There’s clearly more to Tom Prest’s game than simply scoring runs – as his five-wicket off-spin bowling return for the Hampshire Academy at Havant underlined!
The 16-year old Canford prospect went into the ECB Southern Premier Division Time pennant match on Havant’s spin friendly surface in the form of his embryo career, having scored back-to-back hundreds the previous weekend (for the Academy and Hampshire Under-17s) and gut wrenching 99 for his school against the MCC.
But it was his bowling that caught the eye, a tidy 5-42 return off 16.4 overs, bowling in tandem with Mo Abbas, as Havant were dismissed for 166, the 2017 champions having lost half their wickets for 56, two of them to Oli Southon (2-23).
Prest’s victims included Richard Hindley, Chris Stone and Chris Morgan, notable scalps for a fledgling teen.
It needed a middle-order rescue act from Jez Bulled (35), Chris Morgan (29) and Siviwe Gidana (31) to get Havant to a competitive score.
While Prest (39) and Brad Taylor (50) were compiling an 86-run start, the Academy were odds-on to pull off a victory, but the county youngsters were unable to regain the initiative once the opening pair fell to Richard Hindley and, at stumps, they were content to settle for a ‘winning draw’ at 149-8.
Spin duo Hindley (4-31) and Morgan (3-42) wheeled away, while Scott Currie’s 29 not out ensured no late hiccups for the Academy.
The 16-year old Canford prospect went into the ECB Southern Premier Division Time pennant match on Havant’s spin friendly surface in the form of his embryo career, having scored back-to-back hundreds the previous weekend (for the Academy and Hampshire Under-17s) and gut wrenching 99 for his school against the MCC.
But it was his bowling that caught the eye, a tidy 5-42 return off 16.4 overs, bowling in tandem with Mo Abbas, as Havant were dismissed for 166, the 2017 champions having lost half their wickets for 56, two of them to Oli Southon (2-23).
Prest’s victims included Richard Hindley, Chris Stone and Chris Morgan, notable scalps for a fledgling teen.
It needed a middle-order rescue act from Jez Bulled (35), Chris Morgan (29) and Siviwe Gidana (31) to get Havant to a competitive score.
While Prest (39) and Brad Taylor (50) were compiling an 86-run start, the Academy were odds-on to pull off a victory, but the county youngsters were unable to regain the initiative once the opening pair fell to Richard Hindley and, at stumps, they were content to settle for a ‘winning draw’ at 149-8.
Spin duo Hindley (4-31) and Morgan (3-42) wheeled away, while Scott Currie’s 29 not out ensured no late hiccups for the Academy.