An agonizing narrow one-wicket defeat against Waterlooville has, major upsets aside, condemned Fair Oak to another season in Southern Premier Division 2.
Inconsistency with the bat has been Oaks’ Achilles heel all season, and that was emphasised at Rowlands Avenue, where only two batsmen reached double figures on a pitch where 19 wickets fell for 192 runs.
Gregor McKenzie, in a relatively restrained mood, made 21 of the first 35 runs before being third out. Oaks then staged a partial recovery with a stand of 38 between Charlie Gwynn (46) and Max Watson. But from 73-3 the innings collapsed to 95 all out with Archie Reynolds and the ageless Dominic Carson taking 2-25 and 2-18 respectively.
Skipper Gwynn, who is two runs behind Liphook’s Ryan Covey in the race for the SPL2 batting prize, was sixth out, and took to the field after the break knowing that his side would need a supreme effort with the ball if they were to climb out of the hole.
They nearly achieved it. Alex Shephard (19), Namish Verma (11) and Haydn Knight (17) piloted Waterlooville to 84-5, and at that point a home win seemed a formality. But Rhys Oxley’s 4-22 reduced them to 89-9 Just when Oaks seemed likely to wrest victory from their opponents’ grasp, last-wicket pair Ashan Silva and Chris Parker scrambled the last few runs to take the total to 96 for 9 with just three balls to spare.
Oaks, now fourth in the table, can still finish in the top two - but only if they chalk up a near-maximum points tally in their final match against Fawley at Lapstone Park and two of the three teams above them lose heavily.
Fawley, meanwhile, ensured safety with an 83-run win over South Wilts II who, having had points deducted for minor administrative registration hitches, need to win at Ventnor to avoid the drop.
Teenage curator Jayden Atkinson (3-29) struck a couple of early blows for South Wilts, whose progress was halted by a 90-run stand between Kieron Earl (51) and the ever youthful Hampshire 50s star Andy Parratt (43). Bailey Parratt, using all the skill he has learned from his old man in back garden Test matches, made 48 not out as Fawley posted 190-8. South Wilts went over for 107, Wayne Smith turning back the years with a 5-16 return.
Inconsistency with the bat has been Oaks’ Achilles heel all season, and that was emphasised at Rowlands Avenue, where only two batsmen reached double figures on a pitch where 19 wickets fell for 192 runs.
Gregor McKenzie, in a relatively restrained mood, made 21 of the first 35 runs before being third out. Oaks then staged a partial recovery with a stand of 38 between Charlie Gwynn (46) and Max Watson. But from 73-3 the innings collapsed to 95 all out with Archie Reynolds and the ageless Dominic Carson taking 2-25 and 2-18 respectively.
Skipper Gwynn, who is two runs behind Liphook’s Ryan Covey in the race for the SPL2 batting prize, was sixth out, and took to the field after the break knowing that his side would need a supreme effort with the ball if they were to climb out of the hole.
They nearly achieved it. Alex Shephard (19), Namish Verma (11) and Haydn Knight (17) piloted Waterlooville to 84-5, and at that point a home win seemed a formality. But Rhys Oxley’s 4-22 reduced them to 89-9 Just when Oaks seemed likely to wrest victory from their opponents’ grasp, last-wicket pair Ashan Silva and Chris Parker scrambled the last few runs to take the total to 96 for 9 with just three balls to spare.
Oaks, now fourth in the table, can still finish in the top two - but only if they chalk up a near-maximum points tally in their final match against Fawley at Lapstone Park and two of the three teams above them lose heavily.
Fawley, meanwhile, ensured safety with an 83-run win over South Wilts II who, having had points deducted for minor administrative registration hitches, need to win at Ventnor to avoid the drop.
Teenage curator Jayden Atkinson (3-29) struck a couple of early blows for South Wilts, whose progress was halted by a 90-run stand between Kieron Earl (51) and the ever youthful Hampshire 50s star Andy Parratt (43). Bailey Parratt, using all the skill he has learned from his old man in back garden Test matches, made 48 not out as Fawley posted 190-8. South Wilts went over for 107, Wayne Smith turning back the years with a 5-16 return.
Wayne Smith - five wicket hauls are his trade.
