Basingstoke & North Hants maintained their 22-point lead over Andover at the top of Southern Premier Division 1 - the pair meet head-on at London Road on Saturday week, August 12 - after overcoming a scare to beat Rowledge by two wickets at School Road.
Max Martin (54), with his fourth half-century of the season, glued the Rowledge innings together with an effective knock the team could build around. The middle-order batters made starts but were unable to dominate an effective attack.
The scoring rate became too low as the visitors four spinners strangled the Rowledge run rate which led to the new, incoming batsmen being put under pressure to step up the rate and getting themselves out.
The Rowledge innings fizzled out to a below par 149 on a surface which had plenty of pace and bounce held no terrors for the batsmen.
Max Martin (54), with his fourth half-century of the season, glued the Rowledge innings together with an effective knock the team could build around. The middle-order batters made starts but were unable to dominate an effective attack.
The scoring rate became too low as the visitors four spinners strangled the Rowledge run rate which led to the new, incoming batsmen being put under pressure to step up the rate and getting themselves out.
The Rowledge innings fizzled out to a below par 149 on a surface which had plenty of pace and bounce held no terrors for the batsmen.
Put under early pressure, Basingstoke lost openers Matt Deadman and Dubs Wood cheaply and, at 15-2, one or two seeds of doubt began to creep into the visitors' changing room. The Rowledge fielding went up a notch with run saving dives and superb catching - illustrated by the run out of the dangerous Callum Coombs by Olly Ryman from cover point.
With half the side dismissed for 79, the target of 150 seemed a long way off but Basingstoke skipper Joe Oates played a commanding innings just when his side needed it and along with Neil Shelar slowly brought the target closer.
The spin duo of the evergreen David Lloyd and Ollie Baker bowled effectively, but the sixth-wicket pair added 38 and gradually turned the game in the visitors favour.
There was another twist when Oates (35) was out skying a catch off Lloyd and then Baker bowled Matt Donaldson for a duck. At 127-7 the outcome was on a knife edge.
Shelar (36) looked like winning the match for Basingstoke, but with seven runs still required was caught and bowled by young Australian Connor Cook, from the NSW Grade club Gordon.
Nerves were jangling could be felt in the pavilion but a snick through the slips for four by Loz Benge, followed by a boundary over mid-wicket, saw Basingstoke home.
Photographs by Ian Thacker
With half the side dismissed for 79, the target of 150 seemed a long way off but Basingstoke skipper Joe Oates played a commanding innings just when his side needed it and along with Neil Shelar slowly brought the target closer.
The spin duo of the evergreen David Lloyd and Ollie Baker bowled effectively, but the sixth-wicket pair added 38 and gradually turned the game in the visitors favour.
There was another twist when Oates (35) was out skying a catch off Lloyd and then Baker bowled Matt Donaldson for a duck. At 127-7 the outcome was on a knife edge.
Shelar (36) looked like winning the match for Basingstoke, but with seven runs still required was caught and bowled by young Australian Connor Cook, from the NSW Grade club Gordon.
Nerves were jangling could be felt in the pavilion but a snick through the slips for four by Loz Benge, followed by a boundary over mid-wicket, saw Basingstoke home.
Photographs by Ian Thacker