Ventnor's Ollie Morgan rips into Harry Gadd's stumps [Dave Reynolds]
Joe Kooner-Evans and Rakshith Rao tore through the Ventnor line-up to take Portsmouth another huge step towards the Southern Premier League’s top flight.
The pair shared nine wickets as the Isle of Wight hosts were skittled for 69 by the Division 1 table-toppers. That gave Portsmouth, who had only managed 132 all out themselves after skipper Dan Wimble chose to bat first on a dry Steephill surface, a 12th win in 14 completed second tier fixtures by 63 runs.
Kooner-Evans, after seeing newly wed Henry Bartlett hit the first and third balls of his opening over to the boundary, had him caught by Wimble off the sixth. Rao trapped Sam Guerin leg before and it was 26-3 when Kooner-Evans won a leg before decision against Daniel Cox.
The big wicket was that of Dinesh Thimodya, the Sri Lankan opener caught by Harry Gadd off Kooner-Evans as Ventnor dipped to 35-4.Thimodya had scored a run-a-ball 23, which was to prove Ventnor’s highest score as they were bowled out inside 24 overs.
Kooner-Evans finished with 5-32, his second best SPL figures for Portsmouth after his 5-29 against Andover six years ago. Rao is now Portsmouth’s leading league wicket-taker this year with 23 - one more than Tom Lewis - after taking 4-31.
Earlier, Portsmouth had crashed to 52-5 with their top five all back in the pavilion. Middle order runs from Kooner-Evans (23), Freddie Gadd (21) and Wimble (20) hoisted the visitors to 132.
With Sarisbury Athletic’s game against Hook & Newnham Basics ending in a tie, Portsmouth are 23 points clear at the top with just three games left. Only the champions will be playing Premier Division cricket in 2025, with Portsmouth’s remaining games against lowly Waterlooville and Calmore Sports before a last-day encounter against fifth-placed Rowledge.
The pair shared nine wickets as the Isle of Wight hosts were skittled for 69 by the Division 1 table-toppers. That gave Portsmouth, who had only managed 132 all out themselves after skipper Dan Wimble chose to bat first on a dry Steephill surface, a 12th win in 14 completed second tier fixtures by 63 runs.
Kooner-Evans, after seeing newly wed Henry Bartlett hit the first and third balls of his opening over to the boundary, had him caught by Wimble off the sixth. Rao trapped Sam Guerin leg before and it was 26-3 when Kooner-Evans won a leg before decision against Daniel Cox.
The big wicket was that of Dinesh Thimodya, the Sri Lankan opener caught by Harry Gadd off Kooner-Evans as Ventnor dipped to 35-4.Thimodya had scored a run-a-ball 23, which was to prove Ventnor’s highest score as they were bowled out inside 24 overs.
Kooner-Evans finished with 5-32, his second best SPL figures for Portsmouth after his 5-29 against Andover six years ago. Rao is now Portsmouth’s leading league wicket-taker this year with 23 - one more than Tom Lewis - after taking 4-31.
Earlier, Portsmouth had crashed to 52-5 with their top five all back in the pavilion. Middle order runs from Kooner-Evans (23), Freddie Gadd (21) and Wimble (20) hoisted the visitors to 132.
With Sarisbury Athletic’s game against Hook & Newnham Basics ending in a tie, Portsmouth are 23 points clear at the top with just three games left. Only the champions will be playing Premier Division cricket in 2025, with Portsmouth’s remaining games against lowly Waterlooville and Calmore Sports before a last-day encounter against fifth-placed Rowledge.
 Close call as Ventnor go for a run out ... |  Carlin Joy is bowled by Ventnor's Dan Cox : Dave Reynolds pics |
