Will de Cani clips a four to bring up his century : photo by his dad !
Will de Cani probably won’t rank his unbeaten 101 against Bishop’s Waltham too highly among the nine Hampshire League centuries he has made for Longparish in the past five years.
But his latest hundred did have a special significance.
It coincided with celebrations of a different kind – the likeable 21-year old attaining a First in Town Planning at the end of a three-year degree course at Cardiff University.
News of de Cani’s success, both on and off the field, will be well received in the Test Valley as the opener has remained loyal to the village club throughout his relatively embryo career.
A lot of players might have sought pastures new when Longparish slipped down the HCL rungs, but instead of switching his talents elsewhere, he stayed put to play a lead role in the club’s equally rapid rise back through the County Divisions.
That ninth hundred – his second of the season – secured an eight-wicket win for Longparish over Bishop’s Waltham and eased the promoted village club into a potentially challenging fifth spot, 24 points adrift of Ryde, who head north in the coming weeks.
Bishop’s managed only 154 against Longparish – de Cani’s follow-up ton taking his season’s run tally to 429.
In all, De Cani has scored a mere 4,178 runs for Longparish – with 28 or more scores of 50-plus amongst the tally.
Ryde continued their upward march with a comfortable 118-run win over lowly New Milton II – but for once it wasn’t top gun Ben Wadmore who led the way.
Wadmore was among those back in the Hardings Shute pavilion at 45-3 when Ben Gregory (51) and Tom Morgan (27 not out) wrestled the initiative away from the junior Green & Golds and eased the islanders to 206-9, the innings ending with three run outs.
Northwood’s Ashley Goldsmith had a decent debut for Ryde, taking 4-27, having made 28 at the top of the Ryde order.
Ryde took an eight-point lead over Lymington II into today’s visit to the island by Hook & Newnham Basics II.
Hook will cross the Solent in an optimistic mood after an unbeaten 90 by Kevin Light swept them to a six-wicket win over Ventnor II, who tumbled from a promising 141-2 to 213 all out at the KGV.
Charlie Sammons (43), Martin Blackman (41) and John Buckman (40) eased Ventnor into a decent position, but that collapse cost them dear
Lymington II stepped up their promotion challenge with a crushing nine-wicket win over St Cross Symondians III, who were shot out for a dismal 36 at the Sports Ground.
Not one St Cross batsman managed double figures as Kieran Moors (5-11) and Billy Quigley (3-6) sliced through the visitors.
Lymington skipper Oli Kelly said: “The opening bowlers bowled superbly well (which their figures attest) and our catching was red hot.
“How ironic, we dropped seven catches the previous week against Portsmouth & Southsea.
“It was swing bowling and exceptional discipline which brought about the wickets”
Drew Robinson, who made 26 of the 37 runs Lymington required, took four catches at second slip. Billy Quigley knocked the tail over.
Matt Benfield clouted 112 (one six and 14 fours) as Portsmouth & Southsea went on a 332-8 run spree against Shrewton, whom they then dismissed for 152 (Kieron Dunstan 4-43).
P & S face a key test against fourth placed Ropley today – the Watercress side enjoying a comfortable six-wicket win over United Services at Burnaby Road.
Seb Newens and Ed Stennett shared six scalps as US made 139 (Shashi Jayasinghe 42) – a total Ropley knocked off with some comfort.
Ben White smacked a six off the penultimate ball of the match to give Fareham & Crofton a thrilling one-wicket win at Jones Lane and check Hythe & Dibden’s recent revival.
Initially, prospects for the promoted Waterside club didn’t look terribly promising after a succession of early season defeats, but wins over Shrewton, Ropley and Bishop’s Waltham in recent weeks steered Hythe into a comfortable mid-table position.
A total of 212 (Matt Young 44) was always likely to test a young and relatively inexperienced Fareham side, which got itself into predictable trouble at 40-3, recovered, but then sank further into the mire at 158-7.
Aussie teen Reece Abrams broke his hand spilling a catch – but, batting virtually one handed for his 59, underlined his Crocodile Dundee spirit which galvanised Fareham’s lower-order, none more so than emerging all-rounder Ben White, whose 36 not out included that match winning six.
A sixth win in seven consolidated seventh spot for Fareham, who lie just below OTs & Romsey II, who ran up 308 before inflicting a 157-run defeat on relegation bound Rowledge II (151).
The County 1 basement derby between Burridge and Sarisbury Athletic seconds produced a welter of over 500 runs, a century on either side – and, significantly, a 66-run win for the hosts.
Cam White’s career best 150 piloted Burridge to 291-7, a total beyond Sarisbury Athletic, whose 225-4 response contained an unbeaten 104 by Toby Mitcheson, who spent the entire 100 overs on the field having kept wicket previously.
But his latest hundred did have a special significance.
It coincided with celebrations of a different kind – the likeable 21-year old attaining a First in Town Planning at the end of a three-year degree course at Cardiff University.
News of de Cani’s success, both on and off the field, will be well received in the Test Valley as the opener has remained loyal to the village club throughout his relatively embryo career.
A lot of players might have sought pastures new when Longparish slipped down the HCL rungs, but instead of switching his talents elsewhere, he stayed put to play a lead role in the club’s equally rapid rise back through the County Divisions.
That ninth hundred – his second of the season – secured an eight-wicket win for Longparish over Bishop’s Waltham and eased the promoted village club into a potentially challenging fifth spot, 24 points adrift of Ryde, who head north in the coming weeks.
Bishop’s managed only 154 against Longparish – de Cani’s follow-up ton taking his season’s run tally to 429.
In all, De Cani has scored a mere 4,178 runs for Longparish – with 28 or more scores of 50-plus amongst the tally.
Ryde continued their upward march with a comfortable 118-run win over lowly New Milton II – but for once it wasn’t top gun Ben Wadmore who led the way.
Wadmore was among those back in the Hardings Shute pavilion at 45-3 when Ben Gregory (51) and Tom Morgan (27 not out) wrestled the initiative away from the junior Green & Golds and eased the islanders to 206-9, the innings ending with three run outs.
Northwood’s Ashley Goldsmith had a decent debut for Ryde, taking 4-27, having made 28 at the top of the Ryde order.
Ryde took an eight-point lead over Lymington II into today’s visit to the island by Hook & Newnham Basics II.
Hook will cross the Solent in an optimistic mood after an unbeaten 90 by Kevin Light swept them to a six-wicket win over Ventnor II, who tumbled from a promising 141-2 to 213 all out at the KGV.
Charlie Sammons (43), Martin Blackman (41) and John Buckman (40) eased Ventnor into a decent position, but that collapse cost them dear
Lymington II stepped up their promotion challenge with a crushing nine-wicket win over St Cross Symondians III, who were shot out for a dismal 36 at the Sports Ground.
Not one St Cross batsman managed double figures as Kieran Moors (5-11) and Billy Quigley (3-6) sliced through the visitors.
Lymington skipper Oli Kelly said: “The opening bowlers bowled superbly well (which their figures attest) and our catching was red hot.
“How ironic, we dropped seven catches the previous week against Portsmouth & Southsea.
“It was swing bowling and exceptional discipline which brought about the wickets”
Drew Robinson, who made 26 of the 37 runs Lymington required, took four catches at second slip. Billy Quigley knocked the tail over.
Matt Benfield clouted 112 (one six and 14 fours) as Portsmouth & Southsea went on a 332-8 run spree against Shrewton, whom they then dismissed for 152 (Kieron Dunstan 4-43).
P & S face a key test against fourth placed Ropley today – the Watercress side enjoying a comfortable six-wicket win over United Services at Burnaby Road.
Seb Newens and Ed Stennett shared six scalps as US made 139 (Shashi Jayasinghe 42) – a total Ropley knocked off with some comfort.
Ben White smacked a six off the penultimate ball of the match to give Fareham & Crofton a thrilling one-wicket win at Jones Lane and check Hythe & Dibden’s recent revival.
Initially, prospects for the promoted Waterside club didn’t look terribly promising after a succession of early season defeats, but wins over Shrewton, Ropley and Bishop’s Waltham in recent weeks steered Hythe into a comfortable mid-table position.
A total of 212 (Matt Young 44) was always likely to test a young and relatively inexperienced Fareham side, which got itself into predictable trouble at 40-3, recovered, but then sank further into the mire at 158-7.
Aussie teen Reece Abrams broke his hand spilling a catch – but, batting virtually one handed for his 59, underlined his Crocodile Dundee spirit which galvanised Fareham’s lower-order, none more so than emerging all-rounder Ben White, whose 36 not out included that match winning six.
A sixth win in seven consolidated seventh spot for Fareham, who lie just below OTs & Romsey II, who ran up 308 before inflicting a 157-run defeat on relegation bound Rowledge II (151).
The County 1 basement derby between Burridge and Sarisbury Athletic seconds produced a welter of over 500 runs, a century on either side – and, significantly, a 66-run win for the hosts.
Cam White’s career best 150 piloted Burridge to 291-7, a total beyond Sarisbury Athletic, whose 225-4 response contained an unbeaten 104 by Toby Mitcheson, who spent the entire 100 overs on the field having kept wicket previously.
