Sam O'Brien launches into the Totton & Eling attack [Bob Selley]
Jeremy Frith finished a winner and a loser after Sparsholt completed their Southern Premier League Division 2 championship triumph with a resounding 212-run victory over Totton & Eling at Southern Gardens.
The title winning battting/spin all-rounder boarded his Guernsey flight home with the Division 2 batting award in his pocket - his 756-run aggregate was 14 more than Tom Allam scored for relegated Tichborne Park.
But his prospects of finishing as SPL2's top wicket-taker disappeared when Totton lost six runs for only nine runs in response to Sparsholt's 267-5.
Only then did Frith get the ball in his hand - but his 2-9 return wasn't sufficient to prevent Matt Perry-Lewis snatch the prize from his grasp after a 5-50 return in St Cross Symondians' victory over Paultons.
MPL's eventual 35-wicket tally was two more than Frith's haul for Sparsholt.
"We won the league and so achieved what we aimed for at the start of the season," Frith reflected. "My winning the batting award was a nice bonus, but promotion to Division 1 is what it was all about."
Sparsholt had the title wrapped up long before they went to Totton, so there was no pressure on Michael Haworth (63) and Lewis Mitchard (41) as they eased the visitors into treble figures.
A three-wicket spell by Kegan Holtzmann (3-38) checked Sparsholt's progress, but young Australian Sam O'Brien and Stuart Taylor (35) broke out to point the total to 267-5.
Queenslander O'Brien has been good value for Sparsholt. His unbeaten 87 was a season's best for the wicketkeeper, who snapped up 21 victims behind the stumps.
Totton's dismal 55-run reply took 21 overs.
Six down for nine runs at one stage against Dave Banks (3-8) and Taylor (2-8), they climbed to 27-8 before Kieran Geyle (19) and their youngest player Leo Taylor (21) reached the dizzy heights of double figures .
While Sparsholt look forward to the challenge of Premier Division 1 cricket, Totton face a major winter recruiting exercise if they are to even survive at their current level.
The title winning battting/spin all-rounder boarded his Guernsey flight home with the Division 2 batting award in his pocket - his 756-run aggregate was 14 more than Tom Allam scored for relegated Tichborne Park.
But his prospects of finishing as SPL2's top wicket-taker disappeared when Totton lost six runs for only nine runs in response to Sparsholt's 267-5.
Only then did Frith get the ball in his hand - but his 2-9 return wasn't sufficient to prevent Matt Perry-Lewis snatch the prize from his grasp after a 5-50 return in St Cross Symondians' victory over Paultons.
MPL's eventual 35-wicket tally was two more than Frith's haul for Sparsholt.
"We won the league and so achieved what we aimed for at the start of the season," Frith reflected. "My winning the batting award was a nice bonus, but promotion to Division 1 is what it was all about."
Sparsholt had the title wrapped up long before they went to Totton, so there was no pressure on Michael Haworth (63) and Lewis Mitchard (41) as they eased the visitors into treble figures.
A three-wicket spell by Kegan Holtzmann (3-38) checked Sparsholt's progress, but young Australian Sam O'Brien and Stuart Taylor (35) broke out to point the total to 267-5.
Queenslander O'Brien has been good value for Sparsholt. His unbeaten 87 was a season's best for the wicketkeeper, who snapped up 21 victims behind the stumps.
Totton's dismal 55-run reply took 21 overs.
Six down for nine runs at one stage against Dave Banks (3-8) and Taylor (2-8), they climbed to 27-8 before Kieran Geyle (19) and their youngest player Leo Taylor (21) reached the dizzy heights of double figures .
While Sparsholt look forward to the challenge of Premier Division 1 cricket, Totton face a major winter recruiting exercise if they are to even survive at their current level.
 Champagne moment ! Leo Taylor (aged 13 years) launches Sparsholt spinner Liam Doran, right, for a huge six, clean out of Southern Gardens. [Bob Selley photo] |  |
