
Harry Gadd (25) rallied but Charlie Gwynn (4-7) mopped up the tail.  Portsmouth 65 all out.

​Former Bournemouth left-hand opening batsman and past Broadstone golf captain Keith Balmer left us recently, aged 78, after bravely fighting serious heart illness.
One of Darlington's finest, Keith played in Bournemouth's 1984 Southern League championship winning team, alongside Dorset in Minor Counties cricket. He later became a prominent member of the Dorset 50s team and Bournemouth Wanderers.  
His funeral is at 2pm on Tuesday 25 August at the Harbour View in Randalls Hill, Lytchett Minster, Dorset, BH16 6AN,  Broadstone Golf Club will host the wake at Wentworth Drive, Broadstone, Dorset, BH18 8DQ