Mitchell Stokes produced the best countrywide individual bowling performance of the first round with figures of 7-24 as Basingstoke & North Hants ruthlessly crushed Totton & Eling by 164 runs in the ECB Royal London national club championship at Southern Gardens.
The outcome was inevitable once the draw was made at Lord’s.
The Eels are in major rebuild after another player exodus - but buoyant about their immediate future, with 60 or more players, mainly raised from a thriving junior set-up, available to play in their four league sides.
They put up a gallant fight against Basingstoke, reducing the visitors to 43-3 (Nick Edens 2-34) before Craig Williamson and Chris Jolley took the game away from them.
Left-hander Williamson top scored with 88 (three sixes and 11 fours) for Basingstoke, whose total received a late boost from ex-Hartley Wintney player Chris Jolley (62), who biffed a 31-ball fifty.
Earlier, opener Dan Belcher, who has joined from Old Basing, made 36 and teenager Max Harsham 31.
Totton were never at the races chasing a formidable 277-9, but Nigel Bungay (24), Oli Perrin (24) and Toby Beresford-Power (27) at least made the Bountymen work hard for their wickets.
They progressed to 98-3 (Toby Beresford-Power 27) before Stokes came on and the last seven wickets fell for 15 runs, leaving Totton 113 all out.
Burridge successfully defended a modest 124-9 to beat Middleton by seven runs and clinch a round two visit to Ventnor on May 8.
Dan Hewitt led the way with bat and ball, top scoring with 35 and later returning a key 4-18 with the ball.
Burridge’s promising start – they were 49 without loss – dissipated when they slumped to 82-6, but Andy Stancliffe and Nick McMurray added precious runs to raise the score to 124-9.
Two early strikes by McMurray (3-44) put Middleton on the back foot and when man-of-the-match Hewitt (4-18) took the prize wicket of Sean Heather (26) Burridge were on top.
Jamie Thompson (31) kept the West Sussex side in it, but Hewitt and McMurray continued to make inroads, with Middleton eventually dismissed for 117.
Elsewhere in the ECB Cup, former Bournemouth seamer Ed Denham took 3-26 to help Walsall to victory over Midland rivals Wombourne.
Former South Wilts and current Solent University leg spinner Jake Foley took 2-18 as Colchester & East Essex crushed Enfield.
* Former South Wilts run gun Tom Morton has made an immediate mark on his new club Ealing, where he is Director of Cricket. He hit 63* in a ten-wicket twenty20 win over Wimbledon.
The outcome was inevitable once the draw was made at Lord’s.
The Eels are in major rebuild after another player exodus - but buoyant about their immediate future, with 60 or more players, mainly raised from a thriving junior set-up, available to play in their four league sides.
They put up a gallant fight against Basingstoke, reducing the visitors to 43-3 (Nick Edens 2-34) before Craig Williamson and Chris Jolley took the game away from them.
Left-hander Williamson top scored with 88 (three sixes and 11 fours) for Basingstoke, whose total received a late boost from ex-Hartley Wintney player Chris Jolley (62), who biffed a 31-ball fifty.
Earlier, opener Dan Belcher, who has joined from Old Basing, made 36 and teenager Max Harsham 31.
Totton were never at the races chasing a formidable 277-9, but Nigel Bungay (24), Oli Perrin (24) and Toby Beresford-Power (27) at least made the Bountymen work hard for their wickets.
They progressed to 98-3 (Toby Beresford-Power 27) before Stokes came on and the last seven wickets fell for 15 runs, leaving Totton 113 all out.
Burridge successfully defended a modest 124-9 to beat Middleton by seven runs and clinch a round two visit to Ventnor on May 8.
Dan Hewitt led the way with bat and ball, top scoring with 35 and later returning a key 4-18 with the ball.
Burridge’s promising start – they were 49 without loss – dissipated when they slumped to 82-6, but Andy Stancliffe and Nick McMurray added precious runs to raise the score to 124-9.
Two early strikes by McMurray (3-44) put Middleton on the back foot and when man-of-the-match Hewitt (4-18) took the prize wicket of Sean Heather (26) Burridge were on top.
Jamie Thompson (31) kept the West Sussex side in it, but Hewitt and McMurray continued to make inroads, with Middleton eventually dismissed for 117.
Elsewhere in the ECB Cup, former Bournemouth seamer Ed Denham took 3-26 to help Walsall to victory over Midland rivals Wombourne.
Former South Wilts and current Solent University leg spinner Jake Foley took 2-18 as Colchester & East Essex crushed Enfield.
* Former South Wilts run gun Tom Morton has made an immediate mark on his new club Ealing, where he is Director of Cricket. He hit 63* in a ten-wicket twenty20 win over Wimbledon.
