Jason Laney's 59 gave St Cross Symondians a perfect base. Two matches left and four points effectively separate St Cross Symondians from Burridge as the pair head towards the ECB Southern Premier League winning post.
St Cross knocked South Wilts out of the title race with a crushing 119-run victory at Bemerton, while Burridge continue to snap at their heels after trimming Bashley (Rydal) by four wickets.
The final fortnight of the season sees St Cross playing the bottom two, initially New Milton at the Green Jackets this Saturday, followed by a trip to Lymington.
Second placed Burridge host fading 2016/17 champions Havant before finishing at Alton.
St Cross made light of the absence of Hampshire’s Jimmy Adams, who had plundered 495 runs, including three centuries, in the previous four Premier Division matches.
They overcame a wobble – losing three wickets for 27 runs after being 106-1 – to post a daunting 285-5 before bowling South Wilts out for 166.
Former Hampshire batsman Jason Laney, content to play second team cricket at the Green Jackets Ground these days, underpinned the century start St Cross made.
He lost Tom Foyle at 33-1, but got his head down to graft out an important 59 (seven fours) and shared a decent second wicket partnership with Harry Came (24) which established the visitors’ position.
Laney, of course, played his junior cricket at Bemerton in the Roger Sillence era at the Wilton Road club.
Although South Wilts took three wickets to check Symondians’ progress at 133-4, their bowling was off-line (and often too short) as they struggled to control the swinging ball.
It led to wides galore – a staggering 43 of them out of an incredible 60 sundries they gifted the visitors – and some pretty dismal of out-cricket.
It summed up South Wilts’ overall performance. Poor.
St Cross knocked South Wilts out of the title race with a crushing 119-run victory at Bemerton, while Burridge continue to snap at their heels after trimming Bashley (Rydal) by four wickets.
The final fortnight of the season sees St Cross playing the bottom two, initially New Milton at the Green Jackets this Saturday, followed by a trip to Lymington.
Second placed Burridge host fading 2016/17 champions Havant before finishing at Alton.
St Cross made light of the absence of Hampshire’s Jimmy Adams, who had plundered 495 runs, including three centuries, in the previous four Premier Division matches.
They overcame a wobble – losing three wickets for 27 runs after being 106-1 – to post a daunting 285-5 before bowling South Wilts out for 166.
Former Hampshire batsman Jason Laney, content to play second team cricket at the Green Jackets Ground these days, underpinned the century start St Cross made.
He lost Tom Foyle at 33-1, but got his head down to graft out an important 59 (seven fours) and shared a decent second wicket partnership with Harry Came (24) which established the visitors’ position.
Laney, of course, played his junior cricket at Bemerton in the Roger Sillence era at the Wilton Road club.
Although South Wilts took three wickets to check Symondians’ progress at 133-4, their bowling was off-line (and often too short) as they struggled to control the swinging ball.
It led to wides galore – a staggering 43 of them out of an incredible 60 sundries they gifted the visitors – and some pretty dismal of out-cricket.
It summed up South Wilts’ overall performance. Poor.
 Harry Foyle (above) and Ed Ellis (below) |  |
St Cross duly cashed in, with Ed Ellis (48) and man-of-the-match Harry Foyle, with an unbeaten 65, putting together a century stand – and, at 237-5, taking the game completely out of South Wilts’ reach.
The last four overs saw another 48 runs added and St Cross halfway to what could prove a priceless result in the championship race.
Reflecting on Symondians’ recovery, skipper Tom Foyle said: “If we’d lost three quick wickets like that in previous years, we’d have collapsed.
“But there’s enormous confidence and self-belief in the side now and we’ve been posting some heavy scores as a result.”
South Wilts needed major contributions from opening pair Tom Morton and Kenya-bound Jack Mynott if they were going to put St Cross under any pressure.
But it didn’t happen.
Directly Morton holed out at mid-wicket, South Wilts were on the downward slope.
Jack Bransgrove (2-26) struck twice with the new ball to remove both openers either side of teenage left-hander Jack Stearman being run out.
With Harry Foyle (3-19) creating inroads, South Wilts dropped to 84-6 (Ben Draper 24) before James Hibberd (24) and Luke Evans (23) added some respectability to their eventual 166 all out (Raj Naik 2-38).
The last four overs saw another 48 runs added and St Cross halfway to what could prove a priceless result in the championship race.
Reflecting on Symondians’ recovery, skipper Tom Foyle said: “If we’d lost three quick wickets like that in previous years, we’d have collapsed.
“But there’s enormous confidence and self-belief in the side now and we’ve been posting some heavy scores as a result.”
South Wilts needed major contributions from opening pair Tom Morton and Kenya-bound Jack Mynott if they were going to put St Cross under any pressure.
But it didn’t happen.
Directly Morton holed out at mid-wicket, South Wilts were on the downward slope.
Jack Bransgrove (2-26) struck twice with the new ball to remove both openers either side of teenage left-hander Jack Stearman being run out.
With Harry Foyle (3-19) creating inroads, South Wilts dropped to 84-6 (Ben Draper 24) before James Hibberd (24) and Luke Evans (23) added some respectability to their eventual 166 all out (Raj Naik 2-38).
- Match day photographs by Roy Honeybone.
