Jack Bransgrove enjoys a special moment [Roy Honeybone]
Hampshire chief executive Rod Bransgrove and his wife Mandy looked on with unbridled joy as their son Jack hit his maiden century to guide St Cross Symondians to a six wicket win over South Wilts and notch a second consecutive ECB Southern Premier Division victory.
The 28-year old hit a boundary strewn and match winning 122 as St Cross successfully chased down South Wilts’ 222 to win with 13 of the 50 overs to spare.
“It was a great feeling. The disappointment of being caught on the boundary for 99 at Totton & Eling in my first St Cross season has been bugging me for the past ten years, so I can now put that behind me,” he laughed.
With pinch hitter Tom Foyle unlikely to be available for a large chunk of the summer, Bransgrove has been elevated from his normal middle-order berth to open the innings – and he certainly cashed in against South Wilts.
He struck three sixes and 18 fours – 90 of his 122 runs coming in boundaries – and shared a match defining century stand with Charlie Mumford (51), who scored a third successive fifty.
“Going in at the top gives me a great opportunity to build an innings, may be with more responsibility attached to my game, but my attacking instincts aren’t going to change. I’m always going to play with positive intent.
“Having my parents here to see my maiden century was very special,” he added.
Bowlers are seldom able to contain Bransgrove at the crease and by the time Tom Lewis (2-32) broke through with the St Cross reply at 52, he had already smacked two sixes and seven fours !
There was to be no respite as Bransgrove, using his long reach, continually breached the rope and by the time he was dismissed St Cross had posted 194 and were within touching distance of the finish line.
The 28-year old hit a boundary strewn and match winning 122 as St Cross successfully chased down South Wilts’ 222 to win with 13 of the 50 overs to spare.
“It was a great feeling. The disappointment of being caught on the boundary for 99 at Totton & Eling in my first St Cross season has been bugging me for the past ten years, so I can now put that behind me,” he laughed.
With pinch hitter Tom Foyle unlikely to be available for a large chunk of the summer, Bransgrove has been elevated from his normal middle-order berth to open the innings – and he certainly cashed in against South Wilts.
He struck three sixes and 18 fours – 90 of his 122 runs coming in boundaries – and shared a match defining century stand with Charlie Mumford (51), who scored a third successive fifty.
“Going in at the top gives me a great opportunity to build an innings, may be with more responsibility attached to my game, but my attacking instincts aren’t going to change. I’m always going to play with positive intent.
“Having my parents here to see my maiden century was very special,” he added.
Bowlers are seldom able to contain Bransgrove at the crease and by the time Tom Lewis (2-32) broke through with the St Cross reply at 52, he had already smacked two sixes and seven fours !
There was to be no respite as Bransgrove, using his long reach, continually breached the rope and by the time he was dismissed St Cross had posted 194 and were within touching distance of the finish line.
Jack Bransgrove hits one of his 13 fours.
Simon Woodruff and Charlie Gwynn completed the formalities with 13 overs to spare.
A calamitous batting collapse in which six wickets fell for 30 runs cost South Wilts the initiative, the visitors plummeting from 128-2 to 158-8.
Aided by some indifferent bowling and sloppy out-cricket, South Wilts got away to a fine start and were rattling along at almost seven runs an over when opener James Degg (39) gifted Charlie Mumford a stumping off Charlie Gwynn (3-36). By then South Wilts were 80 without loss after 11 overs.
Prior to that, Australian Sam Beer and Harry Foyle struggled to find their line, with 17 extras (mainly wides) boosting the scoring rate.
South Wilts lost Peter Rowe at 110, but it was the departure of Jack Stearman that triggered the collapse.
The bespectacled left-hander looked in good nick, playing some flowing extra-cover drives in an eye-catching 52 before being trapped leg before wicket by Felix Organ (2-25).
Symondians’ three-pronged spin attack carved through the South Wilts middle-order – Harry Broderick (18) holing out at deep mid-wicket before Mo Rizvi and Archie Fairfax-Ross departed in successive deliveries.
Four wickets had fallen for five runs as South Wilts lurched to 158-8 when Matt Burton joined teenager Matt Falconer (15) for a late rally which yielded 47 runs and at least gave the visitors a modest total to defend.
Burton, now a regular for Hampshire seconds, biffed 38 before Ben Foster (2-9) dismissed both the ninth-wicket pair to leave South Wilts 222 all out.
After that, Bransgrove took centre stage ….
A calamitous batting collapse in which six wickets fell for 30 runs cost South Wilts the initiative, the visitors plummeting from 128-2 to 158-8.
Aided by some indifferent bowling and sloppy out-cricket, South Wilts got away to a fine start and were rattling along at almost seven runs an over when opener James Degg (39) gifted Charlie Mumford a stumping off Charlie Gwynn (3-36). By then South Wilts were 80 without loss after 11 overs.
Prior to that, Australian Sam Beer and Harry Foyle struggled to find their line, with 17 extras (mainly wides) boosting the scoring rate.
South Wilts lost Peter Rowe at 110, but it was the departure of Jack Stearman that triggered the collapse.
The bespectacled left-hander looked in good nick, playing some flowing extra-cover drives in an eye-catching 52 before being trapped leg before wicket by Felix Organ (2-25).
Symondians’ three-pronged spin attack carved through the South Wilts middle-order – Harry Broderick (18) holing out at deep mid-wicket before Mo Rizvi and Archie Fairfax-Ross departed in successive deliveries.
Four wickets had fallen for five runs as South Wilts lurched to 158-8 when Matt Burton joined teenager Matt Falconer (15) for a late rally which yielded 47 runs and at least gave the visitors a modest total to defend.
Burton, now a regular for Hampshire seconds, biffed 38 before Ben Foster (2-9) dismissed both the ninth-wicket pair to leave South Wilts 222 all out.
After that, Bransgrove took centre stage ….
Hold the shot ! Jack Stearman plays a classical extra-cover drive.
