Lymington's Matt Metcalfe named in Southern Premier League Team of the Decade [Roy Honeybone]
A trio of cricketers who have spent the bulk of their careers at eight-time champions Havant and South Wilts, who lifted the title four times between 2012 and 2015, have been included in the Southern Premier League's Team of the Decade.
The eagerly awaited announcement of the Dream Team, selected from all four divisions on the basis of sheer weight of runs scored and wickets taken betwLeague tatieleen 2010 and 2019, also sees the inclusion of two players from each of Alton and South Wilts.
Long serving all-rounder Richard Hindley, Peter Hopson and Ben Walker (currently with Bashley Rydal), are the three Havant representatives.
Alton's Julian Ballinger, with 305 scalps in the past decade, is selected alongside Brewers' team-mate Scott Myers, who has made over 4,700 runs, taken 95 wickets - and snapped up 88 catches !
South Wilts captain Tom Morton, with some 5,465 runs and 162 dismissals, was first pick for the past decade 'dream team'.
Had he not spent two summers at Ealing, where his award winning 796 runs helped the West London club lift the 2017 Middlesex County League title, Morton would have been looking to have 7,000 SPL runs under his belt by close of play in 2020.
Left-arm option
Morton's Bemerton team-mate James Hayward, capable of scoring quickly with his own often zanny brand of ramp shots and reverse sweeps, would provide a left-arm option to Ballinger and Hindley in the spin department.
Ben Thane, who is expected to rejoin newly promoted Hook & Newnham Basics for the coming summer season, is penciled in to bat three, sharing Morton's tag as having scored over 5,000 SPL runs since 2010.
Lymington's Matt Metcalfe, with 342 wickets in the past ten seasons, was selected as new-ball bowler alongside James Hibberd, a prominent figures in South Wilts' past title triumphs..
The only non-current Premier Division player picked is Sparsholt all-rounder David Banks, who shone his BAT Sports/Totton & Eling days.
The Southern Premier League's Dream Team (12 selected as one may be injured in the football warm-up) -
+ Tom Morton, 5465 runs @ 44, 162 ct 37 st
Ben Walker, 4492 runs @ 43, 139 wkts @ 18
Ben Thane, 5150 runs @ 41, 134 wkts @ 22
Peter Hopson, 4793 runs @ 31
Scott Myers, 4736 runs @ 38, 95 wkts @ 32, 88 ct
David Banks, 4888 runs @ 40, 146 wkts @ 22, 85 ct
* James Hayward, 4457 runs @ 35, 68 wkts @ 23
Richard Hindley, 3191 runs @ 36, 241 wkts @ 18
James Hibberd, 5976 runs @ 31.79, 483 wickets (overall aggregate)
Matt Metcalfe, 1810 runs @ 23, 342 wkts @ 17
Julian Ballinger, 588 runs @ 10, 305 wkts @ 20
* This website is deeply indebted to SPL Results Secretary Stephen Jones for providing statistical back-up to this article. No wonder he once appeared on University Challenge ...
The eagerly awaited announcement of the Dream Team, selected from all four divisions on the basis of sheer weight of runs scored and wickets taken betwLeague tatieleen 2010 and 2019, also sees the inclusion of two players from each of Alton and South Wilts.
Long serving all-rounder Richard Hindley, Peter Hopson and Ben Walker (currently with Bashley Rydal), are the three Havant representatives.
Alton's Julian Ballinger, with 305 scalps in the past decade, is selected alongside Brewers' team-mate Scott Myers, who has made over 4,700 runs, taken 95 wickets - and snapped up 88 catches !
South Wilts captain Tom Morton, with some 5,465 runs and 162 dismissals, was first pick for the past decade 'dream team'.
Had he not spent two summers at Ealing, where his award winning 796 runs helped the West London club lift the 2017 Middlesex County League title, Morton would have been looking to have 7,000 SPL runs under his belt by close of play in 2020.
Left-arm option
Morton's Bemerton team-mate James Hayward, capable of scoring quickly with his own often zanny brand of ramp shots and reverse sweeps, would provide a left-arm option to Ballinger and Hindley in the spin department.
Ben Thane, who is expected to rejoin newly promoted Hook & Newnham Basics for the coming summer season, is penciled in to bat three, sharing Morton's tag as having scored over 5,000 SPL runs since 2010.
Lymington's Matt Metcalfe, with 342 wickets in the past ten seasons, was selected as new-ball bowler alongside James Hibberd, a prominent figures in South Wilts' past title triumphs..
The only non-current Premier Division player picked is Sparsholt all-rounder David Banks, who shone his BAT Sports/Totton & Eling days.
The Southern Premier League's Dream Team (12 selected as one may be injured in the football warm-up) -
+ Tom Morton, 5465 runs @ 44, 162 ct 37 st
Ben Walker, 4492 runs @ 43, 139 wkts @ 18
Ben Thane, 5150 runs @ 41, 134 wkts @ 22
Peter Hopson, 4793 runs @ 31
Scott Myers, 4736 runs @ 38, 95 wkts @ 32, 88 ct
David Banks, 4888 runs @ 40, 146 wkts @ 22, 85 ct
* James Hayward, 4457 runs @ 35, 68 wkts @ 23
Richard Hindley, 3191 runs @ 36, 241 wkts @ 18
James Hibberd, 5976 runs @ 31.79, 483 wickets (overall aggregate)
Matt Metcalfe, 1810 runs @ 23, 342 wkts @ 17
Julian Ballinger, 588 runs @ 10, 305 wkts @ 20
* This website is deeply indebted to SPL Results Secretary Stephen Jones for providing statistical back-up to this article. No wonder he once appeared on University Challenge ...
