Ryan Covey
A third loss in their last five matches, culminating in an 85-run defeat by relegated Liphook & Ripsley, left Sarisbury Athletic 17 points adrift of Southern Premier Division 1 champions Alton.
Going into the home straight, everything in the Allotment Road garden looked rosy. They had just won a sixth game in a row against Rowledge and led the field by 29 points with five to play.
Then it began to go wrong. Defeats at Portsmouth and New Milton (either side of beating Ventnor) unlocked the back door for Alton and Sarisbury’s confidence was shaken. It was never really recovered.
Opener Ryan Covey struck 76 as Liphook, winning for only the fourth time in 18 uninterrupted league games, reached 199-4. Six wickets then clattered for the addition of only 11 runs, with Jordan Wright (4-44) and Josh Hill (4-18) doing most of the damage.
In reply, Sarisbury lurched from 24-0 to 25-3 with Sam Floyd and Cameron Grierson both dismissed without scoring. Nathan Feltham (28) and Jack Lovett (23) took the score to 82 before Feltham fell, and Lovett followed two runs later.
There was no way back from that and Sarisbury’s season ended in overwhelming anti-climax as they slithered to 125 all out.
Portsmouth brought the curtain down on their SPL campaign by skittling New Milton for just 68 at Fernhill.
The last six home wickets mustered just 18 runs with cheap pickings for Reuben McArdle (3-12), coach Steve Warner (3-16) and Joe Kooner-Evans (3-19).
That gave Portsmouth a 128-run victory and fourth place in the second tier, with Jamie Mitchell (41) having top scored in their 196 all out total.
Going into the home straight, everything in the Allotment Road garden looked rosy. They had just won a sixth game in a row against Rowledge and led the field by 29 points with five to play.
Then it began to go wrong. Defeats at Portsmouth and New Milton (either side of beating Ventnor) unlocked the back door for Alton and Sarisbury’s confidence was shaken. It was never really recovered.
Opener Ryan Covey struck 76 as Liphook, winning for only the fourth time in 18 uninterrupted league games, reached 199-4. Six wickets then clattered for the addition of only 11 runs, with Jordan Wright (4-44) and Josh Hill (4-18) doing most of the damage.
In reply, Sarisbury lurched from 24-0 to 25-3 with Sam Floyd and Cameron Grierson both dismissed without scoring. Nathan Feltham (28) and Jack Lovett (23) took the score to 82 before Feltham fell, and Lovett followed two runs later.
There was no way back from that and Sarisbury’s season ended in overwhelming anti-climax as they slithered to 125 all out.
Portsmouth brought the curtain down on their SPL campaign by skittling New Milton for just 68 at Fernhill.
The last six home wickets mustered just 18 runs with cheap pickings for Reuben McArdle (3-12), coach Steve Warner (3-16) and Joe Kooner-Evans (3-19).
That gave Portsmouth a 128-run victory and fourth place in the second tier, with Jamie Mitchell (41) having top scored in their 196 all out total.
