Tom Allam warned pre-match that, despite their loTom Allam warned days before the game that, despite their lowly standing in the table, Tichborne Park were capable of beating anyone on their day.
His words didn’t quite ring true – but Tichborne, second from bottom in the log, gave new Southern Premier League Division 2 leaders Sparsholt a massive scare in the Locks Lane derby.
Allam’s own contribution – a superb boundary strewn 131 – took Tichborne to 243-9 and within 18 runs of Sparsholt’s 261-5 and provided Jeremy Frith, the host captain, with a far more anxious afternoon than he might have anticipated.
Frith himself set the tone of a run-laden affair with an accomplished 84 (11 fours) at the top of the Sparsholt order, sharing an 89-run start with Michael Haworth (45).
Frith fell at 177-4, leaving Lewis Mitchard, with a run-a-ball 63 (one six and six fours), and Nick Doubell (25) to push the total on to 261-5.
Tom Allam had gone wicketless during the afternoon session – but it was a different story after tea, with the Tichborne skipper setting off on a one-man batting crusade.
In a truly superb two-hour stay at the crease, Allam smashed five sixes and 16 fours, racking up his second consecutive SPL2 century and the highest of his five hundreds scored in recent seasons.
Allam’s only problem came at the non-striker’s end, where six team-mates perished and only two fifty-plus partnerships materialised.
He was eventually out at 190-7 to a spectacular outfield catch by Alex Thornton.
Tichborne didn’t give up there. Ed Berry (32) and Matt Bristow (19) kept the scoreboard ticking, ensuring the visitors a maximum batting bonus point haul at an eventual 243-9, teenage spinner Liam Doran’s 3-38 the best figures of the day.
Sparsholt v Tichborne Park photographs by Bob Selley.
His words didn’t quite ring true – but Tichborne, second from bottom in the log, gave new Southern Premier League Division 2 leaders Sparsholt a massive scare in the Locks Lane derby.
Allam’s own contribution – a superb boundary strewn 131 – took Tichborne to 243-9 and within 18 runs of Sparsholt’s 261-5 and provided Jeremy Frith, the host captain, with a far more anxious afternoon than he might have anticipated.
Frith himself set the tone of a run-laden affair with an accomplished 84 (11 fours) at the top of the Sparsholt order, sharing an 89-run start with Michael Haworth (45).
Frith fell at 177-4, leaving Lewis Mitchard, with a run-a-ball 63 (one six and six fours), and Nick Doubell (25) to push the total on to 261-5.
Tom Allam had gone wicketless during the afternoon session – but it was a different story after tea, with the Tichborne skipper setting off on a one-man batting crusade.
In a truly superb two-hour stay at the crease, Allam smashed five sixes and 16 fours, racking up his second consecutive SPL2 century and the highest of his five hundreds scored in recent seasons.
Allam’s only problem came at the non-striker’s end, where six team-mates perished and only two fifty-plus partnerships materialised.
He was eventually out at 190-7 to a spectacular outfield catch by Alex Thornton.
Tichborne didn’t give up there. Ed Berry (32) and Matt Bristow (19) kept the scoreboard ticking, ensuring the visitors a maximum batting bonus point haul at an eventual 243-9, teenage spinner Liam Doran’s 3-38 the best figures of the day.
Sparsholt v Tichborne Park photographs by Bob Selley.
 Alex Thornton takes a stunning catch |  Sam O'Brien takes a smart stumping |
