Australian medium-pace bowler Sam Beer celebrated a third successive five-wicket haul as St Cross Symondians flexed their muscles for Saturday’s top of the table showdown with ECB Southern Premier League champions South Wilts with a crushing 126-run win over Bashley (Rydal) at the Green Jackets Ground.
He followed up hauls of 5-24 (Hook & Newnham Basics) and 5-55 at Bournemouth by taking a best yet 5-19 as St Cross bowled Bashley out for 126 in response to their own 252-9.
Beer, left, who plays for the Melbourne Grade club Praharn in the Victorian Premiership, struck two blows with the new ball before returning for a second spell to finish off the Bashley innings with three late wickets.
A third successive win enabled St Cross to stay within 15 points of leaders South Wilts, who have won all five Time pennant matches. The season is now at its halfway point.
St Cross will need to repeat their opening round five-wicket victory over the 2021 Premier champions if they are to launch a serious title challenge during the second half of the season.
Alongside the Hampshire Academy, who lie third in the log one point behind St Cross, Ed Ellis’s side are regarded as the team most likely to threaten the champions.
He followed up hauls of 5-24 (Hook & Newnham Basics) and 5-55 at Bournemouth by taking a best yet 5-19 as St Cross bowled Bashley out for 126 in response to their own 252-9.
Beer, left, who plays for the Melbourne Grade club Praharn in the Victorian Premiership, struck two blows with the new ball before returning for a second spell to finish off the Bashley innings with three late wickets.
A third successive win enabled St Cross to stay within 15 points of leaders South Wilts, who have won all five Time pennant matches. The season is now at its halfway point.
St Cross will need to repeat their opening round five-wicket victory over the 2021 Premier champions if they are to launch a serious title challenge during the second half of the season.
Alongside the Hampshire Academy, who lie third in the log one point behind St Cross, Ed Ellis’s side are regarded as the team most likely to threaten the champions.
 Felix Organ 65 |  Ed Ellis 52 |
With five regulars absent, Bashley were eventually relatively easy pickings for St Cross, but they certainly didn’t have it all their own way at the start with Devon pace bowler Dan Goodey (4-58) taking three wickets with the new ball to leave the Winchester side wobbling at 48-4.
Teenage Dorset pace bowling prospect Joe Huns (3-58) picked up his first wicket on SPL debut before lunch, bowling left-hand opener Tom Foyle (27).
Hampshire’s Felix Organ, who St Cross hope to field for Saturday’s home match against South Wilts (Green Jackets Ground, 11), and Charlie Gwynn (34) eased the pressure with a 92-run stand.
But the pair left the scene within five runs of each other, both to Josh Digby (2-41), the Bashley captain trapped Organ leg before for 65 to leave the St Cross innings at a potential crossroads at 145-6.
Seventh wicket pair Jack Bransgrove (36) and Ed Ellis (52), back after a broken finger, took the match away from Bashley with a 77-run stand, which pointed St Cross to a healthy 252-9 declared.
Bashley didn’t have the batting firepower to threaten, with openers Josh Digby and Will Tripcony falling in consecutive deliveries (10-2) and half the side was back in the pavilion at 51-5.
Goodey (42) applied the long handle, hitting four sixes and three fours, to double the Bashley total, but Beer’s return coincided with the last four wickets falling for two runs and the visitors to 126 all out.
Teenage Dorset pace bowling prospect Joe Huns (3-58) picked up his first wicket on SPL debut before lunch, bowling left-hand opener Tom Foyle (27).
Hampshire’s Felix Organ, who St Cross hope to field for Saturday’s home match against South Wilts (Green Jackets Ground, 11), and Charlie Gwynn (34) eased the pressure with a 92-run stand.
But the pair left the scene within five runs of each other, both to Josh Digby (2-41), the Bashley captain trapped Organ leg before for 65 to leave the St Cross innings at a potential crossroads at 145-6.
Seventh wicket pair Jack Bransgrove (36) and Ed Ellis (52), back after a broken finger, took the match away from Bashley with a 77-run stand, which pointed St Cross to a healthy 252-9 declared.
Bashley didn’t have the batting firepower to threaten, with openers Josh Digby and Will Tripcony falling in consecutive deliveries (10-2) and half the side was back in the pavilion at 51-5.
Goodey (42) applied the long handle, hitting four sixes and three fours, to double the Bashley total, but Beer’s return coincided with the last four wickets falling for two runs and the visitors to 126 all out.
Dan Goodey took 4-58 and top scored with 42 for Bashley (Rydal).
