Giles Cover Liphook & Ripsley are within touching distance of promotion back to Southern Premier Division 1 after a nail-biting four-wicket win against promotion rivals Ventnor at Ripsley Park.
They went into the game in second place behind the islanders, but with Liphook’s winning and other results going their way, Sean Burton’s side only require one point from tomorrow’s visit to Bashley (Rydal) II to secure promotion. A win will secure the title itself.
Liphook started well with the ball as they have done all season, Joe Randall removing the evergreen Mark Fletcher with only three runs on the board. But with the classy Barbadian Anthony Alleyne joining Rob Snell at the crease, it was never going to be straightforward for the Liphook bowlers.
The pair put on 60 for the second wicket before a fine delivery from Charles Janczur found the edge and Snell (17) was well caught behind the stumps by stand-in keeper Chris Martin.
Alleyne continued to show why he is the SPL2’s leading run scorer with lots of elegant strokes all around the ground, passing 600 runs for the season and making his way quickly to 50 for the day. Wickets began to tumble around Alleyne once skipper Sean Burton (3-35) brought himself into the attack, Ross Whyte and Martin Blackman bagging ducks and Chris Russell (on a rare mainland trip) going for one.
Ventnor tumbled from 85-2 to 117-7 when a mix up led to the West Indian left-hander being run out for a superb 79 off just 66 deliveries. It was his seventh half-century plus score, but the game was firmly in Liphook’s favour.
Covey (4-25) and Burton then mopped up the tail leaving Ventnor to defend 162 off a rain trimmed 36 overs.
Liphook responded steadily with Ryan Covey and 14-year-old Henry Amis seeing off a tricky new ball spell by Rob Snell and former Worcestershire pacer Russell.
Covey was the first to fall for 14 by a superb slip catch by Russell off Sam Read (2-19), with young Amis soon followed after a patient knock. When run gun Suman Ganguly (32) fell and the Liphook reply faltered at 77-4 the game was in the balance.
George Neave (24) joined Giles Cover (pictured above) at the crease with still lots of work to do and Liphook needing to score at six runs an over was going to be a tough ask, but the pair added precious runs to leave the East Hampshire side to within 25 runs of the target when Neave was trapped leg before.
Schoolteacher Cover, in only his fifth appearance of the season, continued to bat responsibly and went on to hit a match winning 49 not out as Liphook, having required six for victory off Snell’s final, eventually won off the penultimate ball.
They went into the game in second place behind the islanders, but with Liphook’s winning and other results going their way, Sean Burton’s side only require one point from tomorrow’s visit to Bashley (Rydal) II to secure promotion. A win will secure the title itself.
Liphook started well with the ball as they have done all season, Joe Randall removing the evergreen Mark Fletcher with only three runs on the board. But with the classy Barbadian Anthony Alleyne joining Rob Snell at the crease, it was never going to be straightforward for the Liphook bowlers.
The pair put on 60 for the second wicket before a fine delivery from Charles Janczur found the edge and Snell (17) was well caught behind the stumps by stand-in keeper Chris Martin.
Alleyne continued to show why he is the SPL2’s leading run scorer with lots of elegant strokes all around the ground, passing 600 runs for the season and making his way quickly to 50 for the day. Wickets began to tumble around Alleyne once skipper Sean Burton (3-35) brought himself into the attack, Ross Whyte and Martin Blackman bagging ducks and Chris Russell (on a rare mainland trip) going for one.
Ventnor tumbled from 85-2 to 117-7 when a mix up led to the West Indian left-hander being run out for a superb 79 off just 66 deliveries. It was his seventh half-century plus score, but the game was firmly in Liphook’s favour.
Covey (4-25) and Burton then mopped up the tail leaving Ventnor to defend 162 off a rain trimmed 36 overs.
Liphook responded steadily with Ryan Covey and 14-year-old Henry Amis seeing off a tricky new ball spell by Rob Snell and former Worcestershire pacer Russell.
Covey was the first to fall for 14 by a superb slip catch by Russell off Sam Read (2-19), with young Amis soon followed after a patient knock. When run gun Suman Ganguly (32) fell and the Liphook reply faltered at 77-4 the game was in the balance.
George Neave (24) joined Giles Cover (pictured above) at the crease with still lots of work to do and Liphook needing to score at six runs an over was going to be a tough ask, but the pair added precious runs to leave the East Hampshire side to within 25 runs of the target when Neave was trapped leg before.
Schoolteacher Cover, in only his fifth appearance of the season, continued to bat responsibly and went on to hit a match winning 49 not out as Liphook, having required six for victory off Snell’s final, eventually won off the penultimate ball.
