Harry Foyle hit a spectacular huge straight six off from the last ball of the match to give St Cross Symondians dramatic one-wicket over potential ECB Southern Electric Premirr League title contenders Havant at the Park.
It was the biggest shock of the Premier Division season so far – a result that appeared unlikely with winless St Cross 168-7 in response to Havant’s 237-5.
But skipper Richard Taylor (33) and Foyle added a precious 59 for the eighth wicket to set up a pulsating finish.
Last man Tabs Farooq was at the opposite end as Foyle took on the responsibility of scoring 12 runs off Chris Morgan’s last over.
His six off the last ball sailed back over the left-arm spinner’s head to sent the St Cross players spilling on the out-field to celebrate a remarkable victory.
The Winchester side, comfortably beaten by Lymington and Ventnor in their previous two matches, had earlier slumped from 124-2, having seen the good work by Adam Rouse (69) and Matt Haworth (46) almost frittered away.
Having taken the next five wickets for 44 runs – including debut making Wellington (NZ) provincial batsman Michael Pollard, caught behind for seven – Havant were disappointed to lose control of the match.
“It was a bad day at the office as far as our bowling and fielding was concerned,' said Havant player/coach Peter Hopson.
"We were nowhere near our best in those aspects of the game.
"It was hugely disappointing to get ourselves into a good position in a see-saw game and not finish it off.”
Hopson (67) and Ben Walker (29) gave Havant a decent start but the innings faltered to 83-3 (Farooq 3-29) before Richard Hindley joined Hopson for a half-century stand.
Hindley went on to make 67 not out and, with Chris Stone hitting 53, took Havant to 237-5.
Hopson reflected: “The loss is a set-back but it doesn't mean we can't win the title.
“Every team in this league possesses players who are capable of winning games for them.
“The league is very competitive and all the teams will come up against situations like this and not just us. We have to come back stronger.”
England Under-19 captain Joe Weatherley hit a century before his two Australian tour team-mates Mason Crane and Brad Taylor bowled the Hampshire Academy to a crushing 146-run victory over Bashley (Rydal) on the Ageas Bowl Nursery Ground.
Weatherley hit 123, including 14 boundaries, as the county youngsters piled up 290-6 before Crane and Taylor shared eight of the wickets as Bashley tumbled to 144 all out.
It was the first score Weatherley had made on home soil since captaining England Under-19s on their Easter tour to Western Australia.
“It was great to spend some time out in the middle, something I haven't really done since returning from Australia,” he said.
“I started well and the fact we got off to a bit of a flier set the tone for the rest of the innings and I felt confident (we would win) from that point onwards really.”
Reflecting on his second Southern Electric Premier League century – he made an unbeaten 102 against Lymington last season – Weatherley said: “I hit down the ground quite well, which I was able to do on a typically flat Nursery Ground pitch.“
“Bashley only had two seamers (who went for a combined 119 runs in 15 overs) so it was mainly a case of rotating the strike against the spinners and hitting the odd boundary here and there.”
But it wasn’t a one-man show as Brad Taylor, relishing his promotion up the order, hit 61 and shared a 89-run partnership with Weatherley before Andy Gorvin hit a lively 37 to send the total soaring out of Bashley’s reach.
“Brad batted really nicely and made things a lot easier for me,” Weatherley said.
Bashley had batted poorly in losing their second match to Alton – and didn’t do much better this time around.
Only Michael Porter (44) made his mark as the innings subsided from 93-2 to 144 all out against the leg spin of Crane (4-44) and Taylor, who returned 4-16.
“Brad and Mase bowled as nicely as ever, and deserved their four wickets each,” Weatherley continued.
“It’s very easy as a captain when you've got two such high quality spinners to go to in the middle overs.”
Ryan Duffield smashed 51 off 25 balls as South Wilts opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the ECB Southern Electric Premier League with a convincing 88-run win over Ventnor at Steephill.
The Western Australia left-hander launched three big sixes and three boundaries in a pre-team blitz, which sent the South Wilts total soaring to 263-6 and way beyond Ventnor’s reach.
The Islanders, a far weaker side this season compared with the one’s that have finished fourth and fifth in the past two seasons, were dismissed for 175.
An 80-run start by Tom Morton (53) and Eddie Abel (24) gave South Wilts a decent launch pad, but when the pair departed within 11 runs of each other, the visitors effectively had to start again.
James Hayward (51) and Steve Riddle (27) did just that, adding 70.
South Wilts were 198-5 and Ventnor reasonably pleased with the bulk of their afternoon’s work when Duffield ran amok and changed the face of the game.
“They bowled well to us for the majority of our batting innings, but some late power hitting from Duffield got us up to a slightly above par total,” Morton said.
Ventnor progressed to 54-1, but when Tasmanian Sean Willis (21) was caught behind off Army all-rounder Steve Booth (2-32), the island challenge subsided.
“We produced some aggressive spells of bowling, which brought about some dismissals with genuine wicket taking deliveries,” Morton added.
Ventnor slumped to 99-6 – Steve Warner taking 3-41 – before Rob Snell’s 36 not out got them two batting bonus point.
But Ventnor’s top scorer was extras – a statistics that didn’t amuse Morton.
He said: “We left the island with maximum points, but not without areas to improve on : our cricket was sloppy at times.
“This reflected mainly in the extras column – 40 of them - something we’ll need to improve on in coming weeks.”
Aussie Ben Ashkenazi took centre stage as Lymington inflicted a first defeat – by a 22-run margin – on Premier Division new boys Sarisbury Athletic at the Sports Ground.
Ashkenazi, a Melbourne-based right-arm medium-pacer who is with the Elite Cricket Academy at the Ageas Bowl, claimed five victims for a paltry 31 runs – four of them in his second spell - as Lymington toasted a second win.
Lymington were put into bat and, after an initial wobble at 57-4 (Ryan Covey 2-29), Darren Cowley (32) steadied the ship, doubling the total in a key partnership with an inspired Cameron Grierson (51).
Matt Metcalfe (29) weighed in with some useful runs before Grierson’s half-century guided the hosts to 192 all out.
Dan Goldstraw (3-34) moved to within one wicket of his 450th victim in Premier League cricket.
Sarisbury were early trouble at 6-2, as Metcalfe and Ashkenazi struck but Zimbabwean Ryan Burl proved a stubborn proposition and held the innings together with a fine 74 as partners frequented the other end.
Cowley’s three wicket spell – he took 3-52 – removed Sarisbury’s middle-order to leave the visitors’ 116-6.
Ricky Rawlins (30 not out) helped Burl steer Sarisbury to 152 before Ashkenazi returned to the attack by removing Burl and cutting through the tail to finish with 5-31.
Ashkenazi played regularly for Australia in the 2014 ICC Under-19 CWC in Dubai.
Sarisbury were 170 all out.
Hampshire’s Joe Gatting cracked 57 off just 38 balls as Burridge raced to their first Premier Division win of the season, beating Alton by five wickets at the Jubilee Ground.
Gatting hit three sixes and six fours in his no nonsense knock as Burridge sped past Alton’s 184-6 with 16 overs to spare.
With New Zealander Dewayne Bowden sidelined with broken foot for two months, Alton’s attack lacked penetration – and Burridge cashed in.
Joe Collings-Wells hit a run-a-ball 27 as Burridge made a 69-run start before Gatting departed at 104-2 for a quick-fire half-century.
Jamie Richards hit a watchful 27 not out as former Hampshire duo Lee Savident and Derek Kenway perished to the off-spin of Julian Ballinger (2-27) to leave the visitors a slightly uncertain 111-4.
But Richard Ankers made 23 not out to see Burridge across the line with plenty of time to spare – and then praised Gatting for his contribution.
“Joe was very positive on a tricky, slow wicket,' said Ankers.
“You can see he is a quality player who can get a lot of runs for us.
'It was important to get off the mark and must look to keep the momentum going.
“This was a solid professional team performance and I have to be pleased with it.”
Alton’s 184-6 centred around England Disability XI batsman Alex Hammond (43), Michael Heffernan (34) and Jack Myers (24), while Geoff Dods and Seth Jackson took two wickets each for Burridge.
It was the biggest shock of the Premier Division season so far – a result that appeared unlikely with winless St Cross 168-7 in response to Havant’s 237-5.
But skipper Richard Taylor (33) and Foyle added a precious 59 for the eighth wicket to set up a pulsating finish.
Last man Tabs Farooq was at the opposite end as Foyle took on the responsibility of scoring 12 runs off Chris Morgan’s last over.
His six off the last ball sailed back over the left-arm spinner’s head to sent the St Cross players spilling on the out-field to celebrate a remarkable victory.
The Winchester side, comfortably beaten by Lymington and Ventnor in their previous two matches, had earlier slumped from 124-2, having seen the good work by Adam Rouse (69) and Matt Haworth (46) almost frittered away.
Having taken the next five wickets for 44 runs – including debut making Wellington (NZ) provincial batsman Michael Pollard, caught behind for seven – Havant were disappointed to lose control of the match.
“It was a bad day at the office as far as our bowling and fielding was concerned,' said Havant player/coach Peter Hopson.
"We were nowhere near our best in those aspects of the game.
"It was hugely disappointing to get ourselves into a good position in a see-saw game and not finish it off.”
Hopson (67) and Ben Walker (29) gave Havant a decent start but the innings faltered to 83-3 (Farooq 3-29) before Richard Hindley joined Hopson for a half-century stand.
Hindley went on to make 67 not out and, with Chris Stone hitting 53, took Havant to 237-5.
Hopson reflected: “The loss is a set-back but it doesn't mean we can't win the title.
“Every team in this league possesses players who are capable of winning games for them.
“The league is very competitive and all the teams will come up against situations like this and not just us. We have to come back stronger.”
England Under-19 captain Joe Weatherley hit a century before his two Australian tour team-mates Mason Crane and Brad Taylor bowled the Hampshire Academy to a crushing 146-run victory over Bashley (Rydal) on the Ageas Bowl Nursery Ground.
Weatherley hit 123, including 14 boundaries, as the county youngsters piled up 290-6 before Crane and Taylor shared eight of the wickets as Bashley tumbled to 144 all out.
It was the first score Weatherley had made on home soil since captaining England Under-19s on their Easter tour to Western Australia.
“It was great to spend some time out in the middle, something I haven't really done since returning from Australia,” he said.
“I started well and the fact we got off to a bit of a flier set the tone for the rest of the innings and I felt confident (we would win) from that point onwards really.”
Reflecting on his second Southern Electric Premier League century – he made an unbeaten 102 against Lymington last season – Weatherley said: “I hit down the ground quite well, which I was able to do on a typically flat Nursery Ground pitch.“
“Bashley only had two seamers (who went for a combined 119 runs in 15 overs) so it was mainly a case of rotating the strike against the spinners and hitting the odd boundary here and there.”
But it wasn’t a one-man show as Brad Taylor, relishing his promotion up the order, hit 61 and shared a 89-run partnership with Weatherley before Andy Gorvin hit a lively 37 to send the total soaring out of Bashley’s reach.
“Brad batted really nicely and made things a lot easier for me,” Weatherley said.
Bashley had batted poorly in losing their second match to Alton – and didn’t do much better this time around.
Only Michael Porter (44) made his mark as the innings subsided from 93-2 to 144 all out against the leg spin of Crane (4-44) and Taylor, who returned 4-16.
“Brad and Mase bowled as nicely as ever, and deserved their four wickets each,” Weatherley continued.
“It’s very easy as a captain when you've got two such high quality spinners to go to in the middle overs.”
Ryan Duffield smashed 51 off 25 balls as South Wilts opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the ECB Southern Electric Premier League with a convincing 88-run win over Ventnor at Steephill.
The Western Australia left-hander launched three big sixes and three boundaries in a pre-team blitz, which sent the South Wilts total soaring to 263-6 and way beyond Ventnor’s reach.
The Islanders, a far weaker side this season compared with the one’s that have finished fourth and fifth in the past two seasons, were dismissed for 175.
An 80-run start by Tom Morton (53) and Eddie Abel (24) gave South Wilts a decent launch pad, but when the pair departed within 11 runs of each other, the visitors effectively had to start again.
James Hayward (51) and Steve Riddle (27) did just that, adding 70.
South Wilts were 198-5 and Ventnor reasonably pleased with the bulk of their afternoon’s work when Duffield ran amok and changed the face of the game.
“They bowled well to us for the majority of our batting innings, but some late power hitting from Duffield got us up to a slightly above par total,” Morton said.
Ventnor progressed to 54-1, but when Tasmanian Sean Willis (21) was caught behind off Army all-rounder Steve Booth (2-32), the island challenge subsided.
“We produced some aggressive spells of bowling, which brought about some dismissals with genuine wicket taking deliveries,” Morton added.
Ventnor slumped to 99-6 – Steve Warner taking 3-41 – before Rob Snell’s 36 not out got them two batting bonus point.
But Ventnor’s top scorer was extras – a statistics that didn’t amuse Morton.
He said: “We left the island with maximum points, but not without areas to improve on : our cricket was sloppy at times.
“This reflected mainly in the extras column – 40 of them - something we’ll need to improve on in coming weeks.”
Aussie Ben Ashkenazi took centre stage as Lymington inflicted a first defeat – by a 22-run margin – on Premier Division new boys Sarisbury Athletic at the Sports Ground.
Ashkenazi, a Melbourne-based right-arm medium-pacer who is with the Elite Cricket Academy at the Ageas Bowl, claimed five victims for a paltry 31 runs – four of them in his second spell - as Lymington toasted a second win.
Lymington were put into bat and, after an initial wobble at 57-4 (Ryan Covey 2-29), Darren Cowley (32) steadied the ship, doubling the total in a key partnership with an inspired Cameron Grierson (51).
Matt Metcalfe (29) weighed in with some useful runs before Grierson’s half-century guided the hosts to 192 all out.
Dan Goldstraw (3-34) moved to within one wicket of his 450th victim in Premier League cricket.
Sarisbury were early trouble at 6-2, as Metcalfe and Ashkenazi struck but Zimbabwean Ryan Burl proved a stubborn proposition and held the innings together with a fine 74 as partners frequented the other end.
Cowley’s three wicket spell – he took 3-52 – removed Sarisbury’s middle-order to leave the visitors’ 116-6.
Ricky Rawlins (30 not out) helped Burl steer Sarisbury to 152 before Ashkenazi returned to the attack by removing Burl and cutting through the tail to finish with 5-31.
Ashkenazi played regularly for Australia in the 2014 ICC Under-19 CWC in Dubai.
Sarisbury were 170 all out.
Hampshire’s Joe Gatting cracked 57 off just 38 balls as Burridge raced to their first Premier Division win of the season, beating Alton by five wickets at the Jubilee Ground.
Gatting hit three sixes and six fours in his no nonsense knock as Burridge sped past Alton’s 184-6 with 16 overs to spare.
With New Zealander Dewayne Bowden sidelined with broken foot for two months, Alton’s attack lacked penetration – and Burridge cashed in.
Joe Collings-Wells hit a run-a-ball 27 as Burridge made a 69-run start before Gatting departed at 104-2 for a quick-fire half-century.
Jamie Richards hit a watchful 27 not out as former Hampshire duo Lee Savident and Derek Kenway perished to the off-spin of Julian Ballinger (2-27) to leave the visitors a slightly uncertain 111-4.
But Richard Ankers made 23 not out to see Burridge across the line with plenty of time to spare – and then praised Gatting for his contribution.
“Joe was very positive on a tricky, slow wicket,' said Ankers.
“You can see he is a quality player who can get a lot of runs for us.
'It was important to get off the mark and must look to keep the momentum going.
“This was a solid professional team performance and I have to be pleased with it.”
Alton’s 184-6 centred around England Disability XI batsman Alex Hammond (43), Michael Heffernan (34) and Jack Myers (24), while Geoff Dods and Seth Jackson took two wickets each for Burridge.
