Sixteen year old Ben Rogers, who made 82 for Paultons, and South Wilts’ all-rounder Matt Falconer, at 15 with a hat-trick amid a maiden five-wicket haul, produced quality individual performances as menacing rain leaden clouds circled over Bemerton.
Falconer emerged the victorious teenager with South Wilts’ seconds beating Paultons by 68 runs to put their first Southern Premier Division 2 win points on the board.
The pair took centre stage at Wilton Road after half-centuries by openers Joe Cranch (52) and Sam Litchfield (50), followed by handy knocks from George Edwards (37) and Rob Pittman (30) steered South Wilts to 227-8 (Andrew Denny 2-22).
The home innings ended in rather bizarre fashion with Scott Dawes (3-7) taking three wickets in the last over to get Paultons some bowling bonus points on the board.
A three-wicket spell by Pittman (4-19) reduced Paultons to 66-3, by which point Rogers and Falconer had begun to take centre stage.
Embryo
Rogers, Bramshaw raised and a big Barnsley soccer fan, held the Paultons innings together and with 41 to his name eased the visitors to 102 when Falconer came on at the Lower Bemerton end of the ground.
A superb catch by Cranch to remove Dawes got Falconer his first wicket in his second over (Paultons 102-4).
The third over by the Stonehenge teenage talent was one Falconer will never forget and culminated in his maiden hat-trick in senior cricket.
Bowling fast medium (for a junior) up the slope, Falconer had Tony Richman caught behind by Sam Pittman, clean bowled James Holgate and then trapped Harman Chandhoke leg before to complete a memorable five minutes in his embryo career.
Paultons proceeded to lose five wickets for nine runs before Rogers notched his well deserved fifty. He went on to twice clear the rope and strike seven fours in his 82 before being last man out, by which time Falconer had bagged his fifth wicket to finish with stunning figures of 5-12 off four overs.
Paultons, with 159 all out, had suffered a second defeat, but the game was arguably more about the exciting potential of two teenage talents than the result itself …
Falconer emerged the victorious teenager with South Wilts’ seconds beating Paultons by 68 runs to put their first Southern Premier Division 2 win points on the board.
The pair took centre stage at Wilton Road after half-centuries by openers Joe Cranch (52) and Sam Litchfield (50), followed by handy knocks from George Edwards (37) and Rob Pittman (30) steered South Wilts to 227-8 (Andrew Denny 2-22).
The home innings ended in rather bizarre fashion with Scott Dawes (3-7) taking three wickets in the last over to get Paultons some bowling bonus points on the board.
A three-wicket spell by Pittman (4-19) reduced Paultons to 66-3, by which point Rogers and Falconer had begun to take centre stage.
Embryo
Rogers, Bramshaw raised and a big Barnsley soccer fan, held the Paultons innings together and with 41 to his name eased the visitors to 102 when Falconer came on at the Lower Bemerton end of the ground.
A superb catch by Cranch to remove Dawes got Falconer his first wicket in his second over (Paultons 102-4).
The third over by the Stonehenge teenage talent was one Falconer will never forget and culminated in his maiden hat-trick in senior cricket.
Bowling fast medium (for a junior) up the slope, Falconer had Tony Richman caught behind by Sam Pittman, clean bowled James Holgate and then trapped Harman Chandhoke leg before to complete a memorable five minutes in his embryo career.
Paultons proceeded to lose five wickets for nine runs before Rogers notched his well deserved fifty. He went on to twice clear the rope and strike seven fours in his 82 before being last man out, by which time Falconer had bagged his fifth wicket to finish with stunning figures of 5-12 off four overs.
Paultons, with 159 all out, had suffered a second defeat, but the game was arguably more about the exciting potential of two teenage talents than the result itself …