Matt Benfield
Matt Benfield smashed his own record for the highest innings ever recorded by a Portsmouth & Southsea batter in the Southern Premier League.
The opener cracked an unbeaten 148 as P & S underlined their promotion credentials with a seventh successive Division 3 victory.
A 27-run win over Langley Manor sees P & S 28 points clear of Sway at the top of the table, while they are now 39 points clear of third place Langley - the top two go up automatically.
Benfield was already on 47 not out when Jack Davies joined him with the score on 90. The pair added 163 for the third wicket before Davies - the leading run scorer in the SPL fourth tier this season - departed after hitting seven fours and four sixes in a 55-ball 74.
There was no stopping Benfield, though, who ended two short of his 150 after cracking 18 fours and three sixes off 145 balls at St James Park.
Jack Budd (67) and Conor Browne )47) began with a 114-run stand for Langley Manor, who then lost five wickets for 31 runs. Steve Harris (58) responded as the visitors closed on 246-9, Benfield (2-37) was one of four P & S bowlers to take two wickets, alongside Keiron Dunstan (2-30), Jono Willey (2-41) and Ben Saunders (2-46).
The opener cracked an unbeaten 148 as P & S underlined their promotion credentials with a seventh successive Division 3 victory.
A 27-run win over Langley Manor sees P & S 28 points clear of Sway at the top of the table, while they are now 39 points clear of third place Langley - the top two go up automatically.
Benfield was already on 47 not out when Jack Davies joined him with the score on 90. The pair added 163 for the third wicket before Davies - the leading run scorer in the SPL fourth tier this season - departed after hitting seven fours and four sixes in a 55-ball 74.
There was no stopping Benfield, though, who ended two short of his 150 after cracking 18 fours and three sixes off 145 balls at St James Park.
Jack Budd (67) and Conor Browne )47) began with a 114-run stand for Langley Manor, who then lost five wickets for 31 runs. Steve Harris (58) responded as the visitors closed on 246-9, Benfield (2-37) was one of four P & S bowlers to take two wickets, alongside Keiron Dunstan (2-30), Jono Willey (2-41) and Ben Saunders (2-46).
