Late drama and changes in fortune best describe Sway’s two-wicket final over victory over Paultons at Jubilee Fields, the visitors being reduced to ten men when opener Paul Longland suffered a nasty facial injury and spending the evening in hospital with a suspected fractured cheekbone.
In a yo-yo of a Southern Premier Division 3 match, quickie Dave Steadman (4-34) soon removed the visitors’ top four at 22-4. Thereafter, an outstanding 128 run partnership by Julian Drake (65) and teenager Liam Longland (57) turned Paultons’ fortunes, punishing Sway’s later wayward bowling, exposed even further after Jon Grasham (1-45) pulled a calf and was obliged to turn from seam to left arm spin.
Dan Bailey (3-55) and Oscar Marshall (1-27) trapped both danger-men lbw, but not before the score reached 194-6. A flurry of late stroke play and loose bowling allowed Paultons to finish on 234-9 with Jodie Smith on 24*.
Opener Greg Jones (30) impressed but Sway otherwise made slow progress: 112-6 after 35 overs. It was a devastating 30-ball 49, 4 fours and 3 sixes, clubbed by No. 8 Dan Bailey, that abruptly turned the game on its head.
Late order batsmen Richard Thomas and Jon Grasham, with a runner, staunchly supported Alex Hall: the batsman/wicketkeeper. increasingly pressed the accelerator following Bailey’s intervention.
Victory was in sight with 24 runs required and achieved in the final three overs: Sway 235-8, with mainstay Hall undefeated on 74. Sway now lead Southern Premier Cricket League Division 3 by 30 points ahead of Saturday's village carnival and the visit of rock bottom Fareham & Crofton.
In a yo-yo of a Southern Premier Division 3 match, quickie Dave Steadman (4-34) soon removed the visitors’ top four at 22-4. Thereafter, an outstanding 128 run partnership by Julian Drake (65) and teenager Liam Longland (57) turned Paultons’ fortunes, punishing Sway’s later wayward bowling, exposed even further after Jon Grasham (1-45) pulled a calf and was obliged to turn from seam to left arm spin.
Dan Bailey (3-55) and Oscar Marshall (1-27) trapped both danger-men lbw, but not before the score reached 194-6. A flurry of late stroke play and loose bowling allowed Paultons to finish on 234-9 with Jodie Smith on 24*.
Opener Greg Jones (30) impressed but Sway otherwise made slow progress: 112-6 after 35 overs. It was a devastating 30-ball 49, 4 fours and 3 sixes, clubbed by No. 8 Dan Bailey, that abruptly turned the game on its head.
Late order batsmen Richard Thomas and Jon Grasham, with a runner, staunchly supported Alex Hall: the batsman/wicketkeeper. increasingly pressed the accelerator following Bailey’s intervention.
Victory was in sight with 24 runs required and achieved in the final three overs: Sway 235-8, with mainstay Hall undefeated on 74. Sway now lead Southern Premier Cricket League Division 3 by 30 points ahead of Saturday's village carnival and the visit of rock bottom Fareham & Crofton.
Talented 16-year old Ben Feeney was caught behind just two runs shy of a maiden Southern Premier Division 3 century, but his 98 nicely set up a 60-run win for second placed Havant II over strugglers Bashley (Rydal) II at Fagan Field.
He shared a 65-run start with Andrew Galliers and later 90 with Harrison Barnard (46) before Pete Hayward (46) steered Havant towards 263-6.
But Feeney suffered a blow later in the game - Bashley closed at 203-8 - and, under concussion protocols, is sidelined for Saturday's home match with Fawley.
Promoted Parley moved into third spot with a comfortable seven-wicket win over South Wilts II, who were bowled out for 117, Jack Nicholls and Harry Avoth sharing six poles.
An unbeaten half-century by Tom Jacques (his second of the season), supported by teen Kieran Laird (33), eased Parley home.
Bailey Parratt smacked eight runs off the first three balls of the last over to give Fawley a thrilling two-wicket win over Gosport Borough, who tumbled to a fifth successive Southern Premier Division 3 defeat at Holbury.
Fawley had, in fact, needed 15 off the final two overs but they got home with three balls to spare and move well clear of the danger zone.
Queenslander Oli Lunt (51) top scored for Gosport, who dropped from 65-0 (Ephrain Royle 29) to 119-5 with Sam Davies (5-51) returning his best figures. Borough rallied in mid-stream through James Richards (30), Gavin King (25) and Sam Prathapinghe (26) to reach 250-9.
Sufian Munir (68) and Brad Merritt (33) led a strong top order Fawley response, but it was Parratt who emerged their match winner after Raminder Singh had pinged a quick-fire 23.
He shared a 65-run start with Andrew Galliers and later 90 with Harrison Barnard (46) before Pete Hayward (46) steered Havant towards 263-6.
But Feeney suffered a blow later in the game - Bashley closed at 203-8 - and, under concussion protocols, is sidelined for Saturday's home match with Fawley.
Promoted Parley moved into third spot with a comfortable seven-wicket win over South Wilts II, who were bowled out for 117, Jack Nicholls and Harry Avoth sharing six poles.
An unbeaten half-century by Tom Jacques (his second of the season), supported by teen Kieran Laird (33), eased Parley home.
Bailey Parratt smacked eight runs off the first three balls of the last over to give Fawley a thrilling two-wicket win over Gosport Borough, who tumbled to a fifth successive Southern Premier Division 3 defeat at Holbury.
Fawley had, in fact, needed 15 off the final two overs but they got home with three balls to spare and move well clear of the danger zone.
Queenslander Oli Lunt (51) top scored for Gosport, who dropped from 65-0 (Ephrain Royle 29) to 119-5 with Sam Davies (5-51) returning his best figures. Borough rallied in mid-stream through James Richards (30), Gavin King (25) and Sam Prathapinghe (26) to reach 250-9.
Sufian Munir (68) and Brad Merritt (33) led a strong top order Fawley response, but it was Parratt who emerged their match winner after Raminder Singh had pinged a quick-fire 23.
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Syed Mahmood took 5-16 and the promising Nigel le Bas hit a priceless 62 but the real hero of Trojans nail biting one-wicket win over Fareham & Crofton was Nisar Ahmad who smacked three late sixes.
Mahmood took his nap hand in the middle-order of Fareham's 207-9, which earlier centred around Jez Bulled's 59 and support from Craig Jeffery (38), Ben Kissane (27) and latterly Dan Reader (37), who hit four sixes in the final overs.
Syed Agha (19) and Zaheer Khan (25) added 40 for Trojans first wicket before the Stoneham side slipped to 93-4. Matt Atkins (16) helped Nigel Le Bas add a valuable 48 runs for the 5th wicket, although the pair got bogged down in the latter stages of the partnership.
Trojans were nine wickets down and with three overs remaining still needed 17 runs to win, but Nisar Ahmad scored all these remaining runs himself, hitting two of the three 6's in his decisive innings of 27 not out.
Mahmood took his nap hand in the middle-order of Fareham's 207-9, which earlier centred around Jez Bulled's 59 and support from Craig Jeffery (38), Ben Kissane (27) and latterly Dan Reader (37), who hit four sixes in the final overs.
Syed Agha (19) and Zaheer Khan (25) added 40 for Trojans first wicket before the Stoneham side slipped to 93-4. Matt Atkins (16) helped Nigel Le Bas add a valuable 48 runs for the 5th wicket, although the pair got bogged down in the latter stages of the partnership.
Trojans were nine wickets down and with three overs remaining still needed 17 runs to win, but Nisar Ahmad scored all these remaining runs himself, hitting two of the three 6's in his decisive innings of 27 not out.