Former South Africa Under-19 captain Sibonelo Makhanya will make a delayed debut for Basingstoke & North Hants in the ECB Southern Premier Division match against winless Lymington at May’s Bounty, 12.30.
The Bountymen have been unable to play the Dolphins all-rounder so far due to complications with his coaching credentials, but Makhanya, pictured, has been given the all-clear to play after passing his Level 2 assessment tests in midweek.
Basingstoke certainly need Makhanya’s runs in the middle-order as their batsmen have found it hard going in the two matches they have played since last season’s promotion.
They were struggling at 132-6 when the last home match against St Cross Symondians was rain abandoned and were dismissed for a disappointing 168 by the Hampshire Academy last week.
Basingstoke make a switch behind the stumps with 15-year old Josh May making his debut for the unavailable Laurence Benge.
The Richard Aldworth schoolboy comes in with a positive recommendation from skipper Mitchell Stokes, who said “Josh has scored three 60-plus scores in competitive cricket already and is a very competent gloveman.”
Pitch hitting opener Ben Rogers plays his first match of the season for Lymington, who tied with Alton last week, Matt Metcalfe having taken 4-9 with the new ball.
Basingstoke & North Hants: Belcher, Thane, Stokes, Makhanya, Williamson, B Neal, Griffiths, May, A Neal, James, Porter.
Lymington: Beetham, Rogers, Hand, Scott, Grady, C Moors, Metcalfe, Cox, Whyte, Robertson, Procter.
South Wilts are forced to make three changes for what promises to be a testing visit to Alton’s Jubilee Ground.
Tom Cowley, James Hayward and Jack Mynott have all signed the absentee register, so there’s a call up for second team opener Owain Phillips, alongside spinner Tom Pearce and teenage spinner Akram Ghauri.
Alton, in contrast, have Alex Hammond back behind the stumps and call in young Abhay Gonella to open the batting.
Alton: Gonella, Mike Heffernan, Harris, Marais, Myers, Mark Heffernan, Alex Hammond, Hugo Hammond, Mortimer, Salmon, Ballinger
South Wilts: Morton, Phillips, Wade, Draper, Godsal, Pearce, Hibberd, Evans, Warner, Murray, Ghauri.
Burridge and the Hampshire Academy have gone off well, each notching two wins ahead of tomorrow’s meeting at Botley Road, where spinner Zac Organ replaces seamer Scott Currie.
Burridge: Ankers, Collings-Wells, Savidnet, Lock, De Abreu, Chowdhury, Steward, Stancliffe, Southon, White, McMurray.
Academy: F Organ, South, Middleton, Scriven, Albert, Metzger, Pardoe, Abbas, Z Organ, Reynolds, Searle.
Comfortably beaten at South Wilts last week, Havant are boosted by Richard Hindley’s return against New Milton at The Park.
Havant: Stone, Gorvin, Morgan, Hopson, Ransley, Hindley, Gadd, Jerry, Prentice, Bulled, Burns.
The Bountymen have been unable to play the Dolphins all-rounder so far due to complications with his coaching credentials, but Makhanya, pictured, has been given the all-clear to play after passing his Level 2 assessment tests in midweek.
Basingstoke certainly need Makhanya’s runs in the middle-order as their batsmen have found it hard going in the two matches they have played since last season’s promotion.
They were struggling at 132-6 when the last home match against St Cross Symondians was rain abandoned and were dismissed for a disappointing 168 by the Hampshire Academy last week.
Basingstoke make a switch behind the stumps with 15-year old Josh May making his debut for the unavailable Laurence Benge.
The Richard Aldworth schoolboy comes in with a positive recommendation from skipper Mitchell Stokes, who said “Josh has scored three 60-plus scores in competitive cricket already and is a very competent gloveman.”
Pitch hitting opener Ben Rogers plays his first match of the season for Lymington, who tied with Alton last week, Matt Metcalfe having taken 4-9 with the new ball.
Basingstoke & North Hants: Belcher, Thane, Stokes, Makhanya, Williamson, B Neal, Griffiths, May, A Neal, James, Porter.
Lymington: Beetham, Rogers, Hand, Scott, Grady, C Moors, Metcalfe, Cox, Whyte, Robertson, Procter.
South Wilts are forced to make three changes for what promises to be a testing visit to Alton’s Jubilee Ground.
Tom Cowley, James Hayward and Jack Mynott have all signed the absentee register, so there’s a call up for second team opener Owain Phillips, alongside spinner Tom Pearce and teenage spinner Akram Ghauri.
Alton, in contrast, have Alex Hammond back behind the stumps and call in young Abhay Gonella to open the batting.
Alton: Gonella, Mike Heffernan, Harris, Marais, Myers, Mark Heffernan, Alex Hammond, Hugo Hammond, Mortimer, Salmon, Ballinger
South Wilts: Morton, Phillips, Wade, Draper, Godsal, Pearce, Hibberd, Evans, Warner, Murray, Ghauri.
Burridge and the Hampshire Academy have gone off well, each notching two wins ahead of tomorrow’s meeting at Botley Road, where spinner Zac Organ replaces seamer Scott Currie.
Burridge: Ankers, Collings-Wells, Savidnet, Lock, De Abreu, Chowdhury, Steward, Stancliffe, Southon, White, McMurray.
Academy: F Organ, South, Middleton, Scriven, Albert, Metzger, Pardoe, Abbas, Z Organ, Reynolds, Searle.
Comfortably beaten at South Wilts last week, Havant are boosted by Richard Hindley’s return against New Milton at The Park.
Havant: Stone, Gorvin, Morgan, Hopson, Ransley, Hindley, Gadd, Jerry, Prentice, Bulled, Burns.
