Undefeated leaders Waterlooville and second placed Old Tauntonians & Romsey have pulled well clear at the top of Southern Premier League Division 2.
While they were winning rain dogged round 11 matches against Fair Oak and Hook & Newnham Basics II, respectively, third placed Portsmouth & Southsea came a cropper against Liphook & Ripsley, whose two-wicket win dumped Sparsholt in the relegation zone.
The Ville proved too strong for Fair Oak at Rowlands Avenue on Saturday, the hosts making it eight wins in eight with a 22-run victory - but Oaks certainly gave them a good run for their money.
Paceman Ben Smith (3-22), firing on all cylinders again after a nagging injury, led the Oaks attack well. A fifty partnership between Josh McCoy (21) and Josh McGregor took the Ville to 73-3, and after the Fair Oak spinners reduced the hosts to 98-6 McGregor [left] shared in another fifty partnership, this time with Ashan Silva, before falling to Smith for 65.
Teenage spinner Lewis Goodyear took 2-25 and Sam Reed, something of an occasional bowler these days, 2-28, as the home side reached 170-9 from their 50 overs. Silva was unbeaten at tea on 32.
Fair Oak found themselves deep in the mire at 69- 6. 32 of those runs came from the bat of Henry Nicholls, in good nick after scoring over 1,000 runs for Winchester College this past term. Joe Mitchell took 3-26, Archie Reynolds 2-25 and Alex Shephard 2-14, and it was left to keeper Matt White (23) and skipper Rhys Oxley to put up some resistance towards the end of the innings. In the end Oaks made it to 148 before Oxley was last out, for 26.
While they were winning rain dogged round 11 matches against Fair Oak and Hook & Newnham Basics II, respectively, third placed Portsmouth & Southsea came a cropper against Liphook & Ripsley, whose two-wicket win dumped Sparsholt in the relegation zone.
The Ville proved too strong for Fair Oak at Rowlands Avenue on Saturday, the hosts making it eight wins in eight with a 22-run victory - but Oaks certainly gave them a good run for their money.
Paceman Ben Smith (3-22), firing on all cylinders again after a nagging injury, led the Oaks attack well. A fifty partnership between Josh McCoy (21) and Josh McGregor took the Ville to 73-3, and after the Fair Oak spinners reduced the hosts to 98-6 McGregor [left] shared in another fifty partnership, this time with Ashan Silva, before falling to Smith for 65.
Teenage spinner Lewis Goodyear took 2-25 and Sam Reed, something of an occasional bowler these days, 2-28, as the home side reached 170-9 from their 50 overs. Silva was unbeaten at tea on 32.
Fair Oak found themselves deep in the mire at 69- 6. 32 of those runs came from the bat of Henry Nicholls, in good nick after scoring over 1,000 runs for Winchester College this past term. Joe Mitchell took 3-26, Archie Reynolds 2-25 and Alex Shephard 2-14, and it was left to keeper Matt White (23) and skipper Rhys Oxley to put up some resistance towards the end of the innings. In the end Oaks made it to 148 before Oxley was last out, for 26.
Joe Vaughan on his way to 66 not out [Ian Thacker photo]
Opener Joe Vaughan hit an unbeaten 66 and partner Charlie King 48 as OTs & Romsey chased down a trimmed Hook & Newnham Basics II target of 150 off 36 overs to win by nine wickets.
Bottom side Hook scored 171-7 initially on an KGV pitch where batting wasn’t easy. Hakim Peruzi made the initial breakthrough when he trapped James Waterson leg before with only 11 runs on the board. Daniel Moore (31) and Oli James (27) batted watchfully and progressed the score to 55 before left-arm spinner Matt Bampton struck a double blow to dismiss both batsmen.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals and further successes for spin duo Vaughan and two for Rob Newman reduced Hook to 127-7 after 40 overs. Hook youngsters Manny Lumsden (30) - who has been called up by the Hampshire Academy at Lymington - and Ollie Webster came together for the eighth wicket and the pair ran particularly well between the wickets to add an unbroken 44 run partnership which lifted the total to 171-7.
Further rain meant a target for OT’s of 151 from 39 overs. Openers King and Vaughan started on the front foot and punished anything loose from the Hook bowlers. The pair had 50 runs on the board in only the seventh over of their reply. Shortly after bring up the century opening stand in the 19th over Charlie King (48) was bowled by Charlie Bland with the score on 104.
Richard Blake joined Vaughan at the crease and runs continued to flow. Despite trying six different bowlers Hook were unable to gain any further breakthroughs. Vaughan passed his 50 with his seventh four past square leg and he ended on 66 not out from 83 balls. Richard Blake finished undefeated on 21 as OT’s won with more than 10 overs to spare.
OTR's grip on the second promotion place was strengthened when Portsmouth & Southsea fell to a two-wicket defeat against resurgent Liphook & Ripsley, who are now out of the bottom two .
Bottom side Hook scored 171-7 initially on an KGV pitch where batting wasn’t easy. Hakim Peruzi made the initial breakthrough when he trapped James Waterson leg before with only 11 runs on the board. Daniel Moore (31) and Oli James (27) batted watchfully and progressed the score to 55 before left-arm spinner Matt Bampton struck a double blow to dismiss both batsmen.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals and further successes for spin duo Vaughan and two for Rob Newman reduced Hook to 127-7 after 40 overs. Hook youngsters Manny Lumsden (30) - who has been called up by the Hampshire Academy at Lymington - and Ollie Webster came together for the eighth wicket and the pair ran particularly well between the wickets to add an unbroken 44 run partnership which lifted the total to 171-7.
Further rain meant a target for OT’s of 151 from 39 overs. Openers King and Vaughan started on the front foot and punished anything loose from the Hook bowlers. The pair had 50 runs on the board in only the seventh over of their reply. Shortly after bring up the century opening stand in the 19th over Charlie King (48) was bowled by Charlie Bland with the score on 104.
Richard Blake joined Vaughan at the crease and runs continued to flow. Despite trying six different bowlers Hook were unable to gain any further breakthroughs. Vaughan passed his 50 with his seventh four past square leg and he ended on 66 not out from 83 balls. Richard Blake finished undefeated on 21 as OT’s won with more than 10 overs to spare.
OTR's grip on the second promotion place was strengthened when Portsmouth & Southsea fell to a two-wicket defeat against resurgent Liphook & Ripsley, who are now out of the bottom two .
 |  Left, OTs & Romsey opener Charlie Ki g gets a dreaded straight one ... above teenage Hook talent Manny Lumsden set to make Academy debut [Ian Thacker pictures] |
