Jack Davies hit 80 for P & S (The News)
Portsmouth & Southsea are top of the Southern Premier League Cup East 2/3 going into the final group match of the season.
They thrashed Tichborne Park by 141 runs to record a maximum points success that took them above Liphook & Ripsley into pole position. But it’s very tight - by virtue of having one more point than Liphook, P & S lead the division by just 0.25 of a point.
Another maximum points triumph in their final game against Waterlooville at St James’s Park will see them progress to the final against Bashley (Rydal) II, the West 2/3 group winners.
But anything less than that could open the door for Liphook, who face Hartley Wintney in their last game, to retake top spot.
Skipper and opener Jack Davies hit nine fours and a six in an 83-ball 80 as P & S rattled up 249-9 in the Alresford countryside.
There were also good contributions from Matt Benfield (31) - the openers put on 63 - Dean Lee (30), teenager Alex Davidson (27) and Ben Saunders (24). Tichborne Park contributed to their own demise by sending down 33 wides.
In reply, new ball pair Jake Peach and Jono Willey ripped through Park’s top order, no surprise taking into account it was their first game for a month.
Matt Bristow was caught behind by Benfield off Willey for a duck before opening partner Toby Barnett was caught by Davies off Peach for a single. It was 12-3 when Will Allam was bowled by Peach for a duck.
Captain Ed Primmer (33) and Jacob Bristow (28) put on 52 for the fourth wicket before the latter became the first of spinner Keiron Dunstan’s four victims. He ended with 4-40 while Saunders claimed 3-15 as Park were bowled out for 108 off 29.5 overs.
Gosport Borough lost their last six wickets for 14 runs, having crashed from a comfortable 59-1 to 101 all out against East Division 2/3 ‘title’ chasers Liphook & Ripsley at Ripsley Park.
They were seemingly well placed while Simon Creal (29) and Jacob Harris were at the crease, but when Liphook tossed a three-pronged spin attack into the equation, the Borough collapsed.
Teenager Oscar Amis (3-19) and Jamie Hall (3-8) sent wickets tumbling – Harris (32) losing five partners during a freefall which saw the visitors lose their last five wickets for four runs, the last three to Rob Nicklin (3-6) .
Liphook progressed to 46-0 before losing four wickets for 16 runs, but eventually eased home with 13 overs to spare.
Kiwi James Mulvey (left) struck a century as title outsiders Waterlooville were beaten by eight wickets at weakened Hartley Wintney. Ville had won their previous four matches.
The opener, who played his cricket in New Zealand in Invercargill and Auckland, belted seven sixes and 10 boundaries in his unbeaten 110, sharing a match winning stand with Simon Carter (42), as Wintney stormed past Waterlooville’s 192-9 total with seven overs in hand.
Namish Verma (36), Archie Reynolds (30), Alex Shephard (30) and Jon Hudson (24) had impressed when the visitors elected to bat first after winning the toss.
They thrashed Tichborne Park by 141 runs to record a maximum points success that took them above Liphook & Ripsley into pole position. But it’s very tight - by virtue of having one more point than Liphook, P & S lead the division by just 0.25 of a point.
Another maximum points triumph in their final game against Waterlooville at St James’s Park will see them progress to the final against Bashley (Rydal) II, the West 2/3 group winners.
But anything less than that could open the door for Liphook, who face Hartley Wintney in their last game, to retake top spot.
Skipper and opener Jack Davies hit nine fours and a six in an 83-ball 80 as P & S rattled up 249-9 in the Alresford countryside.
There were also good contributions from Matt Benfield (31) - the openers put on 63 - Dean Lee (30), teenager Alex Davidson (27) and Ben Saunders (24). Tichborne Park contributed to their own demise by sending down 33 wides.
In reply, new ball pair Jake Peach and Jono Willey ripped through Park’s top order, no surprise taking into account it was their first game for a month.
Matt Bristow was caught behind by Benfield off Willey for a duck before opening partner Toby Barnett was caught by Davies off Peach for a single. It was 12-3 when Will Allam was bowled by Peach for a duck.
Captain Ed Primmer (33) and Jacob Bristow (28) put on 52 for the fourth wicket before the latter became the first of spinner Keiron Dunstan’s four victims. He ended with 4-40 while Saunders claimed 3-15 as Park were bowled out for 108 off 29.5 overs.
Gosport Borough lost their last six wickets for 14 runs, having crashed from a comfortable 59-1 to 101 all out against East Division 2/3 ‘title’ chasers Liphook & Ripsley at Ripsley Park.
They were seemingly well placed while Simon Creal (29) and Jacob Harris were at the crease, but when Liphook tossed a three-pronged spin attack into the equation, the Borough collapsed.
Teenager Oscar Amis (3-19) and Jamie Hall (3-8) sent wickets tumbling – Harris (32) losing five partners during a freefall which saw the visitors lose their last five wickets for four runs, the last three to Rob Nicklin (3-6) .
Liphook progressed to 46-0 before losing four wickets for 16 runs, but eventually eased home with 13 overs to spare.
Kiwi James Mulvey (left) struck a century as title outsiders Waterlooville were beaten by eight wickets at weakened Hartley Wintney. Ville had won their previous four matches.
The opener, who played his cricket in New Zealand in Invercargill and Auckland, belted seven sixes and 10 boundaries in his unbeaten 110, sharing a match winning stand with Simon Carter (42), as Wintney stormed past Waterlooville’s 192-9 total with seven overs in hand.
Namish Verma (36), Archie Reynolds (30), Alex Shephard (30) and Jon Hudson (24) had impressed when the visitors elected to bat first after winning the toss.
