Nick Wheeler clean bowled five batsmen on his way to producing a best-ever British Gas Southern League Division 2 spell of 8-20 as Langley Manor routed South Wilts to record back-to-back wins.
The former Hursley Park captain, who has three previous five-wicket returns on his CV, ripped South Wilts to shreds with his right-arm medium pace, having two other batsmen caught and another trapped leg before.
Wheeler’s figures were the first ‘eight-fer’ recorded in Premier Division 2, but the second in the SPL this season, 14-year old Ventnor seamer Zeph Wells having taken 8-37 against Sarisbury Athletic last month.
The Bemerton visitors were shot out for 75 in 27 overs, with four batsmen bagging ducks.
The Manor’s six-wicket win wasn’t that smooth an operation as Matt Burton and James Wade took four wickets before Jack Budd (23) and James Purnell (20) eased the anxieties among the Knellers Lane faithful.
Sparsholt climbed into a challenging second place, fighting back from a precarious position five wickets down to overcome Hambledon on a poor Ridge Meadow surface to record a five-wicket win.
A low scoring affair saw Hambledon struggle to 158-7 and then reduce Sparsholt to 37-5 before Sam Kennett (68) and David Banks (49 not out) turned the game on its head.
"It was a strange game on a very difficult wicket," confessed Dons captain Will Bond.
"The ball was doing all sorts of things, up and down and also the pace in which it was coming through.
"Some balls raced through while at other times it would slow right up on you."
Batting was a chore throughout and only opener George Marshall (25) and Owain Chapman (29 not out) got above 20.
When the lanky Rupert Hetherington (4-12) struck to have half the Sparsholt team back in the pavilion, the result looked a foregone conclusion.
But Sparsholt bat in depth these days and former Bournemouth University student Kennett, with two sixes and nine fours in a no nonsense 68 not out, and the experienced Banks (49 not out) added an unbeaten 125 to see the Winchester side to victory.
The former Hursley Park captain, who has three previous five-wicket returns on his CV, ripped South Wilts to shreds with his right-arm medium pace, having two other batsmen caught and another trapped leg before.
Wheeler’s figures were the first ‘eight-fer’ recorded in Premier Division 2, but the second in the SPL this season, 14-year old Ventnor seamer Zeph Wells having taken 8-37 against Sarisbury Athletic last month.
The Bemerton visitors were shot out for 75 in 27 overs, with four batsmen bagging ducks.
The Manor’s six-wicket win wasn’t that smooth an operation as Matt Burton and James Wade took four wickets before Jack Budd (23) and James Purnell (20) eased the anxieties among the Knellers Lane faithful.
Sparsholt climbed into a challenging second place, fighting back from a precarious position five wickets down to overcome Hambledon on a poor Ridge Meadow surface to record a five-wicket win.
A low scoring affair saw Hambledon struggle to 158-7 and then reduce Sparsholt to 37-5 before Sam Kennett (68) and David Banks (49 not out) turned the game on its head.
"It was a strange game on a very difficult wicket," confessed Dons captain Will Bond.
"The ball was doing all sorts of things, up and down and also the pace in which it was coming through.
"Some balls raced through while at other times it would slow right up on you."
Batting was a chore throughout and only opener George Marshall (25) and Owain Chapman (29 not out) got above 20.
When the lanky Rupert Hetherington (4-12) struck to have half the Sparsholt team back in the pavilion, the result looked a foregone conclusion.
But Sparsholt bat in depth these days and former Bournemouth University student Kennett, with two sixes and nine fours in a no nonsense 68 not out, and the experienced Banks (49 not out) added an unbeaten 125 to see the Winchester side to victory.
