Former Hampshire cricketer Jason Laney, now 40, has St Cross Symondians II eyeing a potential second consecutive British Gas Southern League promotion.
He has rattled off four successive fifty-plus scores, the latest helping set up a four-wicket win over Division 2 promotion rivals Hartley Wintney.
St Cross, 11 points behind second placed OTs & Romsey, still have the top two sides left to play, with leaders Totton & Eling visiting the Green Jackets on Saturday week, July 29.
Laney (54) and Paul Hawkins (58) provided St Cross, runners-up in SPL3 last season, with a 121-run start as they chased down Hartley Wintney’s 231-8, built around Kiwi Henry Collier (68) and Will Kerr (54).
Mark Haworth (37) continued the good work, but St Cross had to overcome two wobbles before 15-year old Alex Ayres scored a mature 37 not out to steer them home.
Roly Fowler’s 20 included two big sixes, while earlier teenager Harry Trussler took 3-42.
South Wilts’ IIs bid to claw away from the British Gas Southern League Division 2 relegation zone is gaining momentum.
The three-wicket success against Paultons was their third win in a row, one which takes them to within 12 points of Trojans, who won by 21 runs at Sparsholt.
But at 98-7, chasing Paultons 187-9, it hardly looked as though South Wilts would make it three wins on the spin.
Two new-ball strikes by Australian James Bills (2-40) had SW wobbling at 10-2, but Owain Phillips (45) and Joe Cranch (32) pulled things round to 68-2 before Peter Lamb (2-26) and left-arm spinner Andrew Denney (3-36) sent five wickets tumbling for 29 runs.
But Stephen Booth (47) and Steve Kidd (41) turned the game on its head once again with an unbroken 90-run eighth wicket stand which saw South Wilts home.
Syed Mahmood, with 61 and a 4-39 return with the ball, inspired Trojans’ 21-run victory over Sparsholt at the Norman Edwards Ground.
He scored his runs after Ed Boyd (57) and Nigel le Bas (40) had laid the platform with a century opening stand, but Trojans allowed the promise of 131-1 to slip away and finish with 223-9, Mike Haworth taking 4-46.
Jeremy Frith (55) and David Banks (44) took Sparsholt’s reply to 148-3 when Mahmood struck again with a superb catch to dismiss the former Sarisbury Athletic captain.
Sam Kennett (30) kept Sparsholt in the game, but Mahmood (4-39), Rahul Bhome (3-46) and Anish Joshi (2-39) held the whip hand as the hosts finished 202-9.
Langley Manor’s recent revival was checked by basement boys Hambledon, who piled up 290-3 on the back of openers George Marshall (83), Will Bond (80) and Indie Chakrabarti’s 78 not out. South African Saulieg Rayned made 75 as the Manor replied with 250.
He has rattled off four successive fifty-plus scores, the latest helping set up a four-wicket win over Division 2 promotion rivals Hartley Wintney.
St Cross, 11 points behind second placed OTs & Romsey, still have the top two sides left to play, with leaders Totton & Eling visiting the Green Jackets on Saturday week, July 29.
Laney (54) and Paul Hawkins (58) provided St Cross, runners-up in SPL3 last season, with a 121-run start as they chased down Hartley Wintney’s 231-8, built around Kiwi Henry Collier (68) and Will Kerr (54).
Mark Haworth (37) continued the good work, but St Cross had to overcome two wobbles before 15-year old Alex Ayres scored a mature 37 not out to steer them home.
Roly Fowler’s 20 included two big sixes, while earlier teenager Harry Trussler took 3-42.
South Wilts’ IIs bid to claw away from the British Gas Southern League Division 2 relegation zone is gaining momentum.
The three-wicket success against Paultons was their third win in a row, one which takes them to within 12 points of Trojans, who won by 21 runs at Sparsholt.
But at 98-7, chasing Paultons 187-9, it hardly looked as though South Wilts would make it three wins on the spin.
Two new-ball strikes by Australian James Bills (2-40) had SW wobbling at 10-2, but Owain Phillips (45) and Joe Cranch (32) pulled things round to 68-2 before Peter Lamb (2-26) and left-arm spinner Andrew Denney (3-36) sent five wickets tumbling for 29 runs.
But Stephen Booth (47) and Steve Kidd (41) turned the game on its head once again with an unbroken 90-run eighth wicket stand which saw South Wilts home.
Syed Mahmood, with 61 and a 4-39 return with the ball, inspired Trojans’ 21-run victory over Sparsholt at the Norman Edwards Ground.
He scored his runs after Ed Boyd (57) and Nigel le Bas (40) had laid the platform with a century opening stand, but Trojans allowed the promise of 131-1 to slip away and finish with 223-9, Mike Haworth taking 4-46.
Jeremy Frith (55) and David Banks (44) took Sparsholt’s reply to 148-3 when Mahmood struck again with a superb catch to dismiss the former Sarisbury Athletic captain.
Sam Kennett (30) kept Sparsholt in the game, but Mahmood (4-39), Rahul Bhome (3-46) and Anish Joshi (2-39) held the whip hand as the hosts finished 202-9.
Langley Manor’s recent revival was checked by basement boys Hambledon, who piled up 290-3 on the back of openers George Marshall (83), Will Bond (80) and Indie Chakrabarti’s 78 not out. South African Saulieg Rayned made 75 as the Manor replied with 250.
