Portsmouth & Southsea pulled off the Southern Premier League Division 3’s Great Escape by beating Purbrook by 44 runs in their final match – a result which sent Fareham & Crofton on a return trip back to the Hampshire League from where they had arisen 12 months earlier.
They began the final round of matches four points behind Fareham, who faced an untimely finale with newly crowned champions Bashley (Rydal) II visiting Bath Lane, where the visitors won by 125 runs.
The Benfield brothers, Matt (left) and Tom were Portsmouth & Southsea’s key players, elder sibling Matt scoring 59 and being supported by Jack Davies (31) and Chris Bollom (38) as the visitors progressed to 123-3 before Martin Lee’s spell of 5-28 saw them clatter to 202 all out.
Purbrook quickly dropped to 25-3 before being revived by Joe Spiers (50) and Alex Cox (43). But they too collapsed, 107-3 becoming 159 all out on the back of Tom Benfield’s 4-50 return.
Fareham, promoted in third place in County Division 1 in 2018, toiled as champions Bashley piled up 277 with Arno Hattingh (64) and Patrick Holly (54) making half-centuries after opener James Turner (40) and Patrick Lewis (40) had taken the visitors into treble figures.
Fareham knew the game was up in terms of relegation and fell to 153 all out, with 13-year old leggie Ethan Baker snapping up 3-22 on debut.
They began the final round of matches four points behind Fareham, who faced an untimely finale with newly crowned champions Bashley (Rydal) II visiting Bath Lane, where the visitors won by 125 runs.
The Benfield brothers, Matt (left) and Tom were Portsmouth & Southsea’s key players, elder sibling Matt scoring 59 and being supported by Jack Davies (31) and Chris Bollom (38) as the visitors progressed to 123-3 before Martin Lee’s spell of 5-28 saw them clatter to 202 all out.
Purbrook quickly dropped to 25-3 before being revived by Joe Spiers (50) and Alex Cox (43). But they too collapsed, 107-3 becoming 159 all out on the back of Tom Benfield’s 4-50 return.
Fareham, promoted in third place in County Division 1 in 2018, toiled as champions Bashley piled up 277 with Arno Hattingh (64) and Patrick Holly (54) making half-centuries after opener James Turner (40) and Patrick Lewis (40) had taken the visitors into treble figures.
Fareham knew the game was up in terms of relegation and fell to 153 all out, with 13-year old leggie Ethan Baker snapping up 3-22 on debut.
