August 2021. Ben Draper has a firm grasp of the ECB Southern Premier League championship trophy won by South Wilts for the second year running.
Fast forward 12 months and the South Wilts captain is clinging hold of the silverware by his finger tips, consecutive defeats by Bournemouth and Bashley (Rydal) having trimmed their lead at the top to a mere two points.
That's the slender advantage South Wilts enjoy over 2018 winners St Cross Symondians ahead of a 'massive' showdown with Charlie Freeston's Hampshire Academy at Bemerton, 12.30.
It's a match South Wits simply have to win, especially with St Cross facing a seriously weakened Lymington at the Green Jackets.
If the Young Hawks (ten points behind) were to inflict South Wilts' a third successive defeat, they will overtake them in the table.
Make no mistake, the Academy - who field their strongest possible side at Wilton Road - want to win the Premier League. Out of the blue they tied 244-runs each with St Cross Symondians last weekend, a run out off the last ball denying them victory.
Dismissing South Wilts' in-form openers Tom Morton (862 runs) and Jack Stearman (663) relatively cheaply could be the key for the Academy, whose batsmen will have to negotiate the left-arm pace of 42-wicket Josh Croom and new ball partner Matt Burton.
Teenage all-round talent Matt Falconer returns for South Wilts, while Dom Kelly, who has been with Hampshire's triumphant Royal London Cup squad, boosts the Academy line up.
South Wilts: Morton, Stearman, Rowe, Draper, Mynott, Godsal, Falconer, Sen, Grant, Croom, Burton.
Academy: Eckland, Cheater, Kelly, Mumford, Fontaine-jackson, Wright, Ruffell, Jack, Fairfax-Ross, Baker, Prichard, Calderwood, Martin.
South African all-rounder Michael Booth returns from groin surgery to play (as a batsman) for second placed St Cross Symondians against Lymington, who field only four first team regulars.
St Cross Symondians: Tom Foyle, Mike Booth, Sam Beer, Matt Haworth, Callum Whillock, Harry Trussler, Charlie Gwynn, Jack Bransgrove, Simon Beetham, Ed Ellis, Harry Foyle.
Fourth in the log Havant face an intriguing test from a visiting Bournemouth, who have won their last three, with promising pace bowler Ollie Breckon beginning to make waves in the NCCA arena. He and Conor Smith make their Dorset debuts on Sunday.
Havant: S Ransley, Hopson, Walker, H Gadd, Metzger, Stone, Hindley, Barnard, Udy, Jerry, F Gadd.
Bournemouth: C Park, Webb, Willoughby, Robinson, Woodruff, Freak, Hurley, Pack, Smith, Conway, Breckon.
There's no way back for Hook & Newnham Basics if they lose at Burridge, realistically the only side they can overhaul at the bottom.
Sam Lockwood's powerful 70 in last Sunday's T20 Cup win over Alton has earned him a recall at the expense of Harry Robson.
Hook: J Buckingham, Lockwood, Warner, M Buckingham, James, Simpson, Divecha, Neville, Murrell, Armstrong, Willcocks.
Totton & Eling's match against Bashley (Rydal) is expected to be dominated by spin bowlers so dry is the Souhern Gardens square.
Bashley (Rydal): Francis, Tripcony, Porter Saif, Digby, Goodey, Lewis, Trodd, Penycate, Fletcher, Wilson.
Fast forward 12 months and the South Wilts captain is clinging hold of the silverware by his finger tips, consecutive defeats by Bournemouth and Bashley (Rydal) having trimmed their lead at the top to a mere two points.
That's the slender advantage South Wilts enjoy over 2018 winners St Cross Symondians ahead of a 'massive' showdown with Charlie Freeston's Hampshire Academy at Bemerton, 12.30.
It's a match South Wits simply have to win, especially with St Cross facing a seriously weakened Lymington at the Green Jackets.
If the Young Hawks (ten points behind) were to inflict South Wilts' a third successive defeat, they will overtake them in the table.
Make no mistake, the Academy - who field their strongest possible side at Wilton Road - want to win the Premier League. Out of the blue they tied 244-runs each with St Cross Symondians last weekend, a run out off the last ball denying them victory.
Dismissing South Wilts' in-form openers Tom Morton (862 runs) and Jack Stearman (663) relatively cheaply could be the key for the Academy, whose batsmen will have to negotiate the left-arm pace of 42-wicket Josh Croom and new ball partner Matt Burton.
Teenage all-round talent Matt Falconer returns for South Wilts, while Dom Kelly, who has been with Hampshire's triumphant Royal London Cup squad, boosts the Academy line up.
South Wilts: Morton, Stearman, Rowe, Draper, Mynott, Godsal, Falconer, Sen, Grant, Croom, Burton.
Academy: Eckland, Cheater, Kelly, Mumford, Fontaine-jackson, Wright, Ruffell, Jack, Fairfax-Ross, Baker, Prichard, Calderwood, Martin.
South African all-rounder Michael Booth returns from groin surgery to play (as a batsman) for second placed St Cross Symondians against Lymington, who field only four first team regulars.
St Cross Symondians: Tom Foyle, Mike Booth, Sam Beer, Matt Haworth, Callum Whillock, Harry Trussler, Charlie Gwynn, Jack Bransgrove, Simon Beetham, Ed Ellis, Harry Foyle.
Fourth in the log Havant face an intriguing test from a visiting Bournemouth, who have won their last three, with promising pace bowler Ollie Breckon beginning to make waves in the NCCA arena. He and Conor Smith make their Dorset debuts on Sunday.
Havant: S Ransley, Hopson, Walker, H Gadd, Metzger, Stone, Hindley, Barnard, Udy, Jerry, F Gadd.
Bournemouth: C Park, Webb, Willoughby, Robinson, Woodruff, Freak, Hurley, Pack, Smith, Conway, Breckon.
There's no way back for Hook & Newnham Basics if they lose at Burridge, realistically the only side they can overhaul at the bottom.
Sam Lockwood's powerful 70 in last Sunday's T20 Cup win over Alton has earned him a recall at the expense of Harry Robson.
Hook: J Buckingham, Lockwood, Warner, M Buckingham, James, Simpson, Divecha, Neville, Murrell, Armstrong, Willcocks.
Totton & Eling's match against Bashley (Rydal) is expected to be dominated by spin bowlers so dry is the Souhern Gardens square.
Bashley (Rydal): Francis, Tripcony, Porter Saif, Digby, Goodey, Lewis, Trodd, Penycate, Fletcher, Wilson.
The three leading run getters in Division 1 go head-to-head at Allotment Road, where Sarisbury Athletic look to extend their lead at the expense of Ventnor.
With 577 runs, which includes one hundred and five scores of 50 or more, Sarisbury left-hander Sam Floyd enjoys a slender lead over Ventnor’s Sri Lankan Dineth Timodya (576) and Martin Blackman (573), who returns to the Ventnor side in place of Wroxall postie Chris Russell.
Ventnor: N Verma, D Timodya, B Woodhouse, M Blackman, R Whyte, H Calloway, S Mills, J Winterbottom, O Morgan, R Snell, C Read.
Second placed Alton need Sarisbury to slip up if they are to push their title claims and they swap Huw Wheeler for the holidaying Michael Heffernan against Alton at the Jubilee.
Alton: Gonella, Harris, Wheeler, Myers, Heffernan MJ, South, Egleston, Paul, Walters, Salmon, Gadsby
Calmore Sports will effectively relegate Liphook & Ripsley if they win at Ripsley Park, where Ben Johns looks to enhance his 526-run tally.
Calmore Sports: Bailey, Carty, Croft, Fisher, Johns, Johnson, Lavelle, Manning, Moss, Parker, Wright
Sparsholt ended an eight-week long winless run by beating Liphook last week, but should find Basingstoke & North Hants tougher opposition at May’s Bounty.
Rowledge look to end a three-match losing sequence when they host Portsmouth, but key youngsters Ryan Littlewood (back injury) and Oli Ryman are absent.
Zac LeRoux, however, is in tip top form wih 70-plus scores in each of his last two knocks.
Rowledge: Ben Wish, Hugh Croft, Ricky yates, Ollie baker, Dave Lloyd, Richard Forbes, Jake Wish, Max Martin, Jontie Seeborn, Will Ryman, Zac Leroux.
With 577 runs, which includes one hundred and five scores of 50 or more, Sarisbury left-hander Sam Floyd enjoys a slender lead over Ventnor’s Sri Lankan Dineth Timodya (576) and Martin Blackman (573), who returns to the Ventnor side in place of Wroxall postie Chris Russell.
Ventnor: N Verma, D Timodya, B Woodhouse, M Blackman, R Whyte, H Calloway, S Mills, J Winterbottom, O Morgan, R Snell, C Read.
Second placed Alton need Sarisbury to slip up if they are to push their title claims and they swap Huw Wheeler for the holidaying Michael Heffernan against Alton at the Jubilee.
Alton: Gonella, Harris, Wheeler, Myers, Heffernan MJ, South, Egleston, Paul, Walters, Salmon, Gadsby
Calmore Sports will effectively relegate Liphook & Ripsley if they win at Ripsley Park, where Ben Johns looks to enhance his 526-run tally.
Calmore Sports: Bailey, Carty, Croft, Fisher, Johns, Johnson, Lavelle, Manning, Moss, Parker, Wright
Sparsholt ended an eight-week long winless run by beating Liphook last week, but should find Basingstoke & North Hants tougher opposition at May’s Bounty.
Rowledge look to end a three-match losing sequence when they host Portsmouth, but key youngsters Ryan Littlewood (back injury) and Oli Ryman are absent.
Zac LeRoux, however, is in tip top form wih 70-plus scores in each of his last two knocks.
Rowledge: Ben Wish, Hugh Croft, Ricky yates, Ollie baker, Dave Lloyd, Richard Forbes, Jake Wish, Max Martin, Jontie Seeborn, Will Ryman, Zac Leroux.