Richard Vinn, Basingstoke & North Hants [Dave Vokes]
The champagne is on ice at Sparsholt, who need another 24 points for promotion and two wins from their last four matches to secure the Southern Premier League Division Two title.
But after an hour’s play in the St Cross Symondians’ derby at the Green Jackets Ground, the calculation could have been very different with Sparsholt staring down the barrel at a sub-100 score and their Winchester neighbours inflicting a heavy defeat.
At 45-4 and 92-7, Sparsholt were in a precarious position – but they rallied to post 167 and go on to win by 44 runs.
Sam O’Brien (24) and Stuart Taylor (20) launched the fightback, but it was Nayan Phagami (33) who picked up the mantle of responsibility and with Dan Weir (19) guided Sparshot to what proved a winning total.
Michael Haworth (2-19) struck a massive blow by trapping Symondians’ opener Paul Hawkins and then sending Dan Lunn’s off-stump cart-wheeling out of the ground.
Symondians’ lost two more wickets at 34, after which only Harry Trussler (26) put up much resistance as Jerry Frith (3-9) cut out the middle-order and St Cross slipped to 123 all out.
Bowling in tandem, Liam Doran did his bit with a 2-21 return.
Symondians’ defeat was a blessing in disguise for second placed Rowledge, who are 21 points clear despite a 50-run defeat at May’s Bounty.
Basingstoke & North Hants II wobbled at 19-2, but opener Dan Belcher and Matt Deadman (18) got them back on track, before Belcher (50) and Richard Vinn took the total into three figures.
Vinn (69) and Ageas Bowl catching ace Joe Oates (61) then added 107 for fifth wicket, before Oates departed after fine 66-ball innings which included seven fours and three sixes.
Top scorer Vinn, whose 85-ball knock had seen 10 fours followed one run later, making the score 214-6 before Graham Porter (12) and Greg Donaldson (25) added an unbroken 37 o take the score to 251-6.
Promotion chasing Rowledge, at one stage 19-3, were bowled out for 200, Sydney teen Fraser Wilson top scoring with 66 before becoming one of four victims for Rakitha Perera (4-32). Opening bowling pair Chris Chandler and Porter took two wickets each.
But after an hour’s play in the St Cross Symondians’ derby at the Green Jackets Ground, the calculation could have been very different with Sparsholt staring down the barrel at a sub-100 score and their Winchester neighbours inflicting a heavy defeat.
At 45-4 and 92-7, Sparsholt were in a precarious position – but they rallied to post 167 and go on to win by 44 runs.
Sam O’Brien (24) and Stuart Taylor (20) launched the fightback, but it was Nayan Phagami (33) who picked up the mantle of responsibility and with Dan Weir (19) guided Sparshot to what proved a winning total.
Michael Haworth (2-19) struck a massive blow by trapping Symondians’ opener Paul Hawkins and then sending Dan Lunn’s off-stump cart-wheeling out of the ground.
Symondians’ lost two more wickets at 34, after which only Harry Trussler (26) put up much resistance as Jerry Frith (3-9) cut out the middle-order and St Cross slipped to 123 all out.
Bowling in tandem, Liam Doran did his bit with a 2-21 return.
Symondians’ defeat was a blessing in disguise for second placed Rowledge, who are 21 points clear despite a 50-run defeat at May’s Bounty.
Basingstoke & North Hants II wobbled at 19-2, but opener Dan Belcher and Matt Deadman (18) got them back on track, before Belcher (50) and Richard Vinn took the total into three figures.
Vinn (69) and Ageas Bowl catching ace Joe Oates (61) then added 107 for fifth wicket, before Oates departed after fine 66-ball innings which included seven fours and three sixes.
Top scorer Vinn, whose 85-ball knock had seen 10 fours followed one run later, making the score 214-6 before Graham Porter (12) and Greg Donaldson (25) added an unbroken 37 o take the score to 251-6.
Promotion chasing Rowledge, at one stage 19-3, were bowled out for 200, Sydney teen Fraser Wilson top scoring with 66 before becoming one of four victims for Rakitha Perera (4-32). Opening bowling pair Chris Chandler and Porter took two wickets each.
