New Havant skipper Chris Morgan bowling at South Wilts last summer. Picture Roy Honeybone. The global Covid-19 pandemic has postponed Havant’s hopes of kickstarting a revival in their playing fortunes.
No club has won more Southern Premier League titles since 2000 - the year the league attained ECB accreditation.
Havant have scooped eight titles, and in the first 18 seasons only ever finished outside the top four twice.
However, after winning the league in 2016 and 2017, they slipped to sixth in 2018 and seventh in 2019, writes Simon Carter of The News, Portsmouth.
The loss of players such as Ben Walker - top run scorer in 2016 and 2017 - Rob Gibson (to Middlesex County League winners Richmond), Hampshire’s Brad Taylor and Cardiff University bound Andy Gorvin proved tough to overcome.
And while their former club were struggling last summer, two were winning titles elsewhere.
Walker’s 400 runs helped Bashley (Rydal) to win the SPL title for the first time in their history, while Gorvin was St Fagan’s leading wicket-taker with 32 at just 11.68 as the Cardiff-based club won the ECB South Wales Premier League title.
In addition to recent 1st XI woes, Havant’s 2nds were relegated from the SPL to the Hampshire League in 2018.
The winter saw a number of changes aimed at improving the club’s overall strength and attempting to start on a path leading to a return to former glories.
Travelling
Long-serving all-rounder Chris Morgan replaced Chris Stone as skipper of the 1sts, while Alex Whitfield left Bedhampton to be appointed captain of the 2nds.
Morgan, despite living and working in London for a few years, has continued to travel back to Havant to play at weekends, even though he stopped travelling back to play rugby for Portsmouth.
It is now 17 years since Morgan made his 1st XI debut aged just 13 in a Southern Premier League game against Liphook & Ripsley.
He has been a regular virtually ever since, apart from the seasons 2005-2008 when, while in the sixth form at Portsmouth Grammar, he was playing for the Hampshire Academy.
No club has won more Southern Premier League titles since 2000 - the year the league attained ECB accreditation.
Havant have scooped eight titles, and in the first 18 seasons only ever finished outside the top four twice.
However, after winning the league in 2016 and 2017, they slipped to sixth in 2018 and seventh in 2019, writes Simon Carter of The News, Portsmouth.
The loss of players such as Ben Walker - top run scorer in 2016 and 2017 - Rob Gibson (to Middlesex County League winners Richmond), Hampshire’s Brad Taylor and Cardiff University bound Andy Gorvin proved tough to overcome.
And while their former club were struggling last summer, two were winning titles elsewhere.
Walker’s 400 runs helped Bashley (Rydal) to win the SPL title for the first time in their history, while Gorvin was St Fagan’s leading wicket-taker with 32 at just 11.68 as the Cardiff-based club won the ECB South Wales Premier League title.
In addition to recent 1st XI woes, Havant’s 2nds were relegated from the SPL to the Hampshire League in 2018.
The winter saw a number of changes aimed at improving the club’s overall strength and attempting to start on a path leading to a return to former glories.
Travelling
Long-serving all-rounder Chris Morgan replaced Chris Stone as skipper of the 1sts, while Alex Whitfield left Bedhampton to be appointed captain of the 2nds.
Morgan, despite living and working in London for a few years, has continued to travel back to Havant to play at weekends, even though he stopped travelling back to play rugby for Portsmouth.
It is now 17 years since Morgan made his 1st XI debut aged just 13 in a Southern Premier League game against Liphook & Ripsley.
He has been a regular virtually ever since, apart from the seasons 2005-2008 when, while in the sixth form at Portsmouth Grammar, he was playing for the Hampshire Academy.
Havant's joint new Director of Cricket Jez Bulled (batting) survives a sharp stamping chance against now retired Bashley (Rydal) gloveman Chris Ridley.
Two more club stalwarts - wicket-keeper Jeremy Bulled (who played for Liphook on the day Morgan made his debut) and batsman Andrew Galliers - accepted the roles of joint director of cricket.
As reported previously, Havant had lined up South African seam bowler Bash Walters as their overseas player. The 33-year-old has played 121 first class matches in his native South Africa.
When the CSA (Cricket South Africa) Provincial 3-Day Cup competition was halted last month, Walters had taken 38 wickets to help Eastern Province to the top of their group. Only one other bowler had taken more.
The Provincial Cup is the second tier of first class cricket in South Africa, and Walters has also played for Warriors and Titans in the highest tier - the Four-Day Franchise Series.
Indeed, only last year he was a team-mate of Essex skipper Simon Harmer and Colin Ackermann, the top order batsman who is due to captain Leicestershire in all three formats should any county cricket be played this year.
Ever presents
Walters had been playing for Eastern Province this year alongside medium-pacer Siviwe Gidana, who was Havant’s overseas player in 2019. He was one of only two ever presents in the 18-game SPL season - batsman Harry Gadd was the other - and he took 20 wickets.
Unlike Walters, though, Gidana has never played top tier first class cricket in South Africa.
Havant’s SPL season had been due to start this past weekend at home to newly-promoted Division 1 champions Hook & Newnham Basics, but now will not begin until July 1 at the earliest following a recent ECB announcement.
Even that date seems unlikely at present, given Foreign Minister Dominic Raab’s comment last Sunday that it would be ‘very difficult’ for any grassroots sport to take place this summer.
As reported previously, Havant had lined up South African seam bowler Bash Walters as their overseas player. The 33-year-old has played 121 first class matches in his native South Africa.
When the CSA (Cricket South Africa) Provincial 3-Day Cup competition was halted last month, Walters had taken 38 wickets to help Eastern Province to the top of their group. Only one other bowler had taken more.
The Provincial Cup is the second tier of first class cricket in South Africa, and Walters has also played for Warriors and Titans in the highest tier - the Four-Day Franchise Series.
Indeed, only last year he was a team-mate of Essex skipper Simon Harmer and Colin Ackermann, the top order batsman who is due to captain Leicestershire in all three formats should any county cricket be played this year.
Ever presents
Walters had been playing for Eastern Province this year alongside medium-pacer Siviwe Gidana, who was Havant’s overseas player in 2019. He was one of only two ever presents in the 18-game SPL season - batsman Harry Gadd was the other - and he took 20 wickets.
Unlike Walters, though, Gidana has never played top tier first class cricket in South Africa.
Havant’s SPL season had been due to start this past weekend at home to newly-promoted Division 1 champions Hook & Newnham Basics, but now will not begin until July 1 at the earliest following a recent ECB announcement.
Even that date seems unlikely at present, given Foreign Minister Dominic Raab’s comment last Sunday that it would be ‘very difficult’ for any grassroots sport to take place this summer.
Like every other cricketer in the land, Chris Morgan is anxious to start playing again.
Still, the Covid-19 situation is ever-changing and Bulled said the club had certain goals for the 2020 season, if and when the curtain is lifted on it.
‘We were looking to finish in the top four and hopefully reach at least the semi-finals of the T20 Cup, and following the winter recruitment were hoping the 2nds could have a good tilt at winning promotion from the county league.
‘We’d like them to be playing one league up from where they are.’
Even if Havant’s season does begin in July, almost certainly Walters won’t be arriving - the club are unlikely to want to splash out on his air fare and other expenses just for a few games that won’t have a real competitive edge of a full season of fixtures.
Bulled is also hoping that, once lockdown is eased sufficiently for grassroots sport to start again, that Havant could return to regularly fielding four men’s teams.
‘At the moment we have three, but a club of our size and history should be getting 44 players out.
‘It’s about seven or eight years since we fielded four teams, but over the winter we’ve been talking about it.’
Another plan for the 2020 season was to regularly field a Sunday XI on the weekends when the 1sts didn’t have a National Cup or T20 fixture.
Semi-finalists
‘It’s a new initiative, the first team squad were down to play on a rota basis,’ said Bulled.
The ECB Club Championship is one competition Havant have never won, but they have got close.
They reached the semi-final in 2005 and 2012, losing to a Chris Nash-inspired Horsham (the eventual winners at Lord’s) and Wanstead & Snaresbrook respectively.
Last year Havant reached the fifth round before losing to a strong Weybridge side.
Opening the innings for Weybridge was Ben Curran - ex-Northants and brother of England pair Sam and Tom Curran - while Tom Bruce struck an unbeaten 87 off 71 balls.
The same Tom Bruce that has played 17 T20 internationals for New Zealand in recent years!
‘We have been lucky in that for most of the past 15 years the first team has looked after itself,” said Bulled.
‘We had a core of players who turned out week in and week out.
‘Over the last couple of winters a few have just naturally left - there’s been no big catalyst for them going.
‘There’s been young lads moving away to study, people moving away for work reasons.
‘We have gone from being quite competitive to not being as competitive as we were.’
‘We were looking to finish in the top four and hopefully reach at least the semi-finals of the T20 Cup, and following the winter recruitment were hoping the 2nds could have a good tilt at winning promotion from the county league.
‘We’d like them to be playing one league up from where they are.’
Even if Havant’s season does begin in July, almost certainly Walters won’t be arriving - the club are unlikely to want to splash out on his air fare and other expenses just for a few games that won’t have a real competitive edge of a full season of fixtures.
Bulled is also hoping that, once lockdown is eased sufficiently for grassroots sport to start again, that Havant could return to regularly fielding four men’s teams.
‘At the moment we have three, but a club of our size and history should be getting 44 players out.
‘It’s about seven or eight years since we fielded four teams, but over the winter we’ve been talking about it.’
Another plan for the 2020 season was to regularly field a Sunday XI on the weekends when the 1sts didn’t have a National Cup or T20 fixture.
Semi-finalists
‘It’s a new initiative, the first team squad were down to play on a rota basis,’ said Bulled.
The ECB Club Championship is one competition Havant have never won, but they have got close.
They reached the semi-final in 2005 and 2012, losing to a Chris Nash-inspired Horsham (the eventual winners at Lord’s) and Wanstead & Snaresbrook respectively.
Last year Havant reached the fifth round before losing to a strong Weybridge side.
Opening the innings for Weybridge was Ben Curran - ex-Northants and brother of England pair Sam and Tom Curran - while Tom Bruce struck an unbeaten 87 off 71 balls.
The same Tom Bruce that has played 17 T20 internationals for New Zealand in recent years!
‘We have been lucky in that for most of the past 15 years the first team has looked after itself,” said Bulled.
‘We had a core of players who turned out week in and week out.
‘Over the last couple of winters a few have just naturally left - there’s been no big catalyst for them going.
‘There’s been young lads moving away to study, people moving away for work reasons.
‘We have gone from being quite competitive to not being as competitive as we were.’
