Nathan Feltham hits out [Roy Honeybone]
ns held their nerve to pull off a dramatic two-run win over Basingstoke & North Hants II and give their Southern Premier League Division Two survival hopes a timely boost.
Ash Neal (37) was caught off the last ball of the game as Basingstoke, with their last pair at the crease, needed three to win off Josh Metcalfe to better Paultons’ 229 all out.
Paultons might have expected to wrap it up long before then, having had Basingstoke 188-9 (Dan Belcher 29).
But a last wicket stand of 39 between Neal and Keith Harris (20 not out) almost tilted it Basingstoke’s way.
Earlier, Paultons thrived on a 115-run opening stand between Nathan Feltham (70) and Cam Grierson (44), but Neal (4-32) and Belcher (3-34) kept wickets falling after that.
Left-arm spinner Andrew Denney and Metcalfe shared six of the Basingstoke wickets.
Paultons’ win has heaped added pressure on Trojans, who lie 21 points below the nearest safety rung after Langley Manor beat them by 80 runs at Knellers Lane.
Jamie Brown (6-52) wrecked Trojans with the new ball, the Stoneham side slumping to 106-7 after Langley Manor had posted 261-9 (Dan Babidge 5-45).
Ed Boyd (51) remained defiant while it needed Waqas Ahmed (40) and Euan Ball (22) to make late runs and give their 181 an air of respectability.
Ironically, Trojans made an encouraging start with the Manor 26-3 before young Elliott Ponting, with a league best 80, and James Purnell (78) launched the recovery.
Totton & Eling remain in trouble after an unbeaten Paul Hawkins century sentenced them to a seven-wicket defeat by St Cross Symondians II at the Green Jackets.
Ethan Taylor (73) top scored in Totton’s 196, with Hawkins following up his 3-29 return with the ball by making 113 not out, an innings which contained 15 fours.
Ash Neal (37) was caught off the last ball of the game as Basingstoke, with their last pair at the crease, needed three to win off Josh Metcalfe to better Paultons’ 229 all out.
Paultons might have expected to wrap it up long before then, having had Basingstoke 188-9 (Dan Belcher 29).
But a last wicket stand of 39 between Neal and Keith Harris (20 not out) almost tilted it Basingstoke’s way.
Earlier, Paultons thrived on a 115-run opening stand between Nathan Feltham (70) and Cam Grierson (44), but Neal (4-32) and Belcher (3-34) kept wickets falling after that.
Left-arm spinner Andrew Denney and Metcalfe shared six of the Basingstoke wickets.
Paultons’ win has heaped added pressure on Trojans, who lie 21 points below the nearest safety rung after Langley Manor beat them by 80 runs at Knellers Lane.
Jamie Brown (6-52) wrecked Trojans with the new ball, the Stoneham side slumping to 106-7 after Langley Manor had posted 261-9 (Dan Babidge 5-45).
Ed Boyd (51) remained defiant while it needed Waqas Ahmed (40) and Euan Ball (22) to make late runs and give their 181 an air of respectability.
Ironically, Trojans made an encouraging start with the Manor 26-3 before young Elliott Ponting, with a league best 80, and James Purnell (78) launched the recovery.
Totton & Eling remain in trouble after an unbeaten Paul Hawkins century sentenced them to a seven-wicket defeat by St Cross Symondians II at the Green Jackets.
Ethan Taylor (73) top scored in Totton’s 196, with Hawkins following up his 3-29 return with the ball by making 113 not out, an innings which contained 15 fours.
Paul Hawkins, unbeaten century and three wickets for St Cross Symondians II [Bob Selley]
